Getting Started with the Job Search Process

Whether you plan to apply for a summer internship or post-grad opportunity, there are steps you can take now to prepare, including drafting a target list of employers. You can begin this process by:

  • Researching organizations you want to work for based on their mission and impact. Not sure where to start? Check out the links in the Employer Research folder within the Document Library of Career Connect.
  • Identifying opportunities within these organizations that align with your knowledge, skills, and interests.
  • Making connections and conducting informational interviews with people working at these organizations in roles that you hope to attain.

Learn more at our Job Search Workshop on Tuesday, October 27 from 1:00 to 1:50 PM in Room C06! There will be another workshop for those seeking summer opportunities on Thursday, November 14.

Career Talk with Dr. Joy Ippolito | Wednesday, November 20

UPDATE: The talk will also feature Amber Porter, Venture Capital Associate, and Chaarvi Badani, Fall VC Associate and current Columbia SIPA student.

Join us for an intimate conversation with Dr. Joy Ippolito, Social Impact Investment Director at American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, on how she uses her social work background and 18+ years of experience in social impact policy and research to guide venture capital investments for health youth development.

Career Talk with Dr. Joy Ippolito
Wednesday, November 20, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
CSSW Room C05

Register here

About Dr. Joy Ippolito

Dr. Joy Ippolito is a Social Impact Investment Director  or the newly launched American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact. She has more than 18 years of policy, research, and graduate teaching experience in urban education, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and supporting healthy families and communities. She uses this knowledge to guide venture capital investments she makes in healthy youth development. Prior to joining the Institute, Joy was a state policy executive and the first Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. She previously taught human development at the Urban Education Institute and conducted implementation and evaluation research at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, where she was the project manager for the federal evaluation of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) for Chicago Public Schools.

She holds a doctorate in human development and master’s degree in prevention science and practice from Harvard University, a master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago.

Strategies for Successful Student-Alumni Networking

Networking and informational interviewing are critical tools for career success, whether you are a student or seasoned professional.

Specifically, they can help you:

    • Learn about different careers and industries
    • Gain insider knowledge about specific positions or organizations
    • Discover “hidden” opportunities
    • Build a network of contacts for information-sharing, mentorship, and partnerships
    • Gain visibility in the field

Student-Alumni Networking Events are particularly valuable because they provide students an opportunity to connect with alumni who have an interest in sharing their insights and advice and can relate to their educational experience.

Whether you are networking in a formal or informal setting, consider the following strategies:

    1. Keep the goal in mind. The objective of networking or informational interviewing is to gather informationnot to ask for a job. If done effectively, it can lead to valuable contacts and information regarding potential opportunities.
    2. Conduct a self-assessment of your goals and interests. It’s okay if you’re not exactly sure what you want to do; however, you should have a general sense of your skills, goals, and interests so that you can ask targeted questions that can help you move forward.
    3. Prepare an introduction. How you introduce yourself will influence how you’ll be remembered. To make a strong first impression, be ready to share a quick introduction on who you are, what you do or have done, and what you hope to learn. Be sure to bring business cards if you have them.
    4. Do your research. Learn as much as you can about your prospective new contacts using online resources such as LinkedIn. They have invested time out of their schedule to meet with you; invest time to learn as much as you can about them.
    5. Develop a list of questions. Conversations will be more productive if you prepare a list of relevant questions in advance. Examples:
      • How did you market your social work skills and experience to land your current role?
      • What classes were most valuable for the work you’re leading? 
      • What recommendations do you have for those interested in following your career path?
    6. If you’re in a group setting, provide opportunities for others to engage. You can learn a great deal from listening to and showing interest in others. It is also the courteous thing to do!
    7. Follow up. Make sure to send a thank you note to the contacts you made and stay in touch with any updates, especially if they provided specific advice or leads that were helpful. Go a step further and offer to serve as a resource for them in the future. Ultimately, meaningful networking is about cultivating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Career Talk with Angelie Singla ’06 | Wednesday, September 18

Learn about one of many careers you can pursue as a social worker at this first in the series of a number of career talks led by alumni and professionals in the field.

This month, we will be featuring Angelie Singla ’06, who will be discussing her career path in the field of development.

Career Talk with Angelie Singla ’06
Wednesday, September 18, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
CSSW Room C06

Register here

Angelie Singla is currently the Director, Corporate, Foundation & Government Relations at South Nassau Communities Hospital.  Previously she was the Vice President of Philanthropy at Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC. Prior to that, as the Assistant Director of Program and Resource Development at the Fund for Public Health in NY she submitted several successful government, foundation and corporate grant applications ranging from $40K to $15.5M.  Prior to graduate school, she was a Site Director at the Queens Community House, where she facilitated programs for students and parents.

In addition to her professional experience, Angelie has taught continuing education courses, graduate social work courses and has given presentations at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, Columbia University’s School of Social Work, Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare and the Network for Social Work Management Annual Conference. She is the Co-Chair, Scholarship Committee of the NYC Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She has been a Selection Committee member for the NYCT Nonprofit Excellence Awards, has been a volunteer mentor for the Network for Social Work Management, and a volunteer Career Coach for Women in Development. She has served on the Board of Directors of Community Mediation Services and as a Team Leader for the Grants Advisory Committee of the New York Women’s Foundation.

FREE Fall Data Science Fellowship Program | Apply TODAY for Early Consideration

See below for details regarding a FREE advanced 8-week data science fellowship program. The next session will take place this fall, from September 16 to November 8.
Note that the early deadline for the upcoming session is today, July 8th. If you don’t qualify for this round, you can sign up to learn about future sessions. Full details regarding the fellowship are available on their website. Please contact them directly with any questions.

Program: The Data Incubator is an intensive 8-week fellowship that prepares masters students, PhDs, and postdocs in STEM and social science fields seeking industry careers as datascientists. The program is free for Fellows and supported by sponsorships from hundreds of employers across multiple industries.

Who Should Apply: Anyone who has already obtained a masters or PhD degree or who is within one year of graduating with a masters or PhD is welcome to apply. They recommend master’s students be in their last semester of coursework at the time they attend the program and PhD students be within six months of defending their dissertation, as the program is geared toward those who will be looking to pursue data science jobs within 1-2 months of completing the Fellowship.
Applications from international students are welcome. Everyone else is encouraged to sign-up for a future session.
All applicants must be familiar with at least one programming language
For additional details regarding eligibility and qualifications, please review their FAQs.

Locations: In addition to the below in-person locations, they will have a remote online session:

  • New York City
  • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Boston
  • Washington, DC

Dates: All sections will be from 2019-09-16 to 2019-11-08.

Application Link (The initial application takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.)

A few notes:

  1. They are assessing candidates who apply for the Early Deadline first and then based on remaining availability, will take candidates who applied for the Regular Deadline on a first-come first-serve basis.
  2. This is the common application for all their locations.
  3. Want to apply for a later session? Submit your email information here.

Early Deadline: 2019-07-08
Regular Deadline: 2019-07-15

Learn More: You can learn about their fellows at The New York TimesLinkedInAmazonCapital One, or Palantir. To read about their latest fellow alumni, check out their blog. To learn more about The Data Incubator, check them out on Venture BeatThe Next Web, or Harvard Business Review.

Interested in Working in Philanthropy? | Wednesday, July 17

Philanthropy New York hosts group informational interviews to explore career paths in the philanthropic sector, as part of our “Interested in Working at a Foundation” series. This July, they will provide an opportunity to learn about the field of philanthropy from the perspectives of two leaders in the field.

Join Altaf Rahamatulla, Program Officer at New York Foundation, and Tasha Tucker, Program Director, Racial Justice at Trinity Church Wall Street, as they discuss career path experiences in both the philanthropic sector.

  • When:  Wednesday, July 17, 2019 -3:30 pm to 5:00 pm EDT
  • Where: Philanthropy New York, 320 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
  • Members of PNY & Partner Orgs:  $0.00
  • Non-Members: $0.00
Philanthropy New York members who receive requests for informational interviews from jobseekers may refer those individuals to us for this session.

Explore

  • The advantages and challenges of a career in philanthropy
  • The range of jobs at an organization and some general day-to-day responsibilities
  • The structure and possible priorities of foundations you may encounter on your job search
  • A realistic picture of the competencies corporate and private foundations may value in potential new hires and the number of jobs available in the field at a given time

This session will not include

  • Specific job leads
  • Referrals
  • Individual interviews with contacts within the field

Presenters

Designed for

Individuals interested in learning about careers in the field of philanthropy.

Registration

  • Members: To register yourself and/or a colleague, please click on the “Register Now” link above.
  • Non-PNY members: Create an account or log in above and click the Register Now link.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.