From: Career Advancement Center
Date: April 12, 2020
Subject: OCS News: Summer Grant Funding Now Available


Logo: Office of Career Services

Dear First Year Students,

We have some good news! In these uncertain times, OCS has been able to verify that certain grants will be available for remote summer internships. Descriptions of those grants are below. The deadlines for the grant applications are at the end of April. More information can be found here. 

WHITMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION SUMMER FELLOWSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY STUDIES - An award of $1,000 will be given to a student participating in an unpaid remote summer internship related to environmental policy. For eligibility criteria and to apply, visit SIPAlink.
SIPAlink Job ID: 26603778 DEADLINE: MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 (11:59 PM EST)

SIPASA SUMMER INTERNSHIP GRANT - SIPASA is pleased to support eligible MPA and MIA students who undertake unpaid remote summer internships. Each year, the number of awards and amount of each award depends on funding available and competitiveness of the applicant pool. For eligibility criteria and to apply, visit SIPAlink.
SIPAlink Job ID: 26603782 DEADLINE: MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 (11:59 PM EST)

NAMED SUMMER INTERNSHIP GRANTS - Various named awards will be given to students participating in an unpaid remote summer internship. The number of awards and amount of each award depends on funding available and competitiveness of the applicant pool. For eligibility criteria and to apply, visit SIPAlink.
SIPAlink Job ID: 26603792 DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 (11:59 PM EST)

Please note: In order to be in compliance with Columbia University's current ban on University funded travel and with the requirements of our donors, both the Jorge Paulo Lemann Summer Internship Grant for Internships in Brazil and the OCS Travel Grant are not available at this time. 

Best,
Meg Heenehan, Executive Director

This Week's Career Events

All those registered for OCS events will receive a copy of the event's recording. 
Monday, April 13
Start End   Event         Host
1:00pm 2:00pm A Conversation with Director of NYC Census 2020 Julie Menin United States Regional Specialization
1:00pm 2:00pm Global Advocacy at the Intersection: Gender & Climate Change with Tara Daniel Economic and Political Development Concentration
1:00pm 2:00pm SmartMoney International: 10-year Journey Developing SmartMoney in Rural East Africa Office of Career Services
Tuesday, April 14
1:00pm 2:00pm Create a Compelling LinkedIn Profile and Using Digital Tools to Identify Contacts for Networking Office of Career Services
Wednesday, April 15
1:00pm 2:00pm Big Lessons from Small Nations - James Breiding Economic and Political Development Concentration
1:00pm 2:00pm Trends in International Banking in Emerging Markets Office of Career Services
Thursday, April 16
1:00pm 2:00pm Voices from the Ground: UN Interagency Cooperation to Support Migrants and Refugees in times of COVID-19 International Organizations and United Nations Specialization
Friday, April 17
10:00am 12:00pm UNICEF Education Data Analysis - Foundational Learning Module Monitoring and Evaluation Student Society (MESS)
10:00am 11:30am Cyber Conversations: Phil Venables, Senior Advisor at Goldman Sachs SIPA Technology and Policy Initiative
Featured Jobs and Internships

Cullen's Corner: An Update from Employer Outreach

Cullen Newton is the Director of Employer Outreach at OCS. Here, he shares with us the latest job/internship opportunities and his outreach schedule. Let him know if there is an employer you would like to featured in SIPAlink by emailing him directly at cn2466@sipa.columbia.edu. 

Raintree Ventures, based in Pune, India, seeks SIPA applicants for a remote ESG Impact Internship (26621464). The timeline is flexible; this internship can be completed during term time or the summer. Interested candidates can reach out to Cullen to be connected to the Raintree team. 

The Social Innovation Lab (SIL) at Johns Hopkins University is hiring a Director (26621920). SIL accelerates emerging ventures and leaders that seek to change Baltimore and the world. Interested candidates can reach out to Cullen with any questions and to have their applications highlighted.

The International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracyin Washington, DC seeks SIPA applicants for a number of open roles, including Associate Director (26622047), Assistant Program Officer (26622048) and Program Assistant (26622049). A SIPA alum is on the team and applicants should reach out to Cullen to have their applications highlighted.

LinkedIn Hacks

LinkedIn has historically been your most valuable digital tool and now during the COVID-19 pandemic it is hands down your most valuable networking tool together with Zoom and other video platforms. In our new virtual environment, it’s critical that you continue to put your strongest self out there in front of target audiences, make new connections and continually cultivate relationships. This is whether you are currently looking for a job or not. There are lots of tips and tricks or LinkedIn “HACKS” that will allow you to get almost all of the information you need from LinkedIn while using a free LinkedIn account.

GENERAL TIPS

PROFILE Make sure that your profile includes a compelling Headline and About Section that both feature key words.

RECOMMENDATIONS People read them; they attest to your character (nothing matters more). What someone else says about you can be very powerful. Get one or two recent ones. Make sure you give more than you receive. To request one, click on the More button in their profile (it has to be someone you’re connected to) and select request recommendation. Ask them via phone or email first.

EXPOSURE Join groups, follow companies and individuals. Respond to posts in groups.  Demonstrate your expertise by writing and posting an article in a targeted group.

HACKS, TRICKS, WORK-AROUNDS

Critical component of networking is getting in front of the right person (people). Sometimes you know who that person is and sometimes you don’t. You might know a specific organization that you would love to work at (USAID), a specific role you are interested in (Chief of Staff), a specific part of a sector you are interested in (Climate Adaptation). Perhaps you know the answer to all of these or you might only know one. Either way, the following two tools are incredibly helpful. Between the two of them, you will be able to search, discover and identify strategic, targeted individuals for you to reach out to and network with. Let’s get started!

COMPANY SEARCH LinkedIn Companies are searchable! Examples of companies I want you to start with are Columbia | SIPA, your undergraduate alma mater, and target organizations you are interested in. 

Step by Step

  1. Once logged into LinkedIn, click on your LinkedIn main search bar, click on Companies
  2. Type in  “Columbia | SIPA” (you will know it’s the right company if it says 14,599 + alumni)
  3. On the left-hand side, click on Alumni
  4. In the search bar type in the name of an organization that interest you (e.g. USAID) Hit enter. 
  5. The result will reveal SIPA alumni (75) who work (worked) at that organization (USAID). 
  6. You can further refine your search by location, graduation year.
  7. Get creative! Instead of searching by organization you can search by sector/industry, job title, be smart and strategic, have fun!

ADVANCED GOOGLE SEARCH

This is a more comprehensive search tool. Not all SIPA alumni are following the company “Columbia | SIPA” so they might not show up in searches of the company “Columbia | SIPA”.

Step by Step

  1. Open a new window and type google advanced search, click on Google Advanced Search
  2. In the first search box “all these words” type Columbia School of International and Public Affairs USAID
  3. Scroll down to “site or domain” type www.linkedin.com hit enter
  4. Results will show people who went to SIPA and work/worked at USAID. You may have some people show up who took a class at SIPA or taught at SIPA. It’s not foolproof but you will get some results with the Google Advanced Search that don’t show up in the Columbia | SIPA search.
  5. Get creative, play around. Try entering SIPA and your undergrad with an organization. The more in common you have with someone the more likely they are to respond to you. Add in your home country or home language. 

If you found the above information helpful, want to learn more and see these tools in action, join our webinar on Tuesday, April 14 at 1pm – Create a Compelling LinkedIn Profile and Using Digital Tools to Identify Contact for Networking

Jodi Caplan and Jill McIntosh from SIPA Office of Career Services will co-teach this webinar.

Resource Spotlight for International Students

During this global health crisis, Columbia University and the ISSO are committed to supporting our international students and scholars. The guidance on COVID-19 and how to best mitigate its impact is dynamic and fast-moving. The university’s top priority during this challenging time is the health, safety and well-being of the university community.

Review the *NEW* ISSO COVID-19 webpage that addresses your questions about immigration status, travel, employment, remaining in the United States after graduation, and taxes.

Upcoming Deadlines

April 13 at 5:59pm EST - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) | Data Collection and Analysis Consultant (26620312)

April 14 - Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) | Senior Policy Manager, Humanitarian Initiative - J-PAL Europe (26621122)

April 15 at 5:59pm EST - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) | Associate Project Officer (26620315)

April 15 - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | OECD Internship Programme 2020 (26617281)

April 17 at 5:00pm EST - San Francisco International Airport (SFO) | Sustainability Analyst (26620387)

April 17 - U.S. Department of State | Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP): Program Advisor Opportunity (26619062)

April 19 at 11:55pm EST - The Earth Institute - Columbia University | Validity of Social Vulnerability Indices Across Hazard Types (26619115) | Satellite Observations for Hurricane Formation (26619114) | Initiative on Communication and Sustainability (26619112) | The Green Energy Transition and Human Rights: Incentivizing the Respect of Local Communities by Renewable Energy Producers (26619111) | GlacierHub (26619110) | Assessing Ecological Conditions and Stressors in Long Island Sound Using Shipboard, Laboratory, and Satellite Observations (26619109) | Summer 2020 Earth Institute Internship Opportunities (26619108) 

Quick Links

Online Subscriptions and Databases - offered to you at no cost! 
SIPA Alumni and Student Network on LinkedIn - your request to join will be approved within a week