Opportunity Knocking
These websites and search engines will be useful in helping to seek out volunteer opportunities, internships, and jobs. Don't wait until you are on the job market to become familiar with them. I often encourage my students to look at the qualifications for specific jobs that grab their interests so that they know how to tailor their educational experiences. While that exact job might not be available by the time you graduate, this process helps you to focus your interests so that you are prepared for similar jobs that are available when you are on the job market. If you have additional ideas for this list, please send them.
Career Center, Supervisors, Coworkers, & Faculty Members (Word of Mouth)
Don't be shy if you are on the job market. Talk to people on campus, and tell them what you are looking for. Be sure to also visit the Career Center if your university or college has one.
Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job (unless, of course, they have some weird motivation to sabotage you, but let's hope that's unlikely).
General Search Engines
Google and other search engines are quickly becoming powerful job search tools. You can search for specific organizations in your area that are related to the types of work you want to do. For instance, "senior living in Houston" or "child advocacy Memphis, Tennessee" might reveal businesses or organizations that you haven't previously heard of...and they might be hiring or accepting volunteers.
Note that you might have to dig a bit for the announcements. They might be in the "About Us," "Careers," or "Join Us" sections. Or, they might be somewhere else entirely. Take the time to look around and learn about the organization in the process.
Professional Organizations' Websites
Check out the professional organizations listed on Connections. A few of them have career or employment sections. This can be a great resource depending on your goals.
This was my FAVORITE job search website when I was a student. It has information about volunteer opportunities, internships, and jobs--all with a focus on making the world a better place.
The only downside was that I was living in a small city in Alabama, and most of the opportunities on this search engine were concentrated in large cities (or they were based on what I could determine). Still, it helped me because it showed me the types of opportunities I could search for at different organizations that were actually located in my city.
This relatively new website is an online hub for career development tips. Be sure to check out the guides for explaining family science to future employers, the articles related to where you can work, and the articles related to options at various degree levels. Also, if you are planning to pursue grad school in the field of family science, there is a good resource tool on the site.
Some of your career development plans might include graduate programs in the field of family science. If that is the case for you, be sure to check out this ranking of graduate programs generously provided online by Dr. Kamp Dush.
Friends, Family Members, Networks, and Strangers (More Word of Mouth)
Word of mouth can be the best way to learn about opportunities, so, again, don't be shy on the job market. Take the time to make conversation with people. Attempt to truly listen to them and build relationships, but also let them know what you are interested in doing in the future.
This website was created by the National Council on Family Relations, and it is an excellent first stop to get an idea about the types of jobs that will allow you to work directly with families. It is not a job search engine, but you can get an idea about which types of search terms to include when searching job announcement databases.
There are many opportunities on college and university campuses besides teaching and research. These institutions are basically mini cities. This website can help you to learn more about jobs serving students and their families.
There are some opportunities within the federal government working for families, children, and seniors. This website can help you to learn more about them.
City, County, and State Websites
States and city governments often have some jobs serving families and communities. The websites will vary based on where you live, but you can search for your own state and/or city.
