The Yale-Bridgeport GEAR UP Project, a project of The Consultation Center at Yale and Bridgeport Public Schools, is searching for part-time Academic Advisors for the 2009-10 school year to work with 8th graders in Bridgeport middle schools. Applicants should be graduate students and/or youth workers with relevant work experience and must be available a minimum of 15 hours/week during the school year. Meetings with students will occur primarily during in-school hours, with some flexibility for after school hours. Weekly supervision will be provided to Advisors. Previous work with urban youth is a plus, as is an M.A. in School Counseling. Reliable transportation is a must!

Desirable Academic Advisors are effective communicators and comfortable speaking in front of classrooms and small groups of students, as well as working one-on-one with students. They enjoy working with youth and have experience in education, youth development or social services. They have a sense of humor, in addition to being flexible and compassionate. Desirable Advisors also demonstrate professional integrity in all aspects of their work, including consistent promptness for all meetings, groups and training sessions; completing all paperwork on time; and following through on assignments.  They demonstrate commitment and dedication to working with youth, and take initiative when necessary. They also have excellent planning and organizational skills and take their position as a role model very seriously. Racial/ethnic minorities, bilingual English/Spanish speakers and men are especially encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities: Academic Advisors will work collaboratively with teachers and school counselors in supporting the academic and affective needs of students in the following ways:

Individual Work: Advisors will be assigned to work with 20-25 students individually. They will provide academic advising and support to their assigned students and encourage active participation in the program. In addition, the Advisors’ work will include helping students develop academic progress plans, assisting students in meeting academic requirements and exploring career interests. They will also link students with academic and social support systems that are available, as well as locating other resources.

Small Group Work: Advisors will conduct small group workshops with their advisees. Workshop topics will include such things as skill building, financial literacy, enhancing relationships with peers/teachers/staff, substance abuse and conflict resolution.

Classroom Work: Advisors will facilitate The MAAX early college awareness and social development curriculum weekly with 8th grade classes.

Working with Counselors and Teachers: Academic Advisors will participate in regularly scheduled team meetings with school counselors and teachers to discuss students’ overall progress. The reports will include the student’s current academic status, academic progress plan, academic goals, challenges faced and progress made.

The rate of pay is $17/hour, which covers training, supervision and program delivery time only. Mail or e-mail your resume and a cover letter to Barb Nangle, The Consultation Center, 389 Whitney Ave., New Haven, CT, 06511 or Barbara.Nangle@yale.edu. Please be sure to note

 that you are applying for the Academic Advisor Position. Resumes without cover letters will not be accepted.

Please note: If you are chosen for an interview for this position, please dress professionally and arrive promptly for your interview.

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Do's and Don'ts for Cover Letters, Resumes and Interviewing

The following list is based on some common errors we've seen from our prospective job candidates.

DO

• Do - Follow the instructions in the job announcement. For example, if it specifically states that you should include a cover letter, then include a cover letter.
• Do - Keep your cover letter to one page in length and your resume to a maximum of two pages. Remember that you are one of many people applying for the position so the recipient has multiple letters and resumes to read.
• Do - Give examples of things you've done in the past that show you have done, or are capable of doing, the tasks required for the position.
• Do - Proof read everything you send: the e-mail message, the cover letter and the resume. Your grammar and spelling should be perfect. Get someone else to proof read for you unless you are absolutely confident that it's perfect. First impressions count!
• Do - Tailor your cover letter for the job.
• Do - Come about five minutes early for your interview.
• Do - Dress professionally and bring all requested documents to the interview.
• Do - Be personable in your correspondence about the position.
• Do - Consider your professional reputation when blogging or posting to sites such as MySpace or FaceBook.

DON'T

• Don't - Send e-mail messages with no message, just attachments - it's impolite. At minimum, say, "I am writing to apply for the XYZ position. As requested, my resume and cover letter are attached."
• Don't - Send a "form" cover letter that is addressed to a generic company or person. The letter should be addressed to the person listed on the job announcement.
• Don't - Send items that are misspelled or grammatically incorrect.
• Don't - Use a personal e-mail account name that is inappropriate or gives away personal information. For example, someone once submitted a resume and cover letter with the user name "SnottyGirl." This is inappropriate, especially for a position which deals with people. If necessary, create a free e-mail account name that sounds professional and use it only for professional correspondence.
• Don't - Send your resume and cover letter for a full-time position when the position advertised is part-time.
• Don't - Come more than five minutes early for your interview. Wait outside if you are more than five minutes early.
• Don' t - Send a cover letter that is longer than one page or a resume that is longer than two pages.
• Don't - Apply for a job for which you are unqualified.

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