UNH Today

Saege Robinson '18 is an intern in the College of Liberal Arts Career and Professional Success team graduating this spring with a degree in psychology and a minor in dance. In finding her own post-graduate path to personal success, Saege documented several of the resources she used that led her to a position with City Year. 

As a second semester senior, I know all too well the panic and struggle students feel about finding a job post-graduation. Here are some helpful resources that I found to make the process a little easier and less intimidating.

New Hampshire Center for Non-Profits

www.nhnonprofits.org/jobs

This is a really great tool for anyone looking specifically for non-profit work nearby. Whether you are interested in starting a new non-profit or love the work that an existing organization does, this site is a wonderful tool. One great thing about this non-profit search is that it is updated regularly to keep the number of positions manageable to look through. It helps if you’re like me and get confused and overwhelmed when looking at a long, long list of job titles... kind of like when you’re standing at Home Depot in front of the wall of paint samples trying to pick the right color to paint your bathroom.

Although the job listings are short, sweet, and to the point, the site doesn’t allow you to filter. There isn’t much opportunity to look for a specific company or position if that is what you are going for. However, it could open your eyes to things you haven’t considered by going through the complete list and just seeing what is available. Maybe you will find a position you never thought about before or get your foot in the door of a company you have volunteered with in the past. Sometimes you want to paint your bathroom Plum Dandy, but realize Sage Green is the better option. Overall this job search is a great way to look for specific work in the non-profit field and helps to set students up for the path they want to follow.  

Strengths:

• Direct and to the point 
• Focuses on non-profits specifically in New Hampshire 
• Everything listed clearly about the job and how to apply

Weaknesses:

• No filters for jobs
• Not very specific beyond geography  
• Limited to New Hampshire if you're looking all over the place

USA Jobs

www.usajobs.gov

This is a job search engine that focuses solely on US government positions. If students are looking to find a job in the federal government, this is the tool for you. There are a variety of ways you can work for the government and in many different locations throughout the country. Even though there are an overwhelming amount of positions available on the home page, this site does a better job at filtering out jobs that you ask it to.  

There is a specific “Student or Recent Grad” filter that shows opportunities and employers who are seeking recent graduates. You can also search by location, security, travel, and deadline. All of these serve different purposes and with so many ways to narrow down the search, I think students will find it easy to use and see what they are looking for. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of working for the FBI and solving crime, or maybe you really like Parks and Recreation and want to be the next Ron Swanson or Leslie Knope.

If you aren’t looking to get a job in the government, this obviously might not be the job search tool for you. However, there are a lot of different positions that you may not have even associated with being for the federal government. It doesn’t hurt to look through some of the positions to gauge what’s out there. I like this search engine too because each job has pages and pages of information surrounding the position, which answer a lot of questions right off the bat. On Wildcat Careers, many of the jobs may not have all the information you want before filling out the application. USA Jobs does a good job of filtering opportunities and giving the information you're looking for when searching.

Strengths:

• Very informative
• Good filters
• Helpful resources

Weaknesses:

• Wide variety
• Government-only
• LOTS of information

​EDJobsNH—New Hampshire School Administration Association

www.edjobsnh.com

This is an education-based job site for the state of New Hampshire. This site is updated daily and it provides many job opportunities at schools all over New Hampshire. You can search all different types of educator positions that you might be interested in and see the requirements, job dates and more. If teaching is your thing and you want to see what’s out there, this is a great resource to use.

You can search the subject and/or age group you would be interested in teaching, and also the location in NH that you would like to be. The site takes you through the steps to applying and makes it easy for you to go about the process. EDJobsNH is not limited to only teaching positions in schools, but also administrative positions, coaching positions, and opportunities to teach in non-school settings. So, there are a number of ways to dive into that education pool.

These positions that are listed are also submitted through the New Hampshire School Administration Association and aren’t always posted on other job sites when recruiting. Education is a highly competitive field so it’s nice to have so many positions all in one location. It can give students a great look into what is available in the future and help them reach out to different areas that they might be interested in working in. We’ve all taught someone in our lives before, so use this tool to help further your experience and build your career!

Strengths:

• All teaching positions in NH in one place
• Easy to apply
• Clear about expectations

Weaknesses:

• Not as visually appealing 
• Lots of opportunities to sift through

SimplyHired.com

www.simplyhired.com

So far, we’ve covered search engines that focus on one specific field of work. Often the bigger search engines are overwhelming for people to look at and they may not have a specific place, job, or idea of what they want to do so it’s hard to narrow it down. I understand that feeling, but also a good place to start is one of the bigger search engines and looking through a lot of jobs to find what ones you are finding yourself looking at. Then you can narrow down your search even more.

I like using SimplyHired because you aren’t asked to sign into an account when you try and search of open positions. Just like the name it is a simple sight to use with no advertisements or flashy colors. There’s a search bar with a few filters that allow you to focus on where and what types of position you are looking for. Each job gives you a summary of the position and what employers want and a link to the application. It’s quick, accessible, and to the point. It is updated regularly as well. I like that you can search specific fields and it gives you options within those fields.

This is a good site to search for jobs in the arts and recreation departments as well. These areas are harder to find specific employment searches, so even on the larger websites, there aren’t as many to go through. SimplyHired does a nice job at compiling jobs in these areas that students may have a harder time finding. From management and sports to recreational therapy positions are updated regularly and it’s a great resource for students of liberal arts.

Strengths:

• Wide variety, but good for arts, entertainment, and recreation,
• Simple and to the point
• Takes you right to the application
• Always updated

Weaknesses:

• Strength and a weakness, but more jobs than any other search engine, so many places and positions to sort through can be overwhelming

COLA Career and Professional Success New Jobs and Internships

cola.unh.edu/career-and-professional-success/new-jobs-internships

This is by far my favorite option for job searching that I feel is the most helpful. COLA’s Career and Professional Success team has recently developed a job list specific to liberal arts majors. The department takes the most recent jobs that employers have added to Wildcat Careers and has filtered out many jobs that students might want to apply for.

The site breaks jobs up into seven different categories: Arts, Recreation & Entertainment, Education & Training, Health & Wellness, Law & Criminal Justice, Marketing and Communications, Non-Profit & Public Services, and Sales & Staffing. Finally, a place that lists a manageable amount of jobs into the categories that students are looking for.

The one drawback people might think is that there is no search engine, it is simply a list of jobs. Though Control-F (Command-F on a Mac) is a tool all UNH students know and love. The list includes all new jobs that employers asked the university to advertise to students. The list is updated every two weeks and breaks down the jobs in an easy to use way. Each job has a link to the application and a number also include alumni examples that work for the company. Simply click on the LinkedIn link and it will take you to their profile. What’s great about this is networking, networking, networking. Networking is one of the most important skills to have and often how people get hired! Though it may be scary, you just have to put yourself out there and do it! Send them a LinkedIn Connection. Do it. It could be the difference that makes you stand out when they are flipping through a stack of resumes.

The best part of the job list is that it is made through a UNH office- all jobs are UNH approved and waiting for you to apply. It’s a great place to start when the other websites and search engines are overwhelming and have you pulling your hair out. UNH believes in you and wants you to succeed! This is a great place to start!

Strengths:

• All jobs vetted through UNH Career and Professional Success
• All new postings
• Updated every two weeks
• Sorted into categories

Weakness:  

• No search engine

GuideStar

www.guidestar.org

GuideStar is a database through the UNH Library that is completely free while you are a student here! GuideStar isn’t exactly a job search tool like the others mentioned, but it is a database that has copious amounts of information on nonprofits all over the world. Focusing on transparency, finances, legitimacy, reputation, and impact, GuideStar breaks down these organizations to give people a better idea of their operations.

Industry research is a tool many students may not know how to utilize or understand when they start using tools like GuideStar. This site uses a Bronze-Platinum level rating for information and transparency. This makes it easy to find companies that are doing well in their industry and the reasons behind that success. You don’t have to be an expert in industry research or understanding the numbers and finance to use the database. It provides a great first-step in looking for specific organizations you want to look out for in the future, rather than jobs that are available right now. This way you can work up to where you want to be, plan ahead, and prepare yourself. Just type in a topic, look into the organizations surrounding that topic you are interested in, and delve into all sorts of information including the number of employees, revenues and expenses, and goals for the future.

This is a great way to find companies you feel passionate about and take what you find to the other job engines out there! Plus you get to throw around the term ‘industry research’ and impress all of your friends.

Strengths: 

• Organized
• Easy to understand
• The search function is easy
• Good filters

Weaknesses: 

• Defaults to “zero results” until you type something and click send which can be confusing
• Each organization is clearly ranked and labeled  

Career and Professional Success and the College of Liberal Arts are celebrating Nonprofit & Public Service Month throughout March (and into April with the Justice Studies Program Job & Internship Fair on Tuesday, April 3). To see all the events, visit unh.edu/career/nonprofit-public-service-month .