Employment Services Intern
About Fortune: The Fortune Society, Inc. (Fortune) has evolved into one of the nation’s preeminent reentry and justice-informed service organizations, providing formerly-incarcerated people with the skills and wrap-around services needed to break the cycle of crime and incarceration and to build productive lives in their communities. Our Mission: The Fortune Society’s mission is to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.
Opportunity Title: Employment Services Department Intern
Type: Intern, un-paid
Department/Reports To: Employment Services / Training Coordinator
Location: In-Person (Long Island City)
Tentative Schedule: 20 hours per week commitment (sometime Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Duration: Fall (Sept 1-Dec 15); Spring (Feb 1-May 15); Summer (June 1-Aug 15)
Application Deadline: Ongoing until opportunity is filled.
Position Summary: The Employment Services Department Intern will support the department with various administrative and programmatic duties to ensure programs/services are running efficiently. This includes assisting with recruitment and coordination of vocational trainings; conducting regular phone and in-person consultations; help participants address work-related problems impacting performance; support recruitment and onboarding activities; work directly with participants and act as a coach to encourage retention outcomes; create and update participant resumes.
Tasks / Primary Responsibilities
§ General
o Call/email participants referred to Employment Services and collect/distribution information. Input information collected during calls into database(s). Help with daily administrative tasks
§ Vocational Training
o Take attendance and track progress of students in courses. Assist with cohort recruitment. Co-facilitate program trainings. Assist with curriculum development. Manage class rosters and distribute certifications.
§ Retention
o Make referrals both within and outside Fortune as necessary to provide people with the services that will help them retain their jobs. Engage in career planning with participants on issues of career advancement. Monitor and report the monthly employment status and salary of workshop participants.
§ Recruitment
o Help conduct outreach calls to participants and track client responses. Analyze employment positions to participant database. Conduct meetings with participants to assess employment matching. Verify documentation needed for participants to progress towards new employment.
§ Customer Relations
o Enrolling participants in the employment services workshop. Helping participants organize their files/documents needed for workshops. Conduct weekly 10min orientation presentations with participants.
§ Career Coaching / Development
o Review each résumé to ensure there are no grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or factual errors. Help track participant resumes and ensure all participants in Job Readiness workshops have a résumé. Conduct one-on-one assessment with participants to gather résumé information.
Learning Objectives:
§ Learn program management skills in the nonprofit sector.
§ Develop communication skills necessary to build professional relations with and conduct outreach to participants.
§ Enhance the ability to be an effective team player.
§ Learn and advance copyediting skills in a professional setting.
§ Increase knowledge of working with the formerly incarcerated population.
§ Acquire database management skills in a professional setting.
Preferred Qualifications:
§ Knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel.
§ Ability to take minimal direction and multitask.
§ Previous experience with customer service.
§ Comfortable with talking about sensitive topics with our community members Sensitivity toward the population served by The Fortune Society and the ability to assist them without bias is necessary.
Check with your school's Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting the hiring offer to determine if this position satisfies the criteria for receiving academic credit.
Additional Requirements
§ Must be 18+ of age.
§ Must have personal laptop/computer with reliable internet connection.
§ Must show proof of completed COVID-19 vaccination (boosters not required to comply with EO47).