Searching for Jobs in the Social Sector

6 Tips for Students

Knowing where to start when looking for an entry-level job in the social sector can be tough. Keeping these six simple considerations in mind can help ease stress and aid in the job search process.

1. It’s not too late!

The notion that you need to have a full-time job the moment you set foot outside the bounds of your college campus is completely a construct. This pressure is in place partially because of the way the consulting and finance industries do their recruiting; many students interested in those fields have received decisions during the fall semester. But most nonprofit and philanthropic organizations don’t hire in “cycles” that way. Instead, headhunts happen whenever there is an opening that needs to be filled. This can be stressful as it’s less predictable and linear. But the huge benefit is that a position that you haven’t heard anything about today could pop up as soon as tomorrow!

My story: I started to apply for jobs in earnest during the spring semester of my senior year. I knew that positions I found in the fall probably wouldn’t be able to wait for me to start working until the following summer, so I held off until spring break to start looking. I was still undecided on where I would be working a week before graduation. I had my first…