Local Non-profit Jobs in Philadelphia

Investment Analyst - Job
Posted by: Philadelphia School Partnership
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Salary: Commensurate with Experience
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/nXS96mTjNFXd/
Community Health Educator - Job
Posted by: Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/bCf44SbK6wSP/
Accountant - Job
Posted by: The Rock School for Dance Education
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/wDC46mPxHgBD/
Accounting Manager - Job
Posted by: Maternity Care Coalition, Phila/Delaw/Montgo Counties
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Salary: 45000 - 50000
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/bWg5Tc9SSW8d/

Writing the Personal Statement

For those of you who might not be aware, Drexel University's writing center offers a number of practical workshops throughout the year. I recently attended "Writing the Personal Statement." During the workshop, the presenter emphasized that a personal statement is basically a persuasive essay. In a personal statement, you are working to emphasize not who you are but how who you are will integrate with the current culture of the graduate program, fellowship, or internship you are seeking. Successfully convincing your readers that you are a truly excellent candidate for a position requires that you understand the organization you are hoping to join (do some online research!) and that you understand who you are and what you might want. Knowing who you are and what you might want requires thoughtfully thinking about who you are and what conditions help you to flourish!   

All of the advice above applies equally to a cover letter as well as a personal statement. Potential employers want you to do a little work for them--show them how you and your skills integrate with the position as it is advertised.

Jobs in the Arts in New York City

Do you want to work in the arts? Do you want to live in New York? If yes and yes, then check out the New York Foundation for the Arts' (NYFA) job search site. 

Like it's Philadelphia sister, the Philadelphia Cultural Arts Alliance, NYFA features job and internship opportunities in New York City for those of you interested in the arts. 

Research International Work by Region

I was poking around online recently, looking for additional resources for those of you specializing in "International Business and Economics" or "Literature, Culture, and the Arts," when I came across this excellent resource list.

The University of Texas Austin has created a thorough list of employers and job search sites by region. These listings also include popular teach abroad programs by region, for those of you interested in teaching overseas. From Quebec to the Syria, this list has lots of helpful information.

Careers and Internships in the Foreign Service: An Information Session

On Wednesday January 12th from 5:30-7:00pm in MacAlister Hall 2019, International Area Studies will be hosting a Foreign Service information session about career and internship opportunities with the US Department of State.  A former Foreign Service officer will be speaking at this event, and he will give advice about finding jobs in the Foreign Service.  Contact Monica (mfauble@drexel.edu) if you have any questions about this event.  The Steinbright Career Development Center is co-sponsoring this event; they will provide light refreshments.

I hope to see many of you at this very informative session.

Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation (or Writing Effective Cover Letters)

A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education features advice for professors about how to write effective graduate school letters of recommendation.  Brian Croxall collected advice from a variety of academics and compiled their advice into the following five principles:

1. Be specific

2. Provide context

3. Ask the students for information and documents you'll need

4. Be sure you can recommend the student

5. Enthusiasm and foresight

All of the above advice can easily be applied to writing a cover letter and applying to a job or an internship. The first two are obvious. The third can easily be translated into do your homework; know the company and the position you are applying to.  Research the position that you're applying to and spend some time thinking about how you might fit in there. Number four can be reframed in terms of being aware of who you are asking for a reference and why you are asking them. Invest the time necessary to build good relationships with your professors and employers now so that you can feel confident that the people you are asking for recommendations will write you an enthusiastic letter.

Gender and Salaries

A recent Washington Post Op-Ed asked the question, "Why do women hate negotiating [their salaries]"? Selena Rezvani points out that women are often involved in bargaining situations often in their daily lives, but that they hesitate when it comes to formally negotiating for salaries or benefits at work. She also notes that women tend to outpace men in terms of earning high-level degrees, but that being more educated or better qualified does not guarantee salary success. In fact, the opposite is true. Rezvani notes that women must be willing to negotiate. That those women who are successful are those who stay firm and who make themselves noticed, rather than those who wait to be noticed.

Rezvani ends by stating that the benefits that might be gained by a willingness to negotiate extend far beyond financial gain: " It's about having a voice, piping up and advocating for ourselves. Those women who choose to strengthen their muscles of self agency can expect a whole new world of possibilities to open. They might even gasp at their strength."  

"Landing a Job in the Foreign Service"

The Foreign Policy Association in New York City is hosting a workshop entitled "Landing a Job in the Foreign Service." If you live in or near New York City, and can spare the $65 registration fee, this event might be worth attending. The next available date is Saturday December 4th; unfortunately in close proximity to finals if you are currently a student.

The speaker, Shawn Dorman, is a former U.S. Foreign Service political officer who has worked for the State Department in Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, and Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), and in the State Department Operations Center in Washington, D.C.

For those of you interested in Foreign Service, the Foreign Policy Association maintains a e-newsletter which helps you stay up-to-date about future events.

Federal Government Workplace Rankings

The most recent edition of the US Department of State's newsletter recently revealed its 2010 rankings of more than 75 federal government agencies. These rankings are compiled from employee satisfaction surveys and reveal "the best places to work in the federal government." Sorted by "large" agencies and "small" agencies, you can click in to learn, for example, that 71.2% of the surveyed US Department of State workers are happy with their pay, while only 32% report being pleased with the State Department's "family friendly culture and benefits."

This posting is not meant to dissuade you from working at one place over another. Obviously only you can decide for yourself what level of "pay" you think is adequate, or what a workplace that values "family friendly culture and benefits" actually looks like. I'm writing about this report instead to encourage you to think about what it is that is most important to you in a workplace environment, as it is a reality that those of us who are lucky enough to have jobs right now will be spending a great deal of both our days and our lives at work.

Job-Seeking Tips from NPR's "Tell Me More"

NPR recently aired this story about job-searching tips on their show Tell Me More. This information is useful for co-ops and internships as well. You can read a full transcript of this story, listen to the podcast, or, before deciding to delve into the full-text of this interview, you can skim through my cliff-notes version below.

Financial planner and author Louis Barajas and  Mario Burney of Crossroads Employment Services in Washington DC spoke with Tell Me More Host Tony Cox (filling in for Michel Martin). Burney emphasizes that a "shotgun strategy" (blasting out as many resumes as possible) is not particularly effective. In this economy, most employers have plenty of applicants, so it's far better to spend your time customizing both your resume and your cover letter to really emphasize why you are the ideal candidate for a particular position.

Barajas and Burney both agree that returning to school to wait out the recession is a bad idea. If you're returning to school because you're unemployed, it's important to be intentional about what types of experience you are cultivating and why.

If you're applying for an internship or a job that you're overqualified for, you must be prepared to address why you are seeking that position and why it will be worth the employer's time. In a job setting especially, an employer does not want to risk investing time and resources if it seems that you're planning to bail in six months to a year. When applying for a job or an internship, be sure that you can offer a thoughtful explanation of why you are seeking that position and how it integrates with your overall career goals.

Landing a meaningful job or internship in any economy can be challenging. Burney and Barajas both stress that looking for work can be a full-time job. It requires strategic planning, staying organized (knowing when it's time to followup after an interview for example), self-awareness, and thoughtful use of all of the resources available to you. (This includes social networking sites, friends and family, professors, professional contacts, and Drexel's Career Services Office.)

Staying On Top of Trends in International Development

Did you know that you can read current issues of Monday Developments Magazine, a monthly periodical published by Interaction--the largest coalition of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations focused on poverty and related issues--online for free? Monday Developments can be downloaded as a pdf here (scroll down and click on the "read more" link for the issue you're interested in). The July issue features articles about reconstruction efforts in Haiti, how to measure the follow-through of the G8's commitments to African nations, as well as a spotlight on Ruth Levine, USAID's Director of Evaluation, Policy Analysis & Learning.

If you're looking for work, you can create a profile and search Interaction's member job bank for $20/month.

If you're looking for an internship, click here. Interaction offers several unpaid internships (though they do give you $50/month for travel) beginning in January, August, and during the summer. Interns can work on issues such as disaster response, refugee affairs, or nonprofit membership management.

If you live near DC, Interaction is hiring for several part-time and full-time positions.