International Rescue Committee

Background: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home. Domestically, our 28 offices across the U.S. ensure new arrivals have food, shelter, and clothing, and work with refugees to help them gain self-sufficiency. 

Scope of Work: The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by placing recently arrived refugees in their first job in the United States. The goal of the program is to help clients reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment and assist clients in securing full-time employment. The intern will work directly under the supervision of one of the employment specialists. 

Responsibilities: 

• Assess new clients by creating their individual initial employment plan. 
• Create individualized resumes and cover letters, assist with finding job leads, and complete job applications with clients. 
• Strategically research potential employer partners and conduct outreach. 
• Regularly track service provision through electronic data entry and organize required client documentation. 
• Manage distribution and tracking of in-kind donations to clients. 
• Other duties assigned by the employment team. 

Learning Objectives: 

• Intern will gain US resettlement agency experience in assessing new clients. 
• Intern will gain insight into refugee and asylee workforce integration programs. 
• Intern will learn how to communicate effectively across cultures including by utilizing interpreters. 
• Intern will acquire knowledge of programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants. 
• Intern will learn how to effectively create resumes and job search for clients. 
• Intern will gain skills in strategic research and outreach strategies. 
• Intern will learn reporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.