COLA’s First Non-Profit Career Fair
(Cover image by Allison Pacris)
If you’ve ever wanted to make a positive impact and connect with people in your community, then joining a non-profit organization is for you! For the first time ever, UNLV’s College of Liberal Arts and Career Services hosted a Non-Profit Career Fair on October 17th, a day after UNLV’s biannual Career & Internship Fair. As a College of Liberal Arts student, I decided to check out this event and see what it had to offer.
The event was held at the Student Union Ballroom. Once I stepped inside, sounds of chatter filled the room. The fair was packed with more than 50 non-profit organizations. Each table was donned with a tablecloth that had the organization’s name on it, which made it easy to see who you could talk to. The tables were also lined up in rows so that you could seamlessly move from one table to the next.
As I strolled through the aisles, I had the chance to speak with many different non-profit groups across Las Vegas. One organization that I spoke with was Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada. We had a heartfelt conversation about how important it is for children and teens to have someone they can look up to at a young age. By volunteering in their youth mentoring program, you can become a role model for young students by helping with homework, playing board games, or simply being someone they can talk to about their goals and interests.
I also got the chance to speak with Spread the Word Nevada, an organization devoted to childhood literacy. When I mentioned that I was an English major, we shared a playful conversation about our favorite childhood books (any other Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or Where the Wild Things Are fans?). They also have volunteer opportunities where you can be a reading companion for struggling readers or a cleaner for used books that they distribute to local schools, teachers, and young readers in need. It’s a fun way to get involved, especially with a group during one of their events, or as a family where volunteers can be as young as 7 years-old!
For professional experience, some non-profits also offered internships in partnership with the COLA Internship Program. One of these was the Love Yourself Foundation. They promote self-love and mental health through the arts and online content in their empowering blogs, podcasts, and more. The Las Vegas Natural History Museum also had internships, such as being a research intern or marketing intern. It’s worth visiting an organization’s table and skimming through their list of volunteer needs or open job positions.
Freebies from different non-profit organizations at the career fair. (Photo by Allison Pacris)
If going to a career fair seems intimidating to you, here are some quick tips to help you get started:
Identify your interests
What do you hope to find from this career fair? Is it volunteer information, internship opportunities, potential job openings? No matter what your answer is, it’s a good idea to have your resume readily available to share with any organizations that interest you.
Prepare some questions
It helps to research who will be there, which is usually provided in the event announcement. If you see any organizations that you’re curious about, try to come up with some specific questions beforehand. Not only do you get a direct answer from someone within the organization, but it also helps you stand out by speaking with them face-to-face.
Connect through conversations
In addition to asking questions, share a little bit about yourself. Discuss your major, your future goals, or some of your experiences that relate to the organization in some way. To help with this, COLA also provided a handy bingo card with spaces that can be conversation starters like, “Learn the mission statement of 3 organizations.” And if you’re lucky, you might be the winner of a prize giveaway!
If you’re looking for professional experience or want to volunteer for a cause, consider joining one of the many non-profit organizations in Las Vegas! It’s not certain when the next Non-Profit Career Fair will be, but be sure to keep your eyes peeled for any future announcements from the College of Liberal Arts.
