• Obtain relative experience pursuing internships, volunteerism, part time work, summer work, and research opportunities and leadership roles
• Expand your understanding of diversity with study abroad, foreign languages, student ambassador program, student groups, and outside community programs.
• Create relationships with faculty, advisors, alumni and networking within your field

• Meet with the Triage Advisor within your first 3 weeks of the semester
• Review UNMA Handbook and Orientation Guide to insure your policies and understanding of UNMA and how to get your degree
• Get assigned an appropriate UNMA Academic Advisor
• Get to know your academic advisor with several meetings a semester
• Get to know your UNMA program Professors and consistently ask for feedback on your strengths and what you need to improve on.
• Join the Rutgers Graduate Writing program, a free course that enhances your writing abilities for this program.  

• Join and create a profile with Rutgers Handshake and connect with Alumni in your field using the Student Alumni Career Connect.  
  
• Get a professional headshot – and attend all UNMA Career Service Workshop where we hire a photographer for this purpose. Each academic year, students who are enrolled in the Capstone, should have a bio for that academic year.  Be sure to go to the Career Workshops to learn how to create your bio.
• Join Linked In and create a Student Bio/Profile for the UNMA website (these go hand in hand).  
• Make an appointment with a “Professional Career Services Counselor” specifically for Graduate Students in your Career Cluster (Education and Public & Human Services) to identify interests, values, personality and abilities to clarify your career goals
• Create a professional and relevant resume with a career advisor.  Federal government jobs ask for federal resumes. Download Entry Level Development CV template for UN jobs and Mid to Sr. Level development CV template here.  Be sure to know the difference for each of these examples.    
• Bring job description with you when meeting with a career advisor to review your resume and to create an appropriate cover letter.
• Since private appointments are only a half an hour long, expect to visit Rutgers University Career Services several times in a semester.
• Go back as many times as you need and get a variety of career cluster professionals to take a look at your entire professional profile. Prepare for and go to all Career Mega Fairs or similar fairs offered through the Federal Government jobs.  
• Go to the UNMA Career Database page on our website and create an online PROFILE for any of the databases/agencies that ask for one.  Getting your information in their "talent pool" is an important step on making a connection to a job that is suitable for you.  Many of these agencies ONLY check those profiles and will not take outside applications.  Be sure to create a resume with one of the RU Career professionals so you are prepared and seen in the best way possible.

• Experiential Opportunities such as job shadow, volunteer, work part time, or finding an internship can be included on a resume and can help you find what you are passionate about pursuing professionally.  Be fully aware of application deadlines to those organizations that appeal to you
• Search UNMA Career Database for various relative organizations under our UNMA Sakai Graduate Workspace – link on our website
• Search DEVEX UNIVERSITY DATABASE -link on our website. 
• Search IDEALIST.ORG a career database for connecting idealists – people who want to do good – with opportunities for action and collaboration.
• For United Nations careers, be sure to include volunteer work in your plan.  Search the UN Volunteer database. 
• Field work experience is also very important in United Nations jobs.  Be sure to connect with UNFPA internships.
• For State Department internships - be sure to read this guide before you apply.  
• Find a part time job (if needed) on campus or similar through Rutgers Office of Financial Aid – on Rutgers website and Rutgers Handshake
• Sign up for 16:790:590 –Research Internship for United Nations and Global Policy Studies for 3 credits applied toward your degree after you pursue an appropriate internship (must be approved by MA Program Director) – know your course requirements and follow the curriculum deadlines and needs.

• Join Library Research workshops with Dr. Tom Glynn – especially for UNMA Students for writing assignments and research understanding in the UNMA field.  Check out OWL, the Online Writing Lab at Purdue. It’s an easy to navigate cite, with examples, and has a feature that will try to look up a source and provide a citation.  RefWorks: a Rutgers citation account program for all RU students,  lets you save all your research in one place, keep it organized and then creates (for APA) your in-text citations and bibliography as you type your paper. You can import citations from library databases or other resources. You can also “manually” add citations by filling out a template for articles, webpages, etc.
• The Graduate Writing Program serves graduate students across the Rutgers community. The GWP’s mission is to support graduate students of all disciplines in their current and future writing goals, from coursework papers to scholarly articles and dissertations. Students receive extensive individual attention from highly qualified, full-time English Department faculty members.
• Discover research programs within Rutgers, Aresty Youth Project, Eagleton, Center for American Women and Politics, Center of Youth and Political Participation, or any project approved by the UNMA Program Director
• Researching job-placement rates and career outcomes in your desired field. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook is a good place to start
• Network and talk to potential employers to discuss what professional development you need to enter the field and then take action accordingly.  Attend the Annual UNMA Global Policy Roundtable.
• Connecting with potential employers to request guidance and to network

• Working with assigned professors who are working on research projects and get your name on the project
• Submit an outstanding essay in our UNMA Annual Essay contest and get published in our online Occasional Paper Series.

• UNMA –European Summer Institute in in partnership with the University of Kassel, Germany where students can earn up to 6 credits toward their degree during the summer months and gain a global multidisciplinary network of relative experience in Global Policy studies and the United Nations
• Rutgers Global has a variety of programs to study abroad and gain valuable experiences in the United Nations and political science arena. Students may or may not get credits toward their degree.
• Engage in the SUMMER READING KNOWLEDGE COURSES: - A Tuition-Free Program for Current Rutgers Graduate Students -  to learn a 2^nd or 3^rd foreign language in the written format.  You must be available on campus for this program which is free to all Rutgers Graduate Students.

• Apply for UNMA Student Ambassador Program – a 25 hour leadership volunteer position that meets with potential students at conferences, events and other student recruiting efforts for the UNMA program.  Learn to present in front of a crowd and share your story.   
• Share your Bio and relative and unique experiences with our Students on the Move and current students section of our website in order to create an even stronger online footprint.
• Join, start up or lead campus and community student organization to develop interpersonal and communication skills. List of Rutgers student groups can be found.  Rutgers is a BIG university with so much to do- getINVOLVED!

United Nations Internships and Jobs Obtained: Humanitarian Affairs Intern - United Nations OCHA; Intern - United Nations Environment Programme; Intern- UN Ombudsman and Mediation Services; Intern - International Labour Organization; Intern - Permanent Mission of the US to the United Nations; Intern - Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Programme Division Intern: Migration Unit UNICEF; United Nations Advisor Intern - Permanent Mission of the League of Arab States to the United Nations; United Nations Advisor Intern - Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations; Programme Managment Intern: HIV/AIDS UNICEF; Intern - Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to the UN;  UNV Peacekeeping and Conflict Prevention Officer United Nations - Development Programme; Intern- United Nations Executive Office of the Secretary General; Contributions Officer- General Assembly of the United Nations; HIV/AIDS Programme Management, Communications and Partnerships – UNICEF; Advisor - United Nations/The League of Arab States Security Council and the Third Committee; Contributions Officer – UN Secretariat; Intern – Permanent Mission of Malta; Consultant – UNOCHA; Intern - UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations

Other Internships: Data Modeler – Broatridge; Research Intern – NYC Criminal Justice Agency; Intern – Economic Development Department – City of New Brunswick; Intern - Head Clerks Office - City of New Brunswick; Intern – Kienbaum Consultants; Teaching Assistant – University of Konstanz (PhD candidate), Department of Political Science PhD Candidate(s)- Rutgers New Brunswick and Rutgers Newark; Intern – Europa Union Deutschland

Current Student and Alumni Jobs Obtained: Program Assistant III, - Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute for the U.S. Department of State; Program Officer – Maloto (Malawi); Senior Program Coordinator – Institute for War & Peace Reporting; Information Security Specialist – Ernst & Young; Social Inclusion Officer – World Learning; Grant Developer – Haven of Hope; Director of Leadership Development and Strategic Partnerships - Rutgers Athletics; Program Marketing Manager/JD Candidate – Rutgers University/Seton Hall ; Senior Program Coordinator – MENA & LAC at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting; Advocacy Officer – Freedom United; Associate HR Business Partner – Truveris; Americorps Program Director and Community Engagement Manager – Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; JD Candidates – Rutgers Newark Law School;  JD Candidate – University of Delaware Law School; JD Candidate (3)- Seton Hall Law School; Staff Associate for the Center of Political Future – University of Southern California; Manager of Fellows Program - University of Southern California; Chief of Staff – Assemblyman Gary Shaer; Human Resource Specialist – US Navy Base, Honolulu, HI; Fulfillment Associate – Amazon; Process Guide/Problem Solver – Amazon; Digital Marketing Coordinator – Compulink Technologies Inc.; Coordinator of Public Programs and Special Projects – Eagleton Institute of Politics; Program Associate – Genex Services ; Marketing Assistant – ASTM International; Project Specialist – iCIMS; Advisor - Junior Account Associate – Cambridge Global Advisors; Operations Associate – American Corporate Partners; NJ County Clerk – State of New Jersey; Corporate Social Responsibility Manager – Deutsche Bank; Planning Specialist – US Department of Defense; Information Security Analyst – Ernst & Young; Data Analyst and Operations – ValueMomentum; Assistant Director – Homes for the Homeless: Coming Home of Middlesex County; Paralegal – Lebedin Kofman LLC; Donor Relations Associate – UNRWA Lebanon; Outreach Coordinator – Victims of Justice; Special Assistant – Office of the State Treasurer, NJ; Assistant Vice President, Sanctions & Embargoes – Deutsche Bank; Breaking News Editor – Brown Girl Magazine; Law Clerk – Law Offices of Stephani J. Ballard LLC; Program Coordinator – Eagleton Institute of Politics; Coordinator – Office of Global Health, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Administrative Coordinator – Institute of Quantitative Medicine: Rutgers University; Program Specialist – Claims Conference; Founder and CEO – Solonari Family Foundation; Senior News Presenter – Boishakhi Television; Console Operator – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; Regional Support Specialist – PAX: Program of Academic Exchange; Business Development Specialist – Asia and Eurasia: Pact; Director of Communications Marketing – Tusa Foods; Global Client Operations Specialist – NBC Universal Media LLC; Adjunct Professor – York College of the City University of New York; Federal Subrecipient Contracts Specialist - Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; Social Studies Teacher - Conackamack Middle School; ESL Teacher - Plainfield Board of Education; Coordinator of Advocacy and Member Services - New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies; Special Assistant to the Executive Director & Special Projects Manager -  Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies