Question

Hello,

I’m a new graduate student at Cornell and my partner, who moved to Ithaca with me, is looking for a job. I know that Cornell offers a variety of support for students and their partners, so does Cornell have any services or support available for graduate student partners/spouses who are looking for a job?

Thank you,

Partner of a job-seeker

Response

Dear Partner of a job-seeker,

Thank you so much for reaching out and asking your question.  The Students with Families Advisory Committee and the Graduate School understands that a big stressor for student families is employment for the partner.  As a result, we try hard to provide employment support.  Here is a brief listing of some of our initiatives to get you started…

• Please check out our website that outlines all of the employment support that we have for partners.
• While your partner just missed our session on September 27 with Tompkins Workforce, know that your partner can reach out to Tompkins Workforce New York directly (contact information is on the website).  I often tell partners that this is the organization for resume, cover letter, interviewing, employment in Tompkins County (everything but Cornell).  It is a great resource.
• We also have a dual career listserv; which is designed to inform partners about employment opportunities and some training/volunteering opportunities.  I would also encourage participation in our Facebook site as we announce related items for partners there as well (get to it through the website above).
• Your partner may want to attend a Grad Student & “Better Half” Happy Hour as this tends to be a great opportunity to network with other spouses/partners in similar situations and some (not all) of the conversation is about employment.  Our next one is Thursday, October 4 from 6:30-7:30 pm at the Big Red Barn.
• Most exciting is that we have a session called, “Information and Network Session with Cornell Human Resources”…  This will be on November 27 and is a great opportunity for partners who are interested in working at Cornell University to get in front of our HR units.  I would encourage your partner to participate in this.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Wishing you and your partner all the best!

Janna Lamey
Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life