How I Got a Job Through Networking
Meg, History of Art, Spanish Literature '09
After graduating from Cornell in May, I moved to Chicago and began interning in the development department at the Museum of Contemporary Art (a highly sought-after internship that I secured with the help of a recommendation from a Cornell alum who is on the Board of Directors at the MCA). I spent the entire summer desperately searching for full and part-time jobs in fundraising and development in non-profit organizations from postings online and was having little luck. Either there were 25 other qualified candidates applying for the same position, or I would never receive a response back from employers (regardless of how many times I would follow up and clog their inboxes). I was looking for jobs in a competitive field amidst a rough period in the economy, and I knew that it was going to take a little more legwork to find an opportunity.
So I started to reach out to Cornell grads in Chicago. I conducted an advanced search on LinkedIn for Cornell alums in the Chicago area who worked in the non-profit sector. I found a Cornell grad named Liz who was the Manager of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Giving at a Theatre Company. A perfect contact, I thought. I sent her an email asking if I could arrange a discussion over the phone to gain some insight on arts organizations in Chicago. I received an automated response from her email account saying that she had moved on from the company. I thought, "OK, no big deal, I'll just have to track her down in some other way," and left it at that.
I soon received another response from their Director of Development, who received my re-routed email. She told me that Liz had recently left Lookingglass to take care of her newborn baby boy, and that they were looking for individuals to fill Liz's position. She had read my entire email about my enthusiasm for fundraising for arts organizations, and must have been impressed that I was also a Cornell grad like Liz, so she asked if I would be interested in coming in for an interview. I initially thought that I was unqualified for the position, because I only had a summer of experience in development and did not have any direct grant-writing experience. But I agreed to meet with her. The interview would be a good opportunity to conduct an informational session, regardless of whether I was chosen or not.
Since I did not have any sample grant proposals to show her, she gave me the opportunity demonstrate my writing skills by drafting a sample grant proposal to the Prince Charitable Trusts, a local foundation in Illinois, according to the instructions from their website. With a little bit of research, as well as some guidance from my supervisors at the MCA, I crafted a polished sample grant proposal and hand-delivered it to her desk on the morning that she requested it to be finished. (I even got past the security guards! I think she was expecting me to email it to her, so she was surprised). I received an email from her that evening requesting a second-round interview with the director of the company. I came in to the second-round interview even more confident than I was for the first. I felt like I was conducting the interview myself, as I was constantly asking questions about the company's programs and the responsibilities of the position.
My supervisors at the MCA spoke on my behalf with the Director of Development (one of my supervisors actually knew her as a contact from a organization that she used to work for in the past). After receiving references from my supervisors, they offered me the position the following week as the Coordinator of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Giving. I finished up my internship at the MCA and began work at the theatre company the next Monday morning. Needless to say, I hit the ground running!
So that's my story about how I moved from the Johnson Museum, to the MCA, to a full-time position at the Lookingglass Theatre -- and all with the help of my Cornell family! (And LinkedIn!)
I am thrilled to be working in the development department for a well-respected theatre company in Chicago. I feel really passionate about the work that I am doing there, and I know it will provide me with invaluable experience as I pursue a career in management and development for arts organizations in the future.
So the best advice I can give to students, especially those who aren't going down the on-campus recruiting path at Cornell, is to use Cornell alums that work in your field of interest as points of contact. Set up a profile on LinkedIn and conduct a search on Cornell alums that live in the city where you want to work. Ask to set up a phone interview to gain some insight on your field of interest. Even if they can't help you, they probably know other people who can! Although I never spoke to Liz, since she had gone on maternity leave, I never would have found the position if I hadn't attempted to reach out to her, since the position was not advertised anywhere. I also appreciate all the advice and moral support I received from other young alums that I've networked with since my arrival in Chicago, even if they weren't able to direct me to potential employers.
