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Career Coach Spotlight: Rachel Gerber

Posted on by slheile

Afternoon, Hoosiers! We’re rolling out our first career coach spotlight with Rachel Gerber. Learn more about her below.

What was your major/minor/certificate?

Major:  B.A. in Elementary Education

Graduate:  Master of Divinity

 

Why did you become a career coach?

I love college students!  And I love empowering others and encouraging them to step out and live courageous lives. This vocational path intersects my two passions beautifully.

 

What is your favorite part of being a career coach?

Students, hands down!  I love meeting one-on-one with students to hear about their hopes, dreams, questions, and then work with them to identify the next right step in figuring out a best-fit major and/or career trajectory.  Listening to students discover new understandings and insights about who they are and how this understanding opens new avenues of their major/career selection is simply the best.

 

Why should students come in for career coaching?

Figuring out a major/career can be a fairly lonely process.  Often times it seems like “everyone else” knows what they want to do, and we feel sheepish stating our own uncertainties. My job as a career counselor is to be your cheerleader and coach—someone who can ask you good questions and walk with you throughout this process of identifying your own best-fit, exploring lots of options, and connecting you with experience to actually test it out.  We are here for you!

 

Fun fact about you

I changed my major 2 times before landing on Elementary Education.  And here I am….a career coach…and not a second grade teacher!  My own journey has been a winding path (with jobs including: residence director, minister, curriculum writer, speaker and published author) but throughout all of my jobs a common thread was there—helping others.  I love to empower and encourage others—there is no better vocational congruence for me than a career coach at IU!

Non-Profit Sectors: Finding Your Fit

Posted on by slheile

By: Daniel Krupski, CDC Government/Non-Profit/& Philanthropy Career Peer

 

Identify Your Interests

Like most jobs, specific steps are necessary in order for someone to successfully find their career fit. Non-profits are no exception. To identify where you want to start your career in non-profit you must first look at what areas interest you the most. Some of the sectors in non-profit to consider are:

  • Arts, Culture, and Humanities
  • Education
  • Environment and Animals
  • Health
  • Human Services
  • International and Foreign Affairs
  • Public or Societal Benefit
  • Religion-Related
  • Mutual/Membership Benefit
  • Professional/Trade Associations

 

Expanding Your Exploration

Once you have identified a sector or sectors that interest you, you can  begin to explore that area in more depth. The Career Development Center has many resources that can help with this, including the Non-Profit Career Guide, the Occupational Outlook Handbooks in the Resource Library, or Vocational Biographies.

 

After researching the sector you’re interested you can now try out the job. There are countless ways to get a more realistic feel for what a job in a particular field would be like including informational interviews, job shadowing, and internships. There are many techniques on locating individuals in the field of interest to speak to, but one of the easiest ways is to go on LinkedIn (make an account if you don’t have one already! It will be beneficial in your future career search endeavors) and use the search feature to locate and filter individuals who you can reach out and have an email, phone, or in person conversation with. You can ask them questions about their job and experiences in their career journey. These conversations can be helpful not only for learning about a particular sector, but also for general information about interviewing, changing jobs, and thriving in your position throughout your career.

 

Obtaining Experience

LinkedIn can also be a very good source for finding internship and (later) post-graduation job opportunities. This site along with places such as Indeed, idealist and others can be awesome resources for finding opportunities during your summer breaks. An additional opportunity to consider is AmeriCorps and being a VISTA volunteer. These are federal government programs that help volunteers tackle critical needs in communities throughout the United States. Volunteers in the program are typically given a stipend to cover living expenses during their tenure in the program, making it an excellent opportunity for college students to get experience and connections in the non-profit sector. To research specific organizations, visit the online resource for non-profit organizations, Guidestar.

Director’s Cut: January is National Mentoring Month

Posted on by slheile

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Mentoring Month

By: Pat Donahue

 

 

January needs a better rep.

Yes, the cold weather and the dark nights have us longing for Spring, yet the first month of the year has events that renew hope.

Celebrating a new year and the resolution to do better by ourselves and others.

Honoring the civil rights leadership and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.

And National Mentoring Month.

What exactly is mentoring?

According to the Indiana University Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development, a mentor is a special kind of helper who works with others in a positive, constructive way so that both mentor and protégé have the potential to grow through the relationship.

Mentors can be parents, teachers, coaches, ministers, fellow students, and academic and career advisors.

Mentors build trust and model professional behavior so their mentee can grow their strengths.

Mentorship is a learning partnership between an expert and a novice.

From a career planning perspective, mentors can be professors in your chosen field, leaders in student organizations, IU alumni, and internship supervisors.

Which areas of your life need mentoring? In what aspect of your life do you want to grow?

Academic? Personal? Social? Leadership? Career? Cultural?

IUB has plenty of resources to help you fulfill your potential, but the university is so large, you need a guide to help you navigate where you want to go.

Your guides can be professors, academic advisors, resident assistants, peers, career coaches and other college administration professionals.

They will refer you to the campus resources that best fit your unique needs so you can fulfill your potential.

For additional information, be sure and check out the Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development’s website:  http://www.indiana.edu/~omsld/#home

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You can always schedule an appointment with your assigned Career Advisor to talk about your part-time job search, internship search and help with building your resume. You will find their information listed in your MYJOBS account. Students who have questions about the part-time job search can also come to drop-in advising at the Career Development Center (625 North Jordan) from 11-3PM, every Friday.