Category: career resources

Posted on

Finding Your Path

Wondering what the social work job market looks like, or what paths to consider?

Whether you’re actively job seeking or preparing for your future search, you can learn about your prospects in several ways:

    • CSSW Resources: For insight on jobs that CSSW graduates have pursued immediately after graduation, review our 2024 graduate outcomes report (additional reports can be found in Career Connect). You can also explore alumni career trajectories on CSSW’s LinkedIn Alumni page and in the CSSW LinkedIn Group. If you’re not sure where to start, use the list of 80+ job search sites in Career Connect or request a career chat with an alum through our Career Mentorship Program to gain firsthand insights from professionals in the field.

By combining career and market research with conversations with social workers in your areas of interest, you’ll be better prepared to identify opportunities that fit your skills and aspirations. We’re also here to help, wherever you are in your journey.

Posted on

Career Mentorship Program Now Open: Connect with Alumni for Insights

The Office of Career and Leadership Management and Office of Alumni Relations are pleased to launch our Alumni-Student Career Mentorship Program for the 2025-2026 year!

Whether you’re looking to gain insights about a specific path, field, or industry, or advice on navigating and managing your developing career, this is a great opportunity to connect with those who have been in your shoes as a student and are now leading a wide array of social work careers.

Through this program, you can request to meet up to 3 alumni per month from a pool of more than 450 for 1:1 flash mentorship conversations. These conversations are one-time, virtual meetings of up to an hour long, in which you can ask about the mentor’s experiences and perspectives in relation to your career goals.

▶️ Learn more and sign up here.

Requests will be accepted until Friday, December 12 at 5:00 PM ET for the fall semester.

Posted on

3 Things to Know as You Start the Semester (Career Edition)

Welcome to a new school year! Whether you’ve just joined us or are returning to campus virtually or in person, we’re glad you’re here. 

As you settle into student life, here are 3 things to keep in mind:

    • We’re here for you at every stage of your journey: You don’t have to have it all figured out. From exploring your options to preparing for your future job search, you’re welcome to meet with us wherever you are in the career planning process.
    • We have many resources you can access on your own time: Resume and cover letter guides, job boards, and networking tools—you can easily find them within Career Connect; check them out!
    • Every “small” step is still a step forward: Don’t worry about getting it all done at once. Focus on one goal at a time, whether it’s making a list of jobs you aspire toward, meeting one alum in your target industry, or updating your resume. Then, connect with a career event, resource, or opportunity that supports that goal, and go from there.

If you have quick questions, you can always reach us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to see the paths you’ll take this year and look forward to supporting you in your next step!

Posted on

Tips for First-Generation Job Seekers

In honor of First-Generation College Student Day celebrated yesterday, we would like to a give special shout-out to our first-generation students and alumni who are continuing to blaze a trail for themselves, their families, and communities and making their mark in the field of social work!

If you are currently pursuing opportunities as early career professionals or seeking to advance to leadership roles, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

    • Know that you have a lot to offer. Start by embracing the knowledge and strengths you’ve built. Your resourcefulness, determination to succeed, and ability to both navigate uncertainty and complex systems and adapt to changing needs are all qualities that employers highly value. Keep a record of your unique skills and accomplishments and practice sharing them with others so you can feel confident conveying them to prospective employers.
    • Build a support system. A healthy support system can offer validation and a safe space to bounce off ideas and concerns. Continue investing time in developing your trusted community of mentors, professionals, former supervisors, peers, faculty, and college administrators who can share resources, information, and potential access to opportunities. To find community on campus, check out the events hosted by the Graduate Initiative through University Life and reach out to the student leaders of the CSSW’s First Generation Lower SES Caucus.
    • Be proactive in seeking resources. Continue to use resources inside and outside of Columbia to increase your knowledge around job searching, networking, negotiating salary, and advancing in the workforce. For instance, you can learn about the unspoken rules of the workplace and how to get ahead in your career from this HBR IdeaCast episode, Career Rules You Didn’t Learn in School, take a self-paced salary negotiation program with AAUW online, or attend the National Urban League’s professional development webinars. You can also participate in networking and leadership development activities through professional organizations such as the Network for Social Work Management. Links to similar resources are also readily featured in our enews, blog, and Career Connect resource library.

Students and alums are always welcome to meet with us for individual career consultations. Learn more about what’s available to you here.

Posted on

Flash mentoring is back – Sign up to get career advice and support from alumni!

The Office of Alumni Relations and Office of Career Services and Leadership Management are pleased to resume our career mentorship program for the spring semester!

The program will run from Monday, February 1 through Friday, May 28. Requests will be accepted until Friday, May 14.

 

Mentoring Program Overview

Through this program, students can request to connect with up to 3 alums per month for 1:1 conversations to:

    • Gain insights and perspectives about a career path, field, organization, or industry;
    • Get advice about career planning, searching and applying for jobs (including resume writing), networking, interviewing, or navigating life after CSSW; OR
    • Seek support in general from someone who’s been in your shoes as a student

Interested?

    1. Fill out this mentoring program interest form. On the form, you will find a link to a directory with a list of more than 300 alumni volunteer mentors who are eager to meet you! Select the one you’re interested in meeting. Note that you will have to complete this form for each request.
    2. After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirmation as well as an introductory email from Jennifer March from Alumni Relations connecting you to the alum of choice within a few business days. If you don’t hear from Jennifer in that time frame, please email her directly at [email protected] to follow up.
    3. Once you receive the email, it will be your responsibility to arrange a meeting directly with the alum using the contact information provided. While Zoom meetings are recommended, you can choose a platform that works best for both you and the alum.

Remember: This is NOT a forum to ask for a job or a recommendation for a job, but rather an opportunity to gather valuable information based on their knowledge and expertise.

After the initial meeting, it will be up to you and the alum to decide whether to continue to stay in touch.

Questions?

For general questions about our alumni mentors, please email Jennifer March at [email protected].

For guidance on how to prepare for a meeting, refer to our Informational Interview Guide. You can also view free, on-demand webinars on informational interviewing (and other career development topics) from LinkedIn Learning, or schedule an appointment with the career team to discuss further.

We hope you take advantage of this special opportunity!

Posted on

Making the Most of Informational Interviews

Does the idea of conducting informational interviews feel intimidating?

Consider thinking of them as “curiosity conversations”—opportunities to make meaningful connections with folx in your field and gain insights and advice that will help you move forward in your career development.

If you missed our information interviewing webinar last week, here are some key takeaways:

    • Clarify your interests, needs, and goals to assess what knowledge and insights will help you move forward in your career exploration.
    • Identify contacts from your network who possess the background or expertise in your area of interest, including through the CSSW LinkedIn Group or career mentoring program for students.
    • Prepare a brief overview of your professional experience and an agenda for the meeting to ensure you leave with your “must” takeaways.
    • Ask thoughtful questions that can provide actionable insights and build upon what you already know.
    • Make sure to follow-up with a thank you note and keep the contact up-to-date on your progress.

You can find the presentation slides in Career Connect within our Document Library under the Workshops / Webinars / Presentations folder.

Proudly powered by WordPress