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The Intern Program provides college students the unique opportunity to work with State agencies to gain experience and a greater perspective of the professional world.
The program prepares students for careers in a wide array of occupational areas including but not limited to: public policy, legal specialties, budgeting, scientific research, human services, and contract management.
The Department of Civil Service is hosting the Student Intern Program Internship Portal through which interested students must:
- Submit an application, which includes providing contact information; academic background; occupational, employment and geographic preferences; and activity involvement.
- Upload a resume. Uploading of a two to three page writing sample illustrating your writing and analytical skills and a letter of recommendation are optional.
- Identify preferred internships.
To see what New York State agencies participate in the program and to get an idea of the types of internship opportunities that may be available, click here to view opportunities posted for the current session.
You may filter the list by several criteria, including degree concentration, occupational interest, and location.
Eligibility Requirements
- Be a US Citizen or foreign national eligible to work in the United States
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Be currently attending a New York State college, university, or graduate program, or be a resident of New York State, attending a college, university or graduate program outside of New York State. For Summer Internships Only: Attending a New York State school or being a New York State resident is NOT required.
- Have completed a minimum of one (1) year as a student at a degree-granting two or four-year College or University (completion of one year’s worth of academic credits over a more extended period of time may qualify part-time students for participation in the Student Intern Program); or a currently enrolled graduate student or accepted in a graduate degree program
- Have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, or equivalent to a C
Professional Skills
- Good analytical and evaluative skills
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Good organizational skills, efficiency and flexibility
- Computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft products (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint), email software, internet searching, and other programs
Applicants may come from any academic discipline. Candidates must be available to work at assigned New York State offices. Opportunities are available statewide.
The FALL 2013 application period runs from April 15, 2013 through August 31, 2013.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the New New York Leaders: Student Intern Program, please contact our Student Intern Program Staff or at (518) 473 – 9945.
The annual ePortfolio Showcase highlights students who have created ePortfolios for academic, professional, and/or personal use. The showcase aims to demonstrate the many ways our students are stretching definitions and creating full pictures of their learning.
This year, in addition to accepting ePortfolio nominations from faculty, students will be able to submit their own ePortfolios to the showcase. Students who are selected as one of the “Featured Student ePortfolios” will be highlighted on the ePortfolio Showcase website, receive a badge to display on their own ePortfolio, and receive an Amazon gift card.
What is an ePortfolio?
Electronic Portfolios (ePortfolios) offer a dynamic, online space to represent your professional “self” on the Web. In higher education and in the business world, ePortfolios are a way to showcase your skills, achievements, and experiences. Whether you want to share your work with friends, family, professors, colleagues, potential employers, or graduate school admissions committees — ePortfolios provide innovative ways to market yourself while taking ownership over your own work.
The online ePortfolio platform CUNY SPS has chosen is Digication. Designed specifically to showcase academic work, Digication’s easy-to-use tools allow you to create thought-provoking and visually stimulating ePortfolios that will enhance your courses and deepen your learning experience. Once you have an SPS account with Digication, you can create as many ePortfolios as you like. You will always have access to your ePortfolios, before, during and after the semester; even after you graduate.
Watch the brief “Intro to ePortfolios @ SPS” video below to learn more about this digital tool and how it can be used.
New to ePortfolio?
If you don’t have an ePortfolio account, but are interested in creating an ePortfolio to submit in our annual showcase please send an email to the ePortfolio team at ePortfolios@sps.cuny.edu. (Please be sure to include your name, SPS email address, and the degree program you are enrolled in.) The ePortfolio team will email your account information along with some basic instructions to get you started.
We’re also pleased to offer an ePortfolio Information Session on April 10, 2013 from 12:30pm – 2:00pm, where students can learn more about ePortfolios and how they can be used for both academic and career development. This webinar will explain the nature and uses of ePortfolios and will give you the tools you need to start building your own ePortfolio in time to participate in our annual ePortfolio Student Showcase.
Info Session: ePortfolios for Academic & Career Development
When: Wednesday, April 10, 2013; 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Online
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/244073554
Already Have an ePortfolio?
If you have created an ePortfolio as part of a course requirement you should already have a Digication ePortfolio account. You’re welcome to attend the ePortfolio Information Session on April 10, 2013 from 12:30pm – 2:00pm, and/or review the many resources available to students on the ePortfolio Resource Website. To learn more about new third-party apps that can be included in your ePortfolio, click here.
ePortfolio advisors are also available to assist with conceptualization, troubleshooting, and third-party applications. You can request Live Help with an ePortfolio advisor during the scheduled virtual office hours, or send an email anytime to ePortfolios@sps.cuny.edu.
Submit Your ePortfolio!
We invite you to submit your ePortfolio to the CUNY School of Professional Studies ePortfolio Student Showcase for an opportunity to be selected as one of the “Featured Student ePortfolios” on the ePortfolio Showcase website and receive a $100 Amazon gift card.
Selections are made based on:
- Design layout
- Organization of materials
- Best use of multimedia
- Demonstration of reflective learning
- Overall representation of academic skills, coursework, and extracurricular activities
To nominate yourself, please complete this form by May 24, 2013. Please help us recognize your great work with ePortfolio!
I remember, just before returning to school every fall, thinking for weeks and weeks how I would answer that question. Would I tell my classmates about a trip to the beach, or attending sleep-away camp, or a summer job? Since my birthday is at the end of August it was fun talking to my classmates about the cool birthday gift I received or the good time I had at my party. No matter what, I wanted to have an exciting story to tell every year! I also loved hearing about all the interesting things they’d been doing.
So, now, I ask you the question: What did YOU do on your summer vacation? Did you find a new job or internship? Maybe you got a promotion or finished a big project? As July draws to a close and you start preparing for another busy Fall semester, have you been making the most of the break and getting ahead on your job search?
Even though classes start in another month, there is still time. There are a multitude of career services available to you from SPS – so take advantage now! We are committed to helping you reach academic, personal and professional goals and achieve career success. Our career programs are flexible and accessible, utilizing a mix of the latest in technology and traditional methods of advisement to meet your diverse needs. Here’s a quick overview of what is offered:
The Basics: Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviewing and Networking
Job Search: Assessment and Exploration, Career Advisement and Online Tools
Internships: Guidelines and Support
Workshops and Resources: Workshops and Webinars, Online Resource Library
Contact me today and we can get started! I can’t wait to hear about your summer vacation and tell you about mine!
Shannon Gallo is the Manager of Career Services at the CUNY School of Professional Studies and a proud new first time mommy. When she’s not helping others achieve their career dreams, she’s cheering on the West Virginia Mountaineers.
I recently attended an SPS Career Services workshop and networking seminar lead by career expert Arlene Newman. Newman is the President of Career Bound Success and has an extensive background in Human Resources across multiple industries. Newman emphasized the importance of networking in career endeavors and divulged techniques that are useful for successful networking. I will highlight the key points of the seminar and share with you some of the points I think are effective.
Before embarking on your networking journey, it is necessary to devise a clear plan by outlining your objectives, profiling your unique personality, and highlighting your strengths. It is fundamental to ask yourself these questions so you can offer a thorough presentation and give others a clear vision of who you are and what you have to offer. This is also known as an “elevator pitch”– a 30 second to 2 minute clear, concise and carefully planned description that summarizes your personal brand.
From here on, your focus should be on building rapport through the following networks:
• Friends & Family
• Work and Professional Organizations
• Classmates, Alumni Groups and Professors
• Community, Political and Religious Organizations
It is very important to have a positive and enthusiastic attitude in your communication with others. No matter what mood you are in or if you left your last job on a negative circumstance, ensure that your comments are positive. You also must be prepared–this means having a business card ready for all networking events. Your card can display “student” and your major, and if possible, list skills on the back of the card, or even an inspirational quote that is a reflection of your principles. Follow up with every individual through e-mail or a phone call. If there is no answer, always leave a voicemail.
Keep in mind that technology is not 100% reliable, so if you do not get a response the first time, it is okay to send a second e-mail.
Research your field, as well as individuals and organizations pertaining to it. This will prepare you to participate in conversations and become aware of trends and events.
Networking has become an extremely broad concept through our technological evolution, as we now have the tools to increase our networking capabilities. Companies, graduate schools and organizations, are fully aware of this and using online search tools to investigate candidates. Newman stressed the importance of maintaining a professional online presence. To prevent the possibility of a negative image, Google yourself regularly and interact in social networks with your professional image in mind.
Key words for networking:
Authenticity- Be proud of who you are, your background, your skills and your traits. Use this to your advantage- it makes you unique!
Consistency- Your ideologies should remain the same anywhere you are visible
Credibility- Build trust by being honest and upholding integrity with each person that you meet.
Unique – In a competitive job market, it is vital to display what makes you different, in order to distinguish yourself from the rest.
Visibility – In order to network, you must be noticeable to the world – achieved through attending events and sustaining a public online presence.
Following these networking guidelines are a start to building long lasting relationships with individuals that can assist you in building your education and career. With every person you meet, you should treat the interaction as a potential opportunity. You should also incorporate philanthropy in networking by approaching it as a two way street- expect to receive as much as you give out.
Don’t worry if you missed this workshop, you have an opportunity to attend Ask The Expert this Wednesday 11/9 at 6pm. This SPS Career Services program and networking event features a panel of Human Resources professionals answering all your questions about job search and careers. There’s still time to sign up!
Nivia Martinez is a senior undergraduate student at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, majoring in Communications and Culture. Upon graduating, she plans to continue her education by pursuing her Masters in international studies and sociocultural anthropology. In her spare time she enjoys attending cultural events and attending sport events with her 11 year old son, Esteban.
Christy attended a small liberal arts college in Virginia. After graduating with a degree in multidisciplinary studies, and studying arts management and dance, she worked at a local cultural arts center as a receptionist and administrative assistant doing marketing and guest relations. But her heart called her to New York City to pursue a career in arguably the arts center of the world. She was both excited and nervous to make the move but knew that with hard work and bright ideas she could be successful!
She was luckily able to stay with her sister who lived in Manhattan while getting settled and embarking on the job search. One of the first things she did was call and email people with whom she had interacted while in school. She had worked in the school’s performing arts venue and had a few friends from there that had since relocated to NYC. Christy’s former manager at the theatre had also offered to refer her to some of her colleagues in the industry so she pursued those connections too. She also began researching job opportunities online, familiarizing herself with industry trends, and learning about how she might best fit into an organization. Her networking consisted not of asking for “jobs” but of asking for “advice.” She knew that it made sense to approach it that way instead of being too bold and expecting too much from people she barely knew. Soon after meeting and conducting informational interviews with different professionals from multiple facets of the industry, she started to pursue actual job openings. These conversations she had with people who understood her interests and perspective, also helped her narrow her focus to working in a corporate/for-profit environment vs. in-house/non-profit settings and which types of jobs for which she would most likely fit. Before too long, those relationships she formed started to turn into trusted confidantes, and these people started to reach out to her when they learned of openings and she landed some interviews. She didn’t turn down any leads that were remotely related to the field as she knew each person she met was a new connection and that would only help her career.
Finally after just a few short months, Christy got a call about an opening that turned out to be the perfect match for her skills, education, and preferences and accepted the position. It was a Marketing Assistant at a university’s performing arts center in NYC, and her direct supervisor was someone she knew from the similar position she had held in college. This job turned into a successful 5-year tenure marked by multiple promotions and new friends.
It really is true that networking works. Just ask Christy! She gave a lot of effort to her job search and focused on building rapport to create lasting connections that came through for her in a big way. You can make networking work for you too – you just have to commit to it and approach it as a 2-way street. Join SPS Career Services as we welcome a guest presenter, career expert Arlene Newman, at next Wednesday’s “Networking Like a Pro” workshop and get started!
Shannon Gallo is the Manager of Career Services at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. When she’s not helping others achieve their career dreams, she’s cheering on the West Virginia Mountaineers.
“It’s a bad economy.”
“We’re in a recession.”
“You gotta take what you can get.”
“Nobody is hiring anymore.”
“Those old jobs are not coming back.”
We are hearing a lot of negativity about the job market these days. The fact that the unemployment rate is hovering around 9% nationwide is not helping our general lack of optimism. While a 2010 map of unemployment shows a more reasonable unemployment rate of 2.8% for Billings Country, North Dakota, it shows a much more chilling realization for Imperial County, California where the unemployment rate was 27.6%. As anyone will tell you, this is an animal we’ve never seen before, and most of us are not quite sure how to deal with it.
In May, an article was published about the new rules for the job interview. I found these rules such as “research, research, research” and “ask questions” to be somewhat refreshing. Many of the online articles that give advice such as “always write a thank you note”, is somewhat dated and doesn’t work in every case. I’ve also discovered that these articles have gotten so many hits, that it seems everyone is taking this advice. If everyone is using the same advice, you can no longer fully distinguish yourself. If the employer can’t remember you, then why hire you?
I am not pretending to be an expert on the job interview process, but I do have some insights that I picked up during my own search. Hopefully, these “rules” will be useful to some of you.
There Are No “Rules” For Every Job Search
This one is pretty hard to swallow. Most people just want to know what to do and how to do it. There are no hard and fast rules. Every industry is different and every company is different. Sometimes the hiring managers have the final say, and sometimes it is human resources. The person reviewing your work may not necessarily know the exact qualifications needed for the job and how to screen them. Some hiring managers appreciate thank you notes and some have no time to read them. Some allow follow-up phone calls and some prefer email. Your best bet is do to as much research as you can, and use networking sites such as LinkedIn to learn more about the company as well as the kinds of people that they normally hire. Are you similar to the typically hired employee? Does the company value diversity in interests and education? It is your job to find out these small details and make them work for you. It could give you an advantage over someone else who does not know these little bits of information.
Grammar and Tone Speak Volumes
Everyone knows that a well written cover letter and resume will help you not get disqualified as easily as poorly-written ones. Hiring managers get hundreds, sometimes thousands of applications for a single position. Having documents that are not perfect will work against you. However, many people forget about the tone that they use when write cover letters. Your voice and personality can really shine through when you use the correct words. Syntax and semantics can also reveal a lot about you. Do you write as if you are confident or entitled? Are you apologetic for circumstances in your work history or ready to prove yourself? These are subtle differences that can make all the difference in how you are perceived by a hiring manager. Be careful with your written language.
Don’t Fool Yourself Into Thinking Interviews Are A Simple Process
So you landed an interview. Fantastic! Your work is not done. Depending on the industry and the amount of applications you may be subject to multiple interviews. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. It could indicate that they really want you or it could mean that they have several close candidates and they are unsure of who to pick. I was recently subjected to four interviews with nine different people over the course of several weeks. No one can tell you whether you should keep granting a company interviews or give up and move onto another company. It really is up to you. Use your discretion or your gut before turning down multiple interviews. It may not necessarily be a bad sign.
Know What You Can Offer The Company
Unfortunately, it is an employer’s market. It’s a potential employee buffet, and the employer can interview as many people as they want, and decide not to fill a position if they don’t find the right person. It’s up to you to let the company know what you can offer them. Are you good at driving up sales? Let them know that. Are you especially frugal and can save the company lots of money? They need to know that. Do you have some innovative ideas that can help them open up to a new market? They want to hear that from you. Don’t offer up too many of your valuable ideas, so that they get free brainpower from you and you receive nothing in return. It is a give and take atmosphere, but at the end of the day, it’s still business. They have something to offer you, and you have something to offer them.
Know What is Important to You About Compensation
Do you need to make a lot of money to pay off bills? Do you need health insurance to take care of yourself or your family? Do you need time off? Will flexible hours allow you to take care of a special needs child or an ailing family member? You need to know what your priorities are, and if a company can meet them for you. You should aim to be flexible, but it still is a business transaction. If work/life balance is important to you, do not be so quick to settle on a job if it will take away from that. While we cannot always have everything we want from an employer, it is important to maintain your health and sanity, not to sacrifice everything.
Just Be Yourself
This can’t be stressed enough. These days, an employer can easily find out if you are lying about your qualifications. These things are so easily checked that you should not waste their time nor yours. You should always be on your best behavior when on an interview, but don’t fake it. Employers want the most for their money, and if you have the qualifications it will help. But if your personality does not match up with theirs or their company culture, then they will be hesitant to hire you. Giving the most accurate yet best presentation of yourself will do you more favors than not. Always remember, just because an employer can’t hire you for a position, doesn’t mean that their other hiring manager friends at other firms can’t.
Ebonye Gussine is a graduate student in the Master of Science in Business Management & Leadership Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She loves writing, reading, and is an avid fan of John Steinbeck’s works. In her spare time she sings off-key and travels to new places.
Employers are coming around. More and more HR practitioners are realizing that college graduates from online programs, especially those who studied online through a well-known, “brick and mortar” college with a strong reputation, are just as qualified as their counterparts with traditional degrees. According to a SHRM poll released in August 2010, 19% of HR professionals surveyed “strongly agree” and 68% “agree” online degrees are viewed more favorably today than five years ago.
It’s up to students and graduates to show & tell prospective employers how their online credentials add up. Think about these tips when you’re putting together a resume and overcoming objections in a job interview:
1. Talk up the Tech. Explain the format of online courses, and how the necessity of developing and using social media skills makes you ahead of others in areas of emerging technology. By interacting regularly in a virtual context, you’re prepared to connect within today’s global marketplace that may be solely web-based.
2. Diversity and Global Perspective. Since faculty and classmates are many times located outside of your geographical area, you have exposure to a more diverse group of ideas and mindsets. You’re learning and engaging within a global environment, which is a perspective that transfers well to any professional environment.
3. Online does not equal easy. Not everyone can be successful in online classes. Self-discipline, self-motivation and time-management are crucial. Learning how to juggle competing life, family, work and school priorities is very valuable in the professional world. The amount of reading is intense as well, so having the ability to remain focused and proactive with required assignments also develops naturally for an online learner.
4. Communication skills are top-notch. Because so much of online coursework is discussion-based with fellow classmates and instructors, students sharpen and expand written communication skills throughout their program – not just in writing-based courses and research projects.
5. You are CUNY. The School of Professional Studies is part of the nation’s leading public urban institution. It is important to point out the CUNY’s prestigious faculty, excellent scholarly reputation, as well as the full accreditation by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Associations of Colleges and Schools in 2010.
Companies and organizations are becoming more aware of the value of online degrees, and web-based learning is becoming more and more prevalent. It will be up to you – online students & alumni – to properly market these competencies and perform up to those expectations.
Have you heard any objections from employers to your unique online education? I invite you to comment with these challenges. I also hope you’ll share some more ideas about how you think SPS students can articulate your outstanding online qualifications.
Shannon Gallo is the Manager of Career Services at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. When she’s not helping others achieve their career dreams, she’s cheering on the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Having recently been laid off, my world is a different place. Gone are the days of consistently imposed structure, office camaraderie and, most notably, a steady paycheck. My coworkers and I got the bad news right before the holidays; the small graphic design and branding studio we worked for was having trouble bringing in new business and could no longer afford our salaries. After 5 years I cleaned out my desk and said goodbye to people who were like family.
While visiting my actual family in Seattle for the holidays, I got the ball rolling: I applied for unemployment, got a bit of freelance graphic design work, and I volunteered to help a friend with a great startup with which she had begun working as CEO. A good start to staying afloat, making new connections and keeping my skills sharp, but the idea of looking for full time work was sincerely intimidating. For over a year I watched my incredibly qualified, ivy-league educated boyfriend (as well as other friends) struggle to find steady work; how could I possibly expect to find a job?
Even though I had been productive in Seattle, upon returning to NYC I felt disillusioned and disheartened. Usually coming back from visiting my family is a chance to dive back into my life and routine, but this time it felt as though I had neither of those things. The blank slate of my life was staring me in the face, and it was terrifying. I know enough people who have been laid off that everyone understands what I’ve been going through, and with empathy they encourage me to see this time as an opportunity to explore my career and myself. Yes, of course, an opportunity – I was just having a hard time seeing it.
Who do you turn to at a time like this? Luckily my alma mater, CUNY School of Professional Studies, has an excellent Career Services office. Shannon Gallo, the Career Services Director, and I recently met to go over my career objectives and she had some very helpful suggestions. First we explored what type of company I want to work for, what type of work I really want to be doing, and how to approach my job search with those parameters in mind.
It turns out that I want to do more meaningful work. As a marketing and design professional I want to promote a company or product that’s doing some good in the world, or at the very least not actively harming it (see my previous post about fast food marketing). Some people think marketing in and of itself is not a meaningful pursuit, but I always say that even institutions such as non-profits, hospitals and schools need to be marketed. So we decided I would stay in my field but target companies whose values and mission statements align with my own.
Shannon told me about some great job search websites specifically for the non-profit sector such as Idealist.org, NYNP.biz and JustMeans.com. I was concerned that I haven’t worked at non-profit before and that I might lack important experience. Shannon pointed out how in my cover letters I could discuss relevant coursework from my BA in Communications & Culture, to show my interest in and knowledge of issues often dealt with by non-profits such as social and civic reform, the diverse cultures in New York City, and socioeconomic issues in general.
Shannon also gave me some very helpful job search tips, like keeping track of all the jobs I apply for in a spreadsheet and making PDFs of job postings so I can revisit them later if necessary. We discussed improving my LinkedIn profile, becoming more active on the website in groups, and requesting recommendations from people with whom I’m already connected (Shawn Abraham recently wrote a great post about using LinkedIn). We talked about creating a schedule for my days and weeks, making sure I get in enough time to look for paid work to balance out the volunteer work I’m doing, to get out of the house on a regular basis, and even to try and have fun occasionally.
After speaking with Shannon, I feel like the terrifyingly blank slate of my life could in fact be seen as an opportunity to re-imagine a more meaningful and fulfilling career path for myself. Knowing how to better describe myself as a qualified candidate, I now feel more confident applying for jobs that I might actually want. I’m also very thankful that I can send Shannon drafts of cover letters and resumes and she’ll give me honest, informed feedback.
It’s wonderful that as students and alumni of CUNY SPS we have such a great Career Services office. You don’t need to be laid off or out of work to take advantage of this resource. If you’re unhappy in your career path, wondering how to put your SPS degree to use or just curious about your options don’t hesitate to contact Shannon Gallo at: shannon.gallo@mail.cuny.edu, 212.817.7166. My only regret is that I wish I had done it sooner.
Rachel Smith is a marketing and design professional in New York City. She graduated from the SPS BA in Communications and Culture in 2009. Currently she is a founding member of the Alumni Relations Council and By Laws Task Force. Rachel loved the BA program which inspired her to work towards fostering community and collaboration among Alumni at SPS.
