I closed the survey on May 1. I had 150 responses to the 6 questions that I posed. Because I randomly shared and promoted the survey, it would impossible to conclude much from the potential survey takers. It is likely that 1,000+ individuals where asked to take the survey.
But of those who did answer, here are some preliminary results and my initial thoughts.
- getting hired with little or no experience
- reentering the workforce after a period of time
- finding paid vs. volunteer work
- being crowded out by lawyers and judges (referring to mediation)
Conclusion: Getting experience is a perennial problem in our field. To solve it, are educators doing a good enough job in providing students with experiential and applied opportunities before they leave school?
Q3: What is your age?
Nearly 50% of the responders are between 23-35.
Conclusion: Those looking to go into the field are younger, and are early in their careers.
- mentorship opportunities (formal and informal)
- networking opportunities
- job databases and listings (via website or email) that are accessible and relate to our field
- support groups
Conclusion: Job searchers are looking for personal interaction and relationship building. Do many of them feel isolated? Are “online” communities sufficient for them?
Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to dig deeper into this data. If you are attending either the Peace and Justice Studies meeting (Philadelphia, 9/27-30) or the Association for Conflict Resolution meeting (Pittsburgh, 10/3-6), I plan on sharing my data as part of conference presentations on career awareness.
In meantime, reach out to me if you have questions are want to offer insights.
David J. Smith Consulting, LLC 