CAREER CORNER
School's (not) Out for the Summer
How Students can Prepare this Summer for their Careers in Nonprofit Management
With most students attending few, if any, classes over the next couple of months, the summer time can be a great opportunity to gain a career boost. The following are suggestions of steps students can take that can help with a future job search.
- Conduct informational interviews. It is important to talk with people who are currently working in fields that interest you in order to gain a better understanding of a specific occupation or area of work. Informational interviews are also excellent ways to add to your network of contacts in that field. If you think you might like to work in development for a church, provide direct service for a nursing home, or work as a nonprofit consultant, among other things, the Mandel Center can help put you in contact with professionals in these areas. For more information on how to conduct an information interview, please read Monster.com's article Informational Interviewing: The Neglected Job Search Tool.
- Actively network. This is a great way to build your circle of contacts, find out about potential jobs openings or interesting organizations, receive information about the job market, or gain advice about your career. Networking can be done through a variety of ways: having an internship, volunteering, and talking with Mandel Center faculty and staff. The Mandel Center also offers another great way to network - its alumni. There are over 600 Mandel Center alumni representing a broad variety of industries, job functions, and locations. Alumni can help students and fellow graduates with their career searches by sharing their own contacts, knowledge, and experiences from working in the nonprofit sector. For more information about getting in touch with specific alumni, please email Nicole Rothstein.
- Match yourself up with a Mandel Center mentor. The mentor program is an optional experience that enables a student to be matched one-on-one with a prominent nonprofit executive in the Cleveland area. This is an opportunity to discover the realities of the workplace, network with professionals who share similar interests, obtain valuable and personalized guidance from a seasoned professional, or to work side-by-side with one's mentor. For more information, please email Jennifer Shiner, coordinator of the mentor program.
- Build your summer reading list. The Mandel Center recommends many good reads for people interested in learning about careers in the nonprofit sector. Please visit our list of recommended reading.
- Visit the Mandel Center's Resource Library. The Mandel Center's specialized collection of career planning and employment resources includes books focusing on resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, job search techniques, and career information specific to the nonprofit sector. Stop by to peruse our in-house selections Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Perfect your resume. So that you'll be prepared when you conduct informational interviews or when applying for jobs, really work on perfecting your resume this summer. To assist you in this process, please visit the Mandel Center's resource library or email Brenda Marshall.
- Seek out career advice. The Mandel Center is here to help you with many of your career needs. Gain advice on working in the nonprofit sector, resume tips, networking contacts and much more. For more information, please email Brenda Marshall.
For more career planning information, as well as a list of job posting sites, please visit the Mandel Center's website. We are currently working to improve the new Career Corner section of our website so that we can provide information concerning career advising, networking, job openings, job hunting and interviewing tips, salary information for the nonprofit sector, and much more. Please check back continuously as more information appears on our website.
