For students who are contemplating a summer or full-time job in the nonprofit sector, you may be feeling a little “left behind” during early fall when some of your peers are already interviewing for next summer. This is a normal feeling but the best is yet to come!
Below is an outline of the hiring timeline for the nonprofit sector. Although you will see that much of the application phase happens in the spring semester, that does not mean you wait until then to start the process.
Fall Semester
- Nonprofit Consulting Firms. August/September. (full time and internships)
- Some International Development Organizations. August – October. (full time and internships)
- Attend the CGCC Peer to Peer Networking Event: Thursday, October 27th, 4-6pm at Dwight Hall. Event includes many upperclassmen who have summered at nonprofits, government agencies, arts organizations. These students will give you the inside scoop on what it was like to work for their former employer and advice on applying.
- Yale Alumni Community Service Funded Internship. November – March. (internships)
- Gap Year/ Fellowship programs open. Deadlines for these will continue throughout the spring (full time)
** Even if the actual application will not be available until spring, fall is an important time to take the following steps:
Additional Steps to Take in the Fall
- Do Your Research – what is the type of nonprofit work you want to do? what kind of environment do you want be working in? geographical preference? specific skills you are looking to gain? connections you want to make? mentors you are seeking?
- Start Connecting with People who are doing this work – use the Yale Alumni Network with the following tools: Peer Networking Lists, Yale Alumni LinkedIn Page, Cross Campus and CareerShift (contacts sections).
- Arrange informational Interviews with the individuals you find to learn more about their work.
- These steps will give you an edge when the applications do come out because you have already established connections and gained a better sense of the opportunities available.
Spring Semester
- President’s Public Service Fellowship and the Yawkey Community Service Funded Internship. January (internships)
- Yale public interest fellowships. February. See Students Grants Database for details. Note: You do not have to have the proposed internship secured in order to request funding
- Nonprofits / Research Organizations / Think Tanks hire on an as need basis (also known as Just In Time Hiring). Applications continue throughout spring semester (full time and internships)
