Framing Your Story: Questions To Guide Your Cover Letter Jobs, Internships & Recruiting
The Lazarus Center offers a variety of resources to help you explore and clarify your career goals, build and make use of your professional network and market yourself effectively via resumes, letters and interviews.
Handshake Career Management Tool
The Lazarus Center uses Handshake, a platform for launching your career.
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Suit Yourself Program
Smith students may borrow Banana Republic jackets, skirts and pants, sizes 2–24, in matching black fabric. There is also a collection of slacks and blazers. This service is FREE for current students — although you will initially have to pay for dry cleaning, we'll reimburse you!
How to Borrow
- Come to the Lazarus Center during daytime drop-in hours and a peer adviser will help you select what you need to look your professional best.
- Give yourself enough time to try on suits, and to fill out a contract with a peer adviser — usually 15-20 minutes.
- Bring your OneCard and, if you like, the shoes and accessories you'll be wearing.
- Suit Yourself is open during the academic year as well as the summer.
- Don't wait until the last minute to borrow. We suggest you come in two days before your interview.
How to Return
- All items must be professionally dry cleaned and returned within seven days (with dry-cleaning receipt attached). You will be reimbursed for the dry cleaning.
- Items should be in the same condition in which you borrowed them, by the date listed on the contract, and during suit program hours.
- Late returns will result in a $10 per day late fee. If items are not returned, borrowers may be charged a replacement fee up to $250.
Make Sure Your Attire Is Appropriate
A well-groomed appearance is essential. Anything else will detract from the best possible presentation you can make. A good way to determine suitable attire is to look at what people typically wear in the organization or industry for which you are interviewing.
Here are some examples of clothing options:
Business Formal |
Skirt suit (preferably in a dark color and knee-length) |
Business Casual |
Khakis, dress pants, skirts |
Resumes, Cover Letters & CVs
Interviews
An interview is an employer's opportunity to determine if you're a great fit for her or his organization. And it's your opportunity to show you have the confidence and enthusiasm to do a great job for this organization and in this position out of others who may be qualified. Talking about yourself, promoting your strengths and conveying your interest to an organization may be unfamiliar at first, but with preparation and practice, you can develop the skills and confidence to handle any interview question or format.
Interviewing Resources
- InterviewStream - Practice your interview skills any time! Record and review your responses to pre-made interviews, or build a personalized interview from a library of over 7,000 industry and subject-specific questions. Use the built-in self-evaluation to discover your interviewing strengths and ways to improve. Share your recorded interview with Lazarus Center career staff or others for further feedback. Access InterviewStream via Handshake: Click Career Center > Resources to find the Interview Stream link.
- Mock Interviews—Lazarus Center advisers are happy to meet with you for interview practice. Schedule an appointment via Handshake or call 413-585-2582.
- Lazarus Center Workshops on interviewing are offered throughout the semester, including a Mock Interview Day with Smith alumnae.
- Suit Yourself—Students may borrow black, all-season suit separates for interviews and career-related events. Open during drop-in hours.
- Interviews—Learn how to prepare for an interview, strategies for practicing, sample questions, interview attire, salary negotiation and a sample thank-you note.
- Guide to Finance Interviews—Strategies and interview questions compiled by Lazarus Center advisers based on employer and student feedback.
Salary Negotiation
PayScale.com Salary Negotiation Guide
Not only can PayScale tell you how much you should earn, it can help you negotiate your salary, too. PayScale teamed up with career and finance experts to answer questions about salary negotiation. See the data and break everything down into three steps—research, strategize and negotiate—to prepare yourself for salary success.
GlassDoor Salaries
See what employees earn at nearly 200,000 companies worldwide, learn what kind of salary to expect for any job in any location, and get the full compensation picture with tips and bonuses, as well as benefits.
ADP's Salary Paycheck Calculator
This tool will help you estimate your actual take-home pay per paycheck based upon your gross salary, state and local taxes, and tax withholding status.
Budgeting Basics
CNN Money Cost of Living Calculator helps you determine how far your salary will go in another city.
How to Survive Your First Year Out of College offers tips on jobs, bank accounts and apartments, making sure you aren't homeless, sick and hungry!
LearnVest is designed to help you be positive about your money. Whether you want to budget better, maximize your investments or something in between, this site is designed to help you make progress on your money with financial planning.
Mint.com helps you organize and categorize your spending. See where every dime goes and make money decisions you feel good about.
MyMoney.gov is a U.S. government website dedicated to teaching Americans basics about financial education.
Women's Institute for Financial Education is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial education to women in their quest for financial independence.
The Lazarus Center created a worksheet to help you anticipate and budget for living expenses, as well as a guide to housing and rentals.
Social Work Resources
School for Social Work Workshops & General Services
Lazarus Center services are available to all School for Social Work students throughout the year, during summer session and after graduation. These include:
- Job listings for social work on a career services management platform called Handshake.
- Online opportunities to practice your interview skills via a platform called InterviewStream. Access InterviewStream via Handshake: Click Career Center > Resources to find the Interview Stream link.
- Networking opportunities through the Office of Alumnae Relations online directory and our alumnae LinkedIn page.
- A digital resource library with targeted guides on resumes and cover letters and networking and interviewing for social workers.
- Lunch-time group advising workshops for SSW students during the summer on topics ranging from interviewing to salary negotiation to career planning; stay tuned for details here.
For further questions, please contact lazarus@smith.edu
Licensure
Association of Social Work Boards identifies the unique requirements for licensure for each state.
Search for a licensing board in the United States and Canada.
Job Boards
Job boards are just one facet of your search. Consult individual organization/agency websites for listings and contact any organization that interests you, whether or not a relevant job is posted.
Professional Associations
Professional associations can be excellent resources for job listings, upcoming conferences and job fairs, Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and online networking.
National Association of Social Workers is a key association for this field. Check for a regional chapter in your target locale.
NASW Social Work Student Events
School Social Work Association of America
International Federation of Social Workers
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Social Work Fellowships & Scholarships
Find additional opportunities by contacting hospitals, medical schools, college/university counseling centers, and clinics.
Mental Health Professional Training Programs at Menninger Clinic
Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program at Columbia University
Boston Children's Hospital Social Work Fellowships
UC-Berkeley University Health Services Post-MSW Fellowships
University of Michigan Post-MSW Fellowship
Council on Social Work Education Career Center
Eileen Blackey Doctoral Fellowship is offered for dissertation research in welfare policy and practice.
Jane B. Aron Doctoral Fellowship is offered for dissertation research in health care policy and practice.
NASW Foundation National Programs administers 16 national programs, including post-MSW and postdoctoral fellowships and scholarships.
Yale University Child Study Center Post-MSW Advanced Clinical Social Work Fellowship
Loan Forgiveness & Repayment for Social Work
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program offers fully trained, licensed clinical social workers $50,000 to repay student loans in exchange for two years serving in an approved community-based site in a high-need Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).
Many states also have loan repayment programs (SLRPs), easily found online, such as the Massachusetts Loan Repayment for Health Professionals.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness is for students who pursue public service careers and have high debt, but not high income; generally available to anyone who works in a nonprofit organization.
Equal Justice Works offers a resource page for student debt relief.
Indian Health Services (HIS) Loan Repayment Program is for clinical social workers employed by the IHS, who are eligible to apply for the IHS Loan Repayment Program.
Mapping Your Future offers guidance on understanding loan cancellation, forgiveness and discharge.