Recruiting @ Harvard

The Center for Public Interest Careers (CPIC) recruits outstanding Harvard College students and recent grads to pursue public interest work.  CPIC builds partnerships with a wide range of public service organizations, both domestically and internationally.  Organizations can work with CPIC in several ways, from organizing volunteer assignments during Harvard's Winter Break to hiring summer interns and post-graduate year-long fellows.  CPIC provides a wide range of professional development resources to program participants throughout their volunteer or work experiences.  

Click on the following links to learn more about how you can recruit through the CPIC program at Harvard:

Why CPIC?

CPIC is the link between Harvard College students and recent graduates and nonprofit organizations across the United States. Nearly 60 percent of Harvard seniors engage in public service at some point during their time in college, and there is growing interest among the student body to continue their public service pursuits following graduation or during the summer. During the past academic year, over 400 students applied for the CPIC summer and post-graduate fellowships, exemplifying the need that CPIC is meeting at Harvard.

Each CPIC post-graduate and summer fellowship participant is matched up with an alumnus/a mentor and will meet with him or her during the course of the fellowship experience. In addition, CPIC fellows participate in a structured programming that aims to enhance their understanding of the nonprofit sector.

Why do host organizations participate?

Host organizations receive multiple benefits from their participation in the CPIC Post-Graduate and Summer Fellowship Programs including:

  • Skilled applicants - Organizations access an exceptional applicant pool with: strong writing, analytical, and research skills; a responsible work ethic; creativity; teamwork skills; and the ability to meet deadlines.
  • Commitment - Students who apply to the CPIC program self-select for commitment to public interest work.
  • Screening - CPIC narrows the applicant pool to candidates who specifically match the host organization's stated needs; the host organization then interviews and chooses among the selected candidates.
  • Legacy and community - CPIC offers the host organization the chance to introduce talented newcomers to the public interest community. Additionally, CPIC mentors and the network of Harvard alumni/ae in the public sector provide fellows with valuable skills that they can contribute back to their respective communities.

 

Expectations for host organizations

CPIC seeks to collaborate with host organizations to provide interns and fellows with high quality educational experiences in the public interest sector. Host Organizations are expected to provide fellows and interns with substantive work assignments and direct supervision on projects.

CPIC will not exclude an organization based on its mission, politics, or religious affiliation, providing that it:

  • Is a nonprofit organization or a for-profit organization with an explicit commitment to the public interest,
  • Submits a completed Position Description Form with supporting materials