United States of America: Career Development Program Intern

BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home. Domestically, our 26 offices across the U.S. ensure new arrivals have food, shelter, and clothing, and work with refugees to help them gain self-sufficiency.

SCOPE OF WORK: The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient. The team provides early employment and career development services. Career development assists employed clients in securing job upgrades that improve economic conditions and align with career history and/or career objectives. The intern will work closely with the Economic Empowerment team, on the career development team, promoting client self-sufficiency and encouraging clients to work towards their original careers and reach their long term career goals. The intern will assist by developing training curricula, updating workshops to fit clients’ interests, and teaching clients skills on how to reach their long term employment goals in a classroom setting.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work directly with IRC Employment Specialists to implement and monitor performance on the Career Development Program/Targeted Assistance Program
• Lead Advanced Job Readiness Trainings in the following classes: introduction to career development, business writing, networking, interview preparation, and financial literacy
• Work with employment specialists to develop training material, recruit guest speakers, and to help organize the services directed to clients
• Provide direct services to refugee clients including creating resumes, cover letters, and job applications as needed
• Counsel and guide clients through the process of working towards achieving long term career goals which include: individualized trainings, one-on-one job application assistance, etc.
• Provide group and individual trainings aimed at successful workforce integration
• Accompany clients to job preparation activities and interviews, coaching clients so they can attend these events independently in the future
• Support the economic empowerment team in creating career path documents that will guide future refugees with a specific career objective
• Advocate for clients’ rights in the labor market by providing references for clients and meeting with employers to educate them about the benefits of hiring IRC clients
• Other duties as identified by Employment Specialists

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Intern will learn to create effective professional and job level specific resumes and cover letters to benefit the intern’s own professional development
• Intern will learn how to cater curricula to fit federal guidelines while being innovative
• Intern will learn to communicate effectively with clients across cultures and with interpreters
• Intern will learn individual coaching techniques to engage and empower a vulnerable population
• Intern will learn effective outreach strategies for building strategic relationships
• Intern will learn how to adapt training curriculum to clients’ needs and how to teach necessary life skills and professional development in a group setting
• Intern will learn about how to successfully and appropriately advocate for clients’ rights and needs across partnerships and the labor market
• Intern will learn about networking, financial literacy, and how to obtain a professional job
• Intern will learn how to implement program safeguards to protect domestic violence survivors, vulnerable populations, and to empower women

REQUIREMENTS:

• Self-motivated; able to work independently
• Excellent communication and writing skills, including cross-cultural communicative skills
• Works well in a fast-paced environment and adapts quickly to change
• Confident in public speaking, or interest to develop these skills
• Strong interest in refugee and asylee issues as well as in workforce development
• Language skills in Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Farsi, French, Kinyarwanda, Spanish, Hindi, or Swahili are a plus
• Three month minimum. Required 20+ hours/week. Preferred 35+ hours/week
• Preference to current students and recent graduates*

This position reports to the Employment Specialist.

Note: this is an unpaid internship; school credit may be received depending on your program and institution.

*Candidates applying who are not currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, or are outside 12 months of their graduation are still welcome to apply but will be processed as volunteers.

Please include your resume, a cover letter, a list of references, and your tentative availability (including start date and weekly schedule) with your application.

This position is for the fall 2018 semester beginning in August/September and requires a 3 month commitment. The internship will be posted until filled.

To protect our clients, the IRC requires all selected applicants to complete background checks. We ask that you make a $55 donation to help us cover the associated costs. Currently, 92% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients, and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients. Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer.

IRC leading the way from harm to home.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If you need assistance in the application or hiring process to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact Talent Acquisitions atIRC.Recruitment@rescue.org. As required by law, the IRC will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with a known disability.**

Please follow the link below to apply directly on our website, or visit rescue.org/careers and narrow your search to Silver Spring, MD

https://rescue.csod.com/ats/careersite/search.aspx?site=1&c=rescue