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EXPLORE Program Goals

EXPLORE ILR Careers offers terrific opportunities for employers to support ILR students' career interests while increasing their brand presence on campus. Through these programs ILR students can expect to:

  • Engage with alumni or organizations invested in ILRies   
  • eXamine potential career paths  
  • Participate in the workplace up close and personal  
  • Learn to apply their academic courses in practical work settings 
  • Observe the day-to-day activities of sponsors and organizations 
  • Reflect on their experiences and how they relate to career interests  
  • Enhance their understanding of particular organizations or career fields

The Field Shadowing Program is designed primarily for first-year undergraduate ILR students (freshmen and transfer students). It is a one-day shadowing program that provides an invaluable opportunity for participants to explore diverse ILR-related career fields, gain firsthand work exposure, and network with alumni/sponsors.

        Why offer a shadowing experience?   

  • Connect with talented young adults and influence their career decisions.  
  • Provide students with early exposure to different career fields that aids in determining the interests and skills they would like to continue to pursue.  

Career Exploration Project is designed specifically for sophomores, juniors, seniors, and first-year MILRs. Opportunities typically last two to three weeks and are intended for participants to explore a particular industry to develop on-the-job experience through a short-term assignment with a project sponsor.

     Why Participate? Get that project off your desk!  

  • Students may start or finish a project for you, or complete a short-term project.  
  • Students offer a fresh perspective on assignments while exploring a potential career field.   

     Supervisor role: Students should be assigned a manager or point person who will serve as their supervisor for the given project and timeframe. The supervisor can serve to ensure the project goals are being met while providing guidance and mentorship to the student.   

     Examples of assignments include:

  • Benchmark best practices across industry
  • Reconfiguration or management of database
  • Data clean-up and analysis to drive decision-making
  • Support recruitment efforts for select business units
  • Management of website and social media for brand presence
  • Collection, analysis, summary and report of critical information and trends

How to Sponsor

We are seeking both in person and virtual opportinities for our students. You will be given the option to select the means of completion in the sponsor registration form. To Sponsor Shadowing Experiences or Career Exploration Projects for current ILRies:

  • Complete the online form to submit an opportunity by November 8, 2024
    • You will be asked which type of experience you would like to sponsor. (Select one, or both.)
    • You will be asked to identify dates of the experience(s), number of students who can register, Contact information for sponsor, and details of the experience. 

For more details about the program, please contact ilrocsEXPLORE@cornell.edu. We are happy to talk you through the process or answer any questions you have. 

Important Dates

September 1, 2024: Sponsor Registration Opens

September 10, 2024: Student Registration Opens

October 22, 2024: Sponsor Success Workshop: Building a Successful EXPLORE Experience

  • Join us for a workshop designed for new and returning sponsors to learn how to effectively facilitate a Field Shadowing Experience (FSP) or Career Exploration Project (CEP). We’ll cover sample agendas, best practices, and offer insights from student feedback. There will also be time for questions about student perspectives and ILR’s Explore program. By the end, you’ll leave with a framework to enhance students’ learning experiences.

November 1, 2024: Last day for students to register for Lottery

November 8, 2024:  LAST Day for Sponsors to Register/ Post an experience (for Field Shadowing Opportunities and Career Exploration Projects)

Mid-November- Students select experiences through Lottery process

November 15th - December 2nd- Students will begin contacting Sponsors to finalize details

December 23, 2024- January 18, 2025- Students Complete the Experience