Internship Specialist - Gorter Family Career Advancement Center

Internship Specialist - Gorter Family Career Advancement Specialist Overview This professional will serve as a member of Lake Forest College’s Gorter Family Career Advancement Center (CAC) and report to the Associate Director and Pathway Leader for Business, Finance and Data Science (BFDS). As part of this pathway, they will lead internship and career advising efforts for students pursuing business, finance, economics, and marketing. Responsibilities Program Administration and Career Advising Guide and mentor students in the Business, Finance, and Data Science Pathway completing internship experiences (non-credit and for-credit), and serve as a liaison to relevant academic departments including Business, Finance, Economics, and Entrepreneurship. Advise students and develop large‑scale programs on resume development, interview preparation, and identification of and referrals to sites that match students’ interests. Manage, organize, and communicate information using technology systems including the career services management system (Handshake), course management systems (Canvas), Project management software (Smartsheet), alumni database (Slate), and social media. Assess student/employer engagement data and monitor employment trends to identify and implement strategies for improving students’ preparation and expanding available internships. Ensure successful registration process and completion of appropriate student and employer application and agreement forms required for internship completion. Contribute to ongoing internship program policy development, administration, evaluation, and promotion with the employer relations and operations team. Participate in relevant professional development activities. Internship Program Serve as an internship supervisor for students completing internships for the academic internship program; provide seminars or other educational experiences in collaboration with fellow internship supervisors to help students develop learning goals, understand professional expectations, and apply their academic training in the workplace. Evaluate assignments and submit final grades according to College requirements. Develop evaluation methods and referral procedures for internship site placements to maximize the success of each experience and provide students with personalized guidance; seek to organize student/site needs to ensure continuity for students and key sites. Maintain contact with internship site supervisors and the Senior Associate Director for Internships and resolve conflicts in collaboration with relevant faculty, staff, or site personnel if they arise. Work with relevant Career Pathway leaders to identify and provide industry‑related pre‑internship training and professional development activities to improve students’ competitiveness for the best experiential learning opportunities. Assist students with developing plans to maximize their internship experience during and after the experience, such as articulating their experience in their resumes, tips for publishing/presenting research, and identifying subsequent internship experiences to support their career plan. Relationship Management and Employer Relations Initiate new off‑campus partnerships and manage relationships with existing employers able to provide students high‑quality jobs, internships, research experiences, shadowing, and other relevant opportunities; develop and adhere to terms of affiliation agreements with key sites. Expand pipelines with employers to help CAC provide more equitable access to experiential opportunities for students from historically underserved and underrepresented backgrounds. Cultivate relationships with Lake Forest College faculty to understand students’ academic experience on‑campus and gain an understanding for ongoing institutional partnerships to maintain the integrity of existing relationships and support new relationship development. Learn guidelines for identifying and evaluating good‑fit academic credit internships. Organize recruiting activities, including job postings, campus interviews, and specialized networking events. Complete other duties as assigned or as opportunities emerge. Qualifications Successful completion of a relevant Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree preferred. Three years of experience preferably in higher education, career services, human resources, non‑profit, or related field. Strong administrative, critical‑thinking skills, and written/verbal communication; must also be attentive to details and be able to successfully manage academic course requirements and internship documentation. Interest and/or experience in working with students, alumni, employers, and faculty/staff from diverse backgrounds. Team‑oriented focus, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to think creatively. Success in building and maintaining relationships; experience with a customer‑relationship‑management system is a bonus. Experience in college student development, career services, and employer relations and/or business, finance, economics, and entrepreneurship industries preferred. Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends for programs; valid driver’s license and willingness to travel (primarily in Chicagoland area). Salary and Benefits Salary: $57,000-$62,000. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr