The UTC Career and Student Employment Center hosted the Nonprofit Career Networking Event on April 8, giving students a chance to network and find out more about local nonprofits.
“We don’t bill this event as a job fair, but a chance for students to come and talk with nonprofit organizations to find out what they do and what kind of opportunities they have, such as volunteer opportunities, internship opportunities, and career opportunities, but also just to find out more about nonprofits in general. It’s a wonderful time to explore what opportunities there are and what it’s like to work with a nonprofit,” said Jean Dake, Director of the UTC Career and Student Employment Center.
There were approximately twenty organizations at the event, including nonprofits such as the Chattanooga Community Kitchen and the American Heart Association.
“We like to keep this event smaller so that students really can network. There’s a chance to talk longer – a lot of times, at the big fairs, there are so many employers and so many students that you can’t spend ten or fifteen minutes having an in depth conversation with a particular organization, but at a smaller event like this you can really feel like you’re networking more and finding out more about working at a nonprofit,” Dake said.
Marjorie Gluckner, Community Engagement Leader at Thrivent Financial, is a UTC alumna who was happy to be back on campus, recruiting from her alma mater.
“We are expanding our market, so we’re looking to hire more financial consultants, and when we found out that UTC was hosting this event, we thought it made sense to come. And I’m really thrilled myself to have had the opportunity to come back. I appreciated my time here, and I’m so proud to tell people I went to UTC. I love being back on campus and talking to current students – it’s a good group of people,” said Gluckner.
A wide variety of students visited the Nonprofit Career Networking Event. Students of all ages, spanning freshmen to graduate students, and a wide assortment of majors, including business, science, social work, psychology, and English, came by to check out the event.
“This event is really for all UTC students and alumni who are interested in working with nonprofits. And we have a variety of organizations that would be a good fit for different types of students,” Dake said.
Molly Williams, a public administration and nonprofit management major in her junior year, came out to the event to network and find out more about the different nonprofits.
“The representatives of the organizations here have been really knowledgeable and willing to answer whatever questions I’ve had about the work culture, the roles, and the funding within the different organizations. It’s been interesting nonprofits I hadn’t heard of as well as learning more about the ones I was already familiar with. It’s made me really interested in applying for internships at some of these organizations,” Williams said.
“I’m really glad that we do things like this on campus. It’s a great opportunity for those of us interested in nonprofits to get to explore, particularly considering the job market right now and how hard it can be to get your foot in the door of the career you’re really passionate about. Getting more information and having the opportunity to network is really helpful,” continued Williams.
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