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Career Services Newsletter Highlights

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Monday, February 14th, 2011

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Our Office of Career Services (OCS) is very active in the lives of our students. The job of OCS is to help our current students prepare for immediate engagement in the policy world upon graduation and to assist alumni with continued career development. The following are some of the highlights of the most recent OCS Newsletter that was sent to our students. This list should give you a peek into the wonderful service afforded to our students and alumni.

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Economic and Political Development, Human Rights and Urban and Social Policy Alumni/Student Networking Reception

On Thursday, February 17, 2011, from 6:00-8:00pm, the New York City Career Series will host the Economic and Political Development, Human Rights and Urban and Social Policy Alumni/Student Networking Reception at the Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue (near East 38th Street). Hundreds of alumni from the New York City area and series panelists are invited to attend. The reception will provide an exciting opportunity to network with alumni in your field of interest.

Japan Travel Program for U.S. Future Leaders – Application Deadline: Friday, February 18, 2011

The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), in collaboration with the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), will implement the Japan Travel Program for U.S. Future Leaders for the third time. The goal of the program is to foster a new generation of future leaders in the United States who are interested in achieving a greater understanding of Japan and its roles in global affairs, and in engaging in dialogue and interchange with their counterparts in Japan.

The Program will invite approximately twelve (12) first-year graduate students – no more than two from each U.S.-based APSIA school with full membership – to Japan as a group for a period of approximately ten (10) days in August, 2011. The group will consist of students who currently are or previously have been engaged in Japan studies as well as those who successfully demonstrate a serious interest in Japan but may not have previous exposure to the country.

To see a sample itinerary, visit SIPAlink’s Career Resource Library section and click on “Japan Travel Program 2010 Itinerary Reference Only.”

This itinerary is for illustrative purposes only.

CGP will organize all aspects of official programs and bear all program-related costs of the group, including travel and per diem (accommodations and meals). Costs not covered by CGP include but are not limited to the following: passport application fees, U.S. domestic travel to and from the nearest airport, personal incidentals during the program such as gift purchases, personal time excursions, etc.

F-1 Student Optional Practical Training (OPT) Information Session

The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) staff will outline your employment options for off-campus work following completion of an academic program. We will discuss eligibility requirements, time limitations, and application deadlines and procedures for off-campus employment (Practical Training) after your program of study.

The New York City Career Series

The New York City Career Series was established in 2005 by the Office of Career Services and is designed to provide a forum for students to discuss career trends with professionals in their fields of interest. It is comprised of approximately 20 career panels that take place throughout the school year, including topics such as Human Rights, Urban Policy, Gender Policy, the United Nations, Public and Private Consulting, Finance and Media.

Panelists include a mixture of SIPA alumni and other professionals working in New York City. The Career Series allows SIPA students to make important connections for jobs, internships and informational interviews. Many of the private sector career panels were held during the fall semester, while those with a more public sector focus will be held in the spring.

Here is a list of the upcoming career panels for the Spring semester:

Monday, February 28, 2011: Gender Policy Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1512 IAB

Monday, February 28, 2011: Urban Policy and New York City Government Career Panel

6:15-7:45pm, Room 1501 IAB

Tuesday, March 1, 2011: Foundations Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1512 IAB
Wednesday, March 2, 2011: Security and Political Risk Analysis Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1512 IAB

Monday, March 7, 2011: Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1510 IAB
Tuesday, March 8, 2011: Social Enterprise Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1512 IAB

Wednesday, March 9, 2011: Non Profits/NGOs Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1501 IAB

Monday, March 28, 2011: Public Sector Consulting Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1512 IAB

Tuesday, March 29, 2011: Environmental Policy Career Panel

6:00-7:30pm, Room 1512 IAB

India Employer Outreach Trip: Report by Irene Coffman, Director of Employer Outreach

In my new role as Director of Employer Outreach, I took my first overseas trip to India in November 2010, along with representatives from three other Association of Professional Schools in International Affairs (APSIA) schools. During the course of the trip we met with 28 organizations located in Mumbai and Delhi, as well as alumni.

We met with a spectrum of organizations that included private sector firms, think tanks, NGOs and multilaterals that included: Monitor Inclusive Markets, Yes Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infrastructure Development Finance Company, Azure Power, TERI (The Energy Research Institute), Oxfam India, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Centre for Social Research, UN Development Programme, Aga Kahn Foundation, and American India Foundation.

Several of the organizations we met with have already posted internships for the summer and we are in the process of following up with the rest.

Peer Perspectives Series

Would you enjoy the opportunity to share with your classmates your professional experiences prior to or during SIPA? Give back to the current student body by sharing your expertise in a structured setting. If you have full-time professional work experience in a specific field, sign up to be a speaker as part of the OCS Peer Perspective Series that will showcase one of SIPA’s greatest resources, its student body!

Alumni Career Advisory Program (ACAP)

Attention students! Please note that you have access to the Alumni Career Advisory Program (ACAP), which is part of the SIPA Global Connection alumni website. ACAP is an online directory of SIPA alumni who have volunteered to serve as career mentors to current SIPA students and fellow alumni. ACAP is an excellent source for networking.

Online Job Search Resources

Current students have access to Vault Online Career Library. Vault is the world’s leading source of career information. It will make your efforts at researching employers, industries, and career subjects infinitely easier and more efficient. In addition, students have access to Wet Feet Library. Since 1994, WetFeet has been a trusted third party for job seekers, helping students and young professionals make smarter career decisions. The Wetfeet Career Resource Site gives you access to the complete Insider Guide library and the inside scoop on more than 1,000 companies, careers, and industries, along with videos and tips to help find and score your ideal job.

Also, please check out our new subscription to the Going Global database! Packed with country-specific career information, this research tool provides expert advice and insider tips for finding employment opportunities domestically and abroad. Explore career and employment opportunities in countries around the world. Listings are updated daily. Resources include: business and networking groups, job search resources, cost of living data and more. H-1B employer listings are included in each City Guide, as well as a state-by-state roster. Access more than 400,000+ country-specific company profiles. (Available to students and alumni, UNI authentication required.)

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Categories : Academics, Career Services, News

Tags : Career Services, internships, jobs

Washington D.C. Career Conference

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

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One topic that sometimes will come up when prospective students are considering where to do go to school are the pluses and minues of geographical location. Geographical location of a school is a logical topic to consider and I thought I would provide a bit of input to complement the entry below, submitted by current student Lacey Ramirez.

There are certain tangible benefits of going to school in a particular place. If you go to school in New York you will be close to the United Nations for example. However, if you were to go to the United Nations today and stop ten people that work there, it would be highly unlikely that all ten graduated from a school in New York.

I would say the same for Washington D.C. I have several friends that work in D.C., however none of them went to school in the greater D.C. area. In short, and I am not providing earth shattering insight here, you do not need to go to school where you wish to work. I went to school in Portland, Oregon and have worked in Pusan, South Korea, Santa Clara, California, and New York City.

Another fact that you might be interested in is that the second largest network of SIPA alumni in the world is located in Washington D.C. We do understand the desire of our students to have exposure to what Washington D.C. has to offer and one part of this is our annual Washington D.C. Career Conference.

In addition to the article below on the 2011 Conference, I think you will find the following former blog entries to be useful as well:

Interview with organizer of the 2010 Career Conference

A SIPA alumnus, now working in Washington, D.C. reflects on his time in New York City

A blog entry by a student that attended the D.C. Conference in 2009

Without further delay, here is the entry composed by Lacey that she wrote after attending this year’s conference.

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A very important question one has in choosing a graduate school is what kinds of employment opportunities will come from a particular school. This was a central question when I was looking at programs, and I was especially interested in those that offered some kind of professional development. At SIPA professional development is a core component of the curriculum.

Each year we are required to take a day-long professional development course. The courses are tailored to meet different interests of students in the program, and include the following topic areas: private sector, international students, career changers, media and communications, and international/nonprofit sectors. Courses are taught by successful SIPA alumni and professional recruiters. I have often used the resources and materials that I gained from these courses in my internship and job searches.

Another really interesting professional development experience offered at SIPA is the Washington DC Conference, which is a 3-day event offered during winter break. I participated in the conference this year, and it truly was a great experience and central to the job search I am initiating as I enter my last semester. The conference provided a great opportunity for me to gain exposure to my different fields of interest and practitioners. Also, the conference is only open to SIPA students making it really easy to maneuver and feel comfortable.

The first day of the conference included panels on different sectors and covered topics such as corporate social responsibility, urban and social policy, international development consulting, security policy, energy policy, multilaterals, and the list goes on and on. It was challenging for me to narrow the ones I wanted to participate in!! Admittedly, I am not typically a huge fan of panels, but I was incredibly impressed with the practitioners who led them. The panels were also mediated by a staff member from the SIPA Career Center, and the audiences were just the right size for questions. The best part was being able to approach the practitioners after the panel and exchange contact information!!!

The second day of the conference was a series of site visits. The visits included many different offices in the federal government, consulting firms, development banks, think tanks, and private practitioners. It was a whirlwind of visits and also provided an opportunity to connect with specific offices of interest. I also realized in a site visit that I am extremely interested in a particular organization that I will be applying to this spring. The best part is that I have a series of contacts that I now know, and I can email them for guidance through my application process.

The evening of the second day of the conference the Career Center organized an event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown that was a little more informal event with hors d’oeuvres and drinks. SIPA alumni in the DC area were all invited to the event, and it gave us another venue to get advice from seasoned professionals and recent grads. I also appreciated that it was a little more of a relaxed environment in which to network.

The final day is reserved for one-on-one informational interviews. The SIPA Career Center sends out a list of SIPA alumni available to participate in the interviews. I then sent out a number of emails to alumni working in offices of particular interest to me. I was able to set up about five interviews, and it was a fantastic process. The ones I chose were different from the ones I visited on the 2nd day, and it really helped me to narrow down organizations that I am specifically interested in and the potential job opportunities that fit my interests.

The best part of the conference is it provided current students exposure to a number of varying fields ranging from security policy, humanitarian affairs, development, and even included private sector opportunities in finance and economics. I was able to cover my range of professional interests, and I know several other people who also felt satisfied with the experience. I have made some amazing contacts through the whole process, and I have a new sense of confidence about applying for jobs. I am very pleased that I chose to participate in the conference, and it truly was a great benefit to me.

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Categories : Academics, Career Services, Meet Seeples, SIPA

Tags : Career Services, internship, job, washington d.c.

In Full Swing

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Thursday, November 11th, 2010

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The following post was contributed by second year SIPA student Richard Parker. Richard is working in our office this year and he, along with several other students, will be contributing posts throughout the year. One item of note to consider when reading the following entry is that recent changes to the curriculum have made a capstone workshop mandatory for all SIPA students.

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It has been extremely busy this semester. Classes are definitely in full swing!!! October was a busy month and between working in the Admissions/Financial Aid Office and midterms, I barely had time to write this entry. However, there were some moments of levity one of which was my 27^th birthday and the SIPASA Halloween Party which is always a good time. So I have had some time between all my various assignments to take a proverbial breather.

This month I also began my job hunt. I figure it’s never too early to start. In that regard the Office of Career Services (OCS) has been my new stomping grounds. I went there more than a handful of times to get advice on how to strengthen my resume and cover letter as well as to get advice on how to best start my job search. They are very helpful over there and I feel more confident now than I did before. I guess I should get the office some cookies or popcorn for Christmas huh?

We just came off of our fall break and I took that time to go to Washington D.C. and hangout with my buddies and talk to a few of my mentors. That break was definitely needed and I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving. I’m also looking forward to finding out if I get accepted into a capstone workshop. Capstones are mandatory for MPA’s and optional for certain MIA concentrators (I’m a MIA) but I am hoping that I get accepted into one (hint hint professors).

Workshops apply the practical skills and analytical knowledge learned at SIPA to a real-world issue. Students are organized into small consulting teams and assigned a substantive, policy-oriented project with an external client. This will definitely augment my overall SIPA experience by providing me with valuable experience and contacts for post-graduate employment. I’ll let you know next month what the outcome is!

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Categories : Meet Seeples, SIPA

Tags : capstone, Career Services, internships, jobs, workshop

Summer 2010 Internship – Post 1

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Thursday, September 16th, 2010

· 1 Comment

All MIA and MPA students at SIPA complete thirty weeks of professional development during their two year program. Fifteen weeks is comprised of an internship and fifteen weeks is comprised of a group project referred to as a workshop or capstone project. SIPA offers no summer classes and this allows our students the opportunity to complete their full time internship anywhere in the world.

There are several SIPA students working in the Admissions Office this year and I have asked each one of them to write about their summer internship experience. This first entry was written by Sawako Sonoyama, an MIA student concentrating in Economic and Political Development. Look for more entries on this topic in the near future.

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My summer internship was with the Mae Fah Luang Foundation (MFLF) in Northern Thailand. The MFLF was established under the patronage of Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother who wished to promote development programs that focused on economic and social growth.

There are numerous development projects in Thailand, the Union of Myanmar, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of Indonesia, and I was stationed in the Doi Tung project area, near Chiang Rai. The Doi Tung Development Project is on its 23rd year of a 30-year development plan. The Foundation’s final goal is to transfer the ownership of the project to the local people.

My internship’s objective was to analyze the transfer of ownership of the business units and its management and leadership from the organization to the local people. With a team of four graduate students and two Thai undergraduate students, we examined the current structure of the business, organizational structure, and local government in all their dimensions through first hand interviews with relevant stakeholders. The team also conducted research on existing models and examples of organizational transfer from throughout the world.

Drawing from these models, we assessed and proposed appropriate institutional, financial, managerial framework and organizational structures to transfer any or all the social enterprises. We also examined what kind of capacity building is needed to develop local leadership which will enable them to take over the activities based on the proposed plan.

Finally, we raised some key overarching issues for the transfer plan and emphasized the importance of institutionalizing the MFLF philosophy to the Doi Tung area. Of all of the various knowledge I gained from MFLF, the most interesting was learning about this MFLF philosophy. The MFLF philosophy and development approach are based on the values of His Royal Highness King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his mother, the Princess Mother.

The King believed that the people and nature must co-exist in harmony and each step in development should be holistic, integrated, and people-centric. Understanding that the root problem of the region was poverty and lack of opportunity, they worked on providing the basic needs of health, livelihood, and education. The King inherently understood that development takes a long time, and proposed a thirty-year plan. A development project that lasts thirty years is unheard of in U.S. agencies. Because the project has a thirty year time line, the Foundation is very patient and slowly builds relationship with the aid recipient.

Following its people-centric philosophy, the Foundation’s every step starts from learning from the people to understand their lifestyle. They hold large meetings, small focus groups, and individual chats to gradually win the trust and support from the local people. Even the Executive Director will personally go knocking on people’s doors to get to know them. Their approach is extremely humble. The MFLF hopes to spread these philosophies to development practices in the West.

As an American intern in this Foundation, I believe that one of my duties is to help with that dissemination. I hope to carry on many of the foundation’s values: to become a humble development practitioner that can learn from and truly understand the lives and needs of the local people.

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Categories : Career Services, Meet Seeples

Tags : Career Services, internship, professional development

Summary of Summer Reflections

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

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In case you did not follow it as it happened, a SIPA May 2010 graduate, John Hughes, blogged over the summer while working for our office prior to starting his job at the State Department in Washington, D.C.

I thought I would dedicate an entry to compiling all of his entries in one place for easy access. His entries are full of great advice and provide some perspective on what it is like to attend SIPA and live in New York City. Enjoy the entries if you missed them.

Post 1 – Advice for Admitted Students

Post 2 – Selecting Courses

Post 3 – Job Prospects and Career Services

Post 4 – Multiculturalism and SIPA

Post 5 – A “Typical” Week

Post 6 – Housing

Post 7 – What Sets SIPA Apart?

Post 8 – NYC and Food!

Post 9 – SIPA Fellowships

Post 10 – Missing NYC

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Categories : Admissions, News