education & community engagement

Tag: education & community engagement

Credible Non-Profit Job Boards

While you will find non-profit jobs on any reliable job board like Handshake or Indeed, there are job search sites that specialize in non-profit positions. A few of them are described and reviewed below.

NationalNonProfits.org

Nationalnonprofits.org is fully free and easy to use. You can search by a specific organization and geographical location in order to find the opportunity that is right for you. This website sadly does not give many internship options, however, they do have a few. Most of the opportunities found on this job board are full-time job positions, so it might be best to use this site for post-graduation. You can apply for each opportunity directly through the website.

Foundationlist.org

Foundationlist.org is great for those looking for specific foundation jobs. Sadly, this website does not feature any internship search tools and is mainly for those finding part-time and full-time non-profit work. Each opportunity has a “How To Apply” section, where it lists the requirements and also whether to apply through the Foundationlist website or if you will be redirected to the company website. 

Check out our previous review of Idealist.org, which is another great tool for those interested in working in the non-profit industry.

Foundationlist also has a list of other nonprofit job boards here. 

If you seek non-profit opportunities in Wisconsin, visit Jobs That Help.

Tips for Preparing for your Non-Profit Career

Volunteer:

One of the best things you can do to bulk up your resume for a future career in Non-Profit work is volunteering. Volunteering is also a great way to figure out what causes you are passionate about and want to seek when you are applying for your future careers. Here at Lawrence, it is very easy to get involved with the Appleton community through volunteering. Lawrence’s GivePulse page has hundreds of opportunities for students to sign up for to get you started.

Ask your local community:

Also going along the lines of volunteering, asking around your local community to see what their needs are is also beneficial. You can hear about the local non-profits that they know, or even ones that offer remote internships or funded ones. Word of mouth is a great way to find out opportunities and exactly what your local community needs in a non-profit worker.

Search for summer internships:

Another great way to get your foot in the door of non-profit work is through summer internships! Lawrence’s Handshake page has a bunch of non-profit internships listed all throughout the year, and you can also check out websites such as Indeed.com and Internships.com to find others as well. Internships are a great way to get an in-depth experience of what it is like to work in a particular field.

Find causes you are passionate about:

The causes of a non-profit company could range anywhere from arts and music to diversity and inclusion. The possibilities really are endless on what kind of non-profit you see yourself working in, however, how do you choose just one? Through your volunteer work, asking your local community, and pursuing job and internship openings you should get a good idea on where exactly you want to end up. Try to find the cause that you are the most passionate about, and use that cause as a keyword when conducting your latest job or internship search.

Tips for Talking About Your Volunteer and Service Experience

Tip 1: Think about it like any other job

The mindset that most people get tripped up on while thinking about their volunteer experience is “Well, I didn’t get paid for it so it doesn’t matter”. Because of this they end up not talking about the enriching experiences they had while volunteering, which is a really big misconception! To get out of this mindset we recommend thinking and talking about your volunteer experience as any job. For example, if you were talking about a part-time retail job you once worked at you may mention in an interview “My experience in retail allowed me to gain organization and collaboration skills”.You could say almost the exact same things for volunteer experience as well! Let’s say you are a volunteer at Riverview Gardens here in Appleton. You work with others to winterize gardens and take inventory of plants. If you wanted to talk about your volunteer experience while at Riverview Gardens you could say, “My experience at Riverview Gardens allowed me to gain organization and collaboration skills.” Thinking about your volunteer experience like your job experience makes it easier to translate during an interview. 

Tip 2: Relate your volunteer and service experience to your career field

If you happened to volunteer in the particular career field you would like to end up in, you’re in luck! You can use this experience as a core interview response for, most likely, quite a few questions. If you are planning on pursuing a career in theatre arts, it might be helpful to mention your volunteer experience at a non-profit theatre, traveling theatre, etc. For example, employers may ask you the question “What drew you to apply for this position?” In terms of the theatre arts example, you can answer “I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in theatre, however, my experience volunteering at Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee really solidified my motives…” Using your passion as a segway into talking about an experience is very moving for the employer and shows how dedicated you would be to the position that you are applying to. 

Tip 3: Describe the success you had 

Even though sometimes we are plagued with dreaded questions like “Tell me about a time you failed” in an interview, employers really do like to hear about your successes as well. If during your volunteer or service experience you had a leadership position, headed a project, or even just got positive reinforcement from colleagues, feel free to mention this during your interview. An example of this is when an employer asks you a question about your collaboration skills, such as “Tell me about a time you worked as a group, how did it turn out?” A possible start to your answer could be, “During my time with Habitat for Humanity I was a group leader for the volunteers…” This answer would show how your volunteer experience put you in a leadership position and how you handled that position.

Idealist.org Review for #NES Community

Idealist.org is great for students who may not have their teaching certification yet, looking for non-profit work or mission-driven experiences. In the #NES Community, you can find relevant education and non-profit work easily through their search engine, and many of their opportunities are entry-level! Not only do they have jobs and internships but they also have relevant volunteer and graduate programs listed. This site is definitely a good catch-all source for those looking for relevant NES experience. Thankfully, the site is also well organized.

Their site is very easy to navigate, especially for students who are used to searching on Handshake. You just type in keywords for the field you are interested in, the area you are looking around, and then select if you are looking for “Jobs”, “Internships”, “Volunteer”, “Organizations” “Mutual Aid Groups” or “Grad Programs. There are also many other filters that can be used to apply to your search, such as “Job Function”, “Issue Areas”, “Education Level” and so much more! You can really curate the search to exactly what you are looking for, which is very helpful in narrowing down the thousands of search results. Once you find an opportunity you are interested in, then you can apply directly on their site, or it will direct you to the company site where you can apply. Depending on your specific field of interest, for those in the NES Community, we suggest using keywords such as “education”, “teaching”, “non-profit”, “social”, “fundraising” and “giving” to help kick-start your search. 

Idealist.org also has many resources listed on the bottom of its website. They have career resources and also grad resources for applying to grad school. They have hundreds of articles aimed at helping you find the perfect opportunity to apply to next!

Overall, Idealist.org is a very useful tool for searching for jobs, internships, and other opportunities. Those in the NES community should definitely check out what Idealist has to offer since they have thousands of opportunities and also many resources for applying and maintaining your opportunity. 

#NES Summer Opportunity Guide

Choose: 

One of the hardest parts about pursuing a summer program in any field is choosing one that is right for you. Thankfully for the NES community there is a wide range of summer opportunities to choose from. Schools and community centers are always looking to have an extra hand at helping out. 

  1. Location:

First you will want to choose where you want to complete your summer program. Do you want to stay within driving distance of your home town to spend time with your family over the summer? Do you want to travel to a new city you’ve been wanting to explore? Maybe you just want to live in Appleton and live on campus for the summer? There are many different options, however, location is the first thing you should consider before searching for summer opportunities since it will narrow down your search by a lot. 

  1.  Paid vs. Unpaid

The next thing to consider while searching for summer opportunities is if you will be paid for your work or not. Some opportunities may pay you in a stipend or bi-weekly in paychecks. Others, especially non-profits, may not pay you at all for your work. Some may even ask you to pay them for the opportunity, especially in certain arts settings (these opportunities may offer work study). If you have found a summer opportunity that you enjoy but it is unpaid, don’t worry! Lawrence has quite a bit of funding to offer for summer experiences. 

  1. What do YOU want to gain from the experience

There are so many different experiences that look amazing on a resume. Though some opportunities are at more “prestigious” places that doesn’t mean you wont get equally as good opportunities at smaller programs.  A Curating Internship at the Smithsonian can be equally as rewarding as a Curating internship at the History Museum at the Castle right here in Appleton. If you find an opportunity or program that looks like something you would like to do, apply for it! It doesn’t need to be at a big name company for the experience to be rewarding. Find one that works best for you and what you would like to do with your career. 

Prepare: 

Well, you’ve narrowed down summer opportunities you would like to apply for… now what? Next it is time to prepare and send in your application. Depending on how many opportunities you are applying for, this could take awhile so be sure you have your deadlines in order before diving in.

  1. Application Materials

Most internships and programs require you to submit a resume. If you need resume help check out our article here or create an appointment at the career center and we can get you started! You may also need to create a cover letter to go along with your application, you can see a sample cover letter here. Be sure to triple check deadlines in order to get your materials in on time! 

  1. Gather References

References get handed in with your other application materials, however, they require a little more explaining. Many opportunities require you to list references for the company to reach out to to learn more about you. Some opportunities require you to list your academic advisor or current employer, but many leave it up to you who you want to list. We suggest listing any teachers, current or past employers who know you and your work ethic very well. 

  1. Interview

Interviews are probably the scariest part about the application process; you are so close to getting the position but the interview can really make or break the employer’s decision. Before your interview we suggest creating a mock interview appointment with us at the Career Center. We will conduct the entire appointment like it were your actual interview and then give you feedback on how you did and how to improve. Doing a mock interview with a friend also works well, and ensures you aren’t extremely nervous during your actual interview. 

Happy Applying!

Written by Marissa Lake ’22 Career Peer Educator

Common #NES Graduate Degrees

Considering a Career in Education?  

If you are considering a career in Education, it is important to note that you often only need a Bachelor’s Degree in order to be a classroom teacher at the early childhood, K-12, and high school levels. However, if you would like to teach at the higher education or University level you often need at least a Master’s degree.   

These degrees can be pursued at any time after a Bachelor’s is achieved. For example, one can take a few years off after undergrad to get hands-on experience teaching in a classroom setting before pursuing their next degree. There is no right or wrong way to do it, it all depends on your schedule and how you would like to pursue the degree. 

If you’re considering getting a Master’s degree for the field of education, you must consider which Master’s degree is the right fit for you. Currently, there are two common Master’s programs that can take you two different paths in the field; the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and the Master of Education (M.Ed.). The MAT is for those who specifically want to teach in a classroom setting. On the other hand, the M.Ed. is often pursued by those who wish to work in administrative or policy roles, for example, within school districts, with the US Department of Education, or departments of education at the state level.   

There are two main Doctorate degrees for those in Education. The Doctorate in Education (Ed.D), and the Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D). The Ed.D is often pursued by those who want to work in positions of leadership and policy making within a school or school district. Whereas the Ph.D is often for those who wish to be University and Higher Education Teachers or teacher educators.  

Want to know more? Check out these sources below:  

Considering Religious Work?  

For those considering furthering their education in the field of Religious Work, it is important to know that many professionals in the field have Ph.D’s and Doctorates rather than just a Masters degree. However, there are multiple Master’s degrees available for those with different interests and aspirations. This is important to consider when career planning, and deciding exactly which career path you would like to take.  

The current Master’s programs offered for Religious Work is the Master of Divinity (MDiv), the Master of Religion(MRel), and the Master of Theological Studies (MTS). The MDiv is often pursued by those who wish to become ministers. The MRel is for those who want to specialize in any ONE religious tradition, whereas the MTS is for those who want to specialize in MANY different religious traditions.  

As mentioned before, those in the field of Religious Work often have Doctorates rather than just a Master’s degree. The Doctorates currently being offered is the Doctor of Divinity (DD), the Doctor of Biblical Studies (DBS) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Theology (Ph.D). The DD is for those who wish to lead religious organizations and the Ph.D is for those who wish to be researchers on Theological Issues. However, the DBS is specifically for those who want to specialize in the Christian faith.

Want to know more? Check out these sources below:  

Pursuing Graduate Work in Religious Studies (via) CSUChico.com

What Can I Do With a Relgion or Theology Degree? (via) DegreeQuery.com

Considering Social Work?

All positions in Social Work require at least a Bachelor’s Degree. However, many positions often require higher degrees in order to achieve them.  

For those interested in Social Work there is one main Master’s degree one can pursue; the Master’s of Social Work (MSW). Almost all social worker positions require at least a Bachelors, however, if you wish to become a licensed clinical social worker you must also have an MSW.  

There are also two Doctorates one can pursue in the area of Social Work. These are the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD). The DSW is beneficial for those wishing to continue their education as a clinical social worker in hopes of become agency heads and other positions of administration, whereas the PhD is for those considering being educators in social work.

Want to know more? Check out these sources below:

Do I Need a Masters Degree to be a Social Worker? (via) SocialWorkDegreeGuide.com  

Should I pursue a Ph.D in Social Work? (via) DworakPeck.usc.edu