On January 31st, Students for a Just Society hosted a Careers in Criminal Justice event as a low-stakes, low-pressure opportunity for students to feel more prepared as they apply for jobs and internships. The evening consisted of a presentation with tips to improve your resume and cover letter, suggestions on justice-related internships to apply for, and guidance on where to find additional advice and opportunities. It concluded with a discussion with previous SJS president Sam DiBona, who spoke on her experience searching for jobs in the field and offered advice to those who asked questions relevant to them personally.
While we obviously can’t cover all of the information in the presentation in just a few hundred words, here are some of the most important or unique points discussed:
“Cold emails” are a powerful tool when looking for an internship position. While they may seem intimidating, an unprompted email can show genuine interest and have much less competition than a traditional application. Several SJS members in attendance (myself included!) expressed that they have previously had success when cold emailing. A downside to note is that internships from cold emails are almost always unpaid.
Cover letters can (and sometimes should!) break the traditional format. Occasionally, internship and job postings will specifically ask for a creative cover letter, but even when they don’t, it can be a great way to stand out from more formulaic applications. Creative cover letters should have an interesting personal fact or anecdote as their initial few sentences to serve as a hook. Then, tie the opening into why you’re excited and qualified for the position - the meat of the cover letter - and close with a reminder of your hook.
Tailor your resume for the job. While the importance of writing a new cover letter for each application is frequently touted, less emphasis is put on the resume. One suggestion given was to make a list of “everything I’ve ever done” and to pick and choose the most relevant experience for the position from that list. This greatly lowers the amount of time and effort required for each application, as everything has already been written, and all you need to do is copy and paste it into your unique resume.
After the main presentation, Sam DiBona spoke with us on Zoom about her experience working at a law firm following her graduation from AU. She emphasized how helpful it can be to speak to your family and their friends while searching for a position, and how she was able to find her current job through one of those connections. Several attendees asked questions about their own experiences, and how to best market themselves to potential employers. Sam highlighted the ways someone could spin nontraditional experiences that may be perceived as a negative to an employer as evidence of resilience or dedication.
As a whole, the event combined basic job and internship search tips with criminal justice-specific opportunities and personalized advice in a manner I found really unique and helpful. I personally left it feeling much more prepared for my upcoming search for a summer internship, and hope the other attendees found it as beneficial as I did.
While you’re searching for a new position, remember that SJS’s monthly newsletter always highlights a few internship and entry-level openings in the criminal justice field! For information on upcoming SJS events, keep an eye on our Engage (Students for a Just Society) and Instagram (@sjsatau).
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