The mission of Dress for Success is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help them thrive in work and in life.
Dress for Success Austin has had some great interns already from the Bridging Disciplines Program and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed hosting them.
When you intern with us, you will truly receive hands-on experience with client services and because we partner with over 100 other nonprofits in central Texas, you can get to know their missions as well. It is fun seeing how the nonprofits in Austin all work together.
We know flexibility is key when you are working so hard at UT and that is exactly what we offer. Interns can work as few as four hours or as many as 16 hours per week with at least a one semester commitment.
The career opportunities are limitless with our available internships:
- Ability to meet contacts from 100+ different nonprofit or government in the Austin area.
- Ability to access 140 Dress for Success Affiliates all over the world for other internship and employment opportunities.
- Gain experience in the nonprofit arena by doing project management, event planning, client education, analysis of client data, building relationships with other nonprofits, and assist with volunteer management.
- Meet other men and women in the community who hold an array of professional positions with small businesses and large corporations.
- Gain customer service experience through interaction with clients, referral agencies, and volunteers.
- Receive a one-on-one image consult for a complete interview ensemble for your job search and assistance polishing your resume.
Internship Opportunities:
Inventory Manager
- Manage influx of donations and sort, purge, merchandize, and organize inventory at the Dress for Success Austin boutique.
- Train volunteers on inventory management.
- Manage community groups with volunteer tasks.
- Create more efficient ways of managing inventory.
- Update documents relating to inventory management including inventory lists and instructions for purging days.
- Notify staff when inventory is needed.
Job Searching Program Assistant
- Support the Job Searching Program Coordinator to organize and facilitate the program prior to, during and after each session and throughout the cohort of classes.
- Assist with preparation of each class session including arranging the room for the most conducive learning environment.
- Assist clients during the classes by being present to answer questions, help with the computers and other duties as assigned.
- After each class session, input demographic into a database.
- Keep track of each client’s file to insure all required data is complete and accurate.
- As needed and requested by Coordinator, communicate with various entities in the community to assist with arranging speakers, mentors, supplies, and educational materials as needed.
- As the close of each cohort of classes, assist the Coordinator with writing and analyzing reports.
- Be available to assist with other Dress for Success Austin programs as needed.
Client Services Assistant
- Provide front office continuity for clients.
- Greet clients and assist them with paperwork.
- Pair clients with a volunteer image consultant or volunteer career center advocate.
- Educate clients about additional Dress for Success Austin programs and services.
- Answer phones and field public inquiries.
- Build relationships with referral agencies and communicate our policies and procedures to caseworkers.
- Assist with client data analysis.
- Conduct follow-up calls to clients and determine what additional services are needed.
Community Outreach Assistant
Assist Community Outreach Coordinator with the following duties:
- Communication and education to partner agencies regarding Dress for Success Austin services and updating database with partner agency contacts.
- Attend occasional community events to represent Dress for Success Austin.
- Help coordinate events sponsored by businesses in the community and attend them as needed.
- Social media posts on all platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn.
TO APPLY: Contact Mia Johns, mia@dressforsuccessaustin.org, 512.389.3723
“I enjoyed interning with Dress for Success because I learned so much through my project. Specifically, I learned about the difficulties of finding affordable resources for Dress for Success clients. I now understand the lack of resources, especially when it comes to housing, and I have worked with other organizations since my time at Dress for Success to improve the lives of women who are struggling in Austin.” Elizabeth Warren, Bridging Disciplines Program
