Career Development Volunteer Opportunities
We're grateful to our network of dedicated alumni and parent volunteers and excited to partner with you in many important ways.
Offer Mentorship
Mentorship creates a rewarding and collaborative career development process for students and is a critical component to navigating any industry. There are multiple ways to support mentorship efforts at Kenyon:
Create a LinkedIn account and join the Kenyon Network LinkedIn group. By joining this group, you make yourself and your background available to Kenyon students and alumni who can contact you for informational interviews and advice. If you're an alum, remember to add Kenyon College to your education so students and alumni can also find you with LinkedIn’s alumni tool.
Provide opportunities for students to explore careers of interest by allowing them to observe your workplace for 1-3 days. Students learn about the responsibilities of the job as well as the skills and qualifications necessary to succeed. To offer a job shadow, fill out this form. Hosts will be asked to reconfirm their availability at the start of each academic year.
Through this original Kenyon program, alumni and parents creatively design discrete, hands-on exercises that students can complete remotely in 5 – 40-hours using commonly available software and equipment. Professional Extension Projects are unpaid and designed to maximize students' learning around a host’s career field. Hosts connect with the student to describe goals of the project and its relevance to the field. Upon completion of the project, student and host reconnect to debrief the experience, evaluate the work, and discuss the skills highlighted, areas for improvement, and reiterate how the experience was important preparation for the career field.
Hire Kenyon!
Hands-on experience is still one of the best ways for students to learn. We have several ways for you to connect with Kenyon talent:
By signing up to be an ongoing industry relations partner, you may be invited to participate in recruiting events, connect with students, and engage with the Kenyon community broadly through industry relations work. If you're interested, kindly complete this short form to let us know your preferences for areas of engagement.
Discuss recruiting opportunities with our Director of Employer Relations. Start the conversation by completing the Hire Kenyon interest form, or by visiting the Hire Kenyon page.
Create an internship reserved specifically for a Kenyon student. Unsure where to begin? We can help you design a program that is meaningful and engaging. Contact the Career Development Office's Director of Employer Relations to schedule a consultation.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Developed by Kenyon’s Alumni Council, the Career Development Office now connects students with alumni career fields by inviting Kenyon professionals to “take over” the Kenyon CDO Instagram for 24 hours. As a host, you can offer a virtual window into the day-to-day operations of your work, explain your career path and respond to student-submitted questions. If you are savvy with Instagram and think Kenyon students and alumni would enjoy working in your field, apply to this program with your Instagram handle here:
Kenyon is committed to providing opportunities for all students to participate in high-impact practices that can lead to lifelong fulfilling careers. Giving to the Scott A. Layson fund — named after a longtime, influential CDO director — provides greater access to internship and research opportunities for all students. Contact Sarah Tancredi or Anne Ellsworth '04 to discuss supporting this fund.
The Kenyon Career Development Office (CDO) maintains information to help Kenyon students and alumni connect with individuals and companies that are willing to assist, mentor, or house students who are exploring careers and with internship and job opportunities that may be available. Students, employers and volunteers should be aware that the CDO does not vet or conduct background checks on the students that may seek assistance, employers that may be offering opportunities, or volunteers who may be providing support. Employers, students, mentors, and hosts are highly encouraged to meet via a phone or Skype call prior to confirming any arrangements to determine suitability of fit and discuss mutual expectations. While the CDO is not responsible for what happens in arrangements that come from its networks, it is happy to assist students, employers and volunteers with conflict resolution and resources should difficulties occur.