Public Health Careers Peer Coach Intern

The School of Public Health (SPH) invites applications for one peer coaching position within the Careers Office, housed within the Office of Student Affairs (OSA). We are hiring a graduate peer coach with a Fall 2025 start. The Careers Office is a team of 4 full-time professionals that are focused on supporting the career journeys of our graduate and undergraduate students. 
 

Through this position, you will have the opportunity to engage with the SPH undergraduate and graduate students through one on one coaching, group facilitation, and much more. We are seeking  students who are excited about engaging with students and supporting their career journeys in one-on-one and group settings. Peer coaches will help students curate materials like resumes and cover letters and help them feel confident and prepared for processes like interviews. A comprehensive onboarding will be provided on these topics and our methodology of coaching. 
 

This position will be hybrid, with the intern being able to work 40% of their shifts virtually, and 60%  in-person in our office at SPH 1 Suite 1700. The position will require 10-12 hours of work per week, with compensation at $18 per hour. The position will be for the academic year Fall 2025 - Winter 2026 with possible extension. You will be joining a team of two other peer coaches and a data intern. 
 

Responsibilities

60% - Coaching

• Coach students one-on-one in 30 min, and 45 min scheduled appointments on topics like resume, cover letter, and interview preparation 

• Coach students and offer support during our drop in services - (it is imperative for you to be available for one or both of these sessions): 

  • Careers Community Workspace Hours: 1-4pm every Wednesday  (In-person) 

  • Virtual Drop in Hours: 2-4pm every Friday (Zoom)

• Provide feedback through resume reviews 

• Provide group facilitation, presentations, and organizational support for the Career Peer Action Circles (job search peer support groups) focused on specific career industries and specific identity groups 

20% - Specialized area 

• All Peer Coaching interns will have the opportunity to specialize in an area of the SPH Careers Office. 

• We aim to have our incoming peer coach specialize in Event Management and Support 

  • Event Management and Support 

    • Develop marketing strategies and engaging methods to connect with SPH students on attending our Careers events 

    • Supporting the Careers team in our representation and participation in school wide events like Alumni Networking Night and Graduation Kick off 

    • Assist with workshop planning and facilitation 

    • Participate in Career Fair planning meetings and support 

    • Assist with student organization workshop logistics and facilitation 

    • Other event duties as assigned and meet peer coach interests 

15% Inbox and Job postings support 

• All interns are expected to help maintain the SPH Jobs inbox, including posting new internships and jobs to the SPH Careers Gateway 

5% Professional development and support

• In depth onboarding process at start of school year, including in person orientation and training a week before school starts 

• Participate in weekly coaching topics reviews & check-ins

• Participate in biweekly 1:1 meetings with your direct supervisor 

• Participate in 2-3 professional development sessions with the intern team each semester 

• Participate in biweekly intern update meetings with full SPH Careers staff 

• Participate in once a semester celebration events with full SPH Careers Team staff 

Review Process

After the application closes on January 27th, our Career Services staff will review resumes and cover letters and evaluate them according to the “skills & strengths we are seeking” listed above. We will then contact candidates for zoom interviews conducted February 5th-12th. Our interview questions will be based on evaluating candidates’ experience and interests regarding the “skills & strengths we are seeking” listed above. We will provide the interview questions in advance of the interview and provide guidance on how to prepare for interviews. We will make every effort to notify all candidates of a hiring decision by February 24th. 

Questions & Information Session 

For questions or support regarding this position or to ask for accommodations regarding the hiring process, please reach out to us at sph.jobs@umich.edu. 

We will be offering a virtual information session where you can meet our SPH careers team, learn about this role, and gain application tips on Friday, January 17th from 12-1:00pm EST. RSVP here. If you are unable to attend, you can contact us at sph.jobs@umich.edu to ask for the recording.

Skills & Strengths We are Seeking

We are seeking an intern with experience and interests in the  following skills and strengths. During our hiring process, we will be evaluating materials and asking interview questions based on candidates demonstrating their interest and experience in these areas. Again, please note that we will provide comprehensive training and support regarding career coaching.

• Engagement with students

  • Ability to create a friendly, welcoming environment 

  • Student engagement experience in one on one, small group, or large group settings

• Project management

  • Contribute to and provide leadership in large scale and small scale projects Ability to manage multiple projects with different timelines

  • Maintain consistent communication with team members and stakeholders on project progress and shifting timelines 

• Time management

  • Ability to follow through with large and small elements of project deliverables

  • Ability to complete projects on time, meet deadlines, and be well-organized with multiple deadlines 

• Presentation skills

  • Ability to present to large and small groups of students 

  • Ability to facilitate discussions, field questions, and present resource overviews to student audiences 

  • Ability to tailor content to a variety of audiences  

• Communication

  • Follow up with students after appointments in a timely and succinct manner 

  • Prepare content and notes for student meetings 

  • Enter notes into internal system to track student coaching appointments and progress 

• Demonstrated commitment to DEI in engagement work 

• Pursuing a University of Michigan School of Public Health degree of any major

Required Materials: Resume and Cover Letter

The resume provides an overview of your previous or present experiences (part-time jobs, leadership activities, course projects, etc.) that are relevant to the position skills (see below). For resume support, you can review our Resume Structure Worksheet and Writing Resume Bullets Worksheet. 
 

The cover letter provides an opportunity for you to share about your specific interest in the position and share details about how you have engaged in work that is relevant to this position. Your cover letter should be no more than 1 page and included in one document with your resume. For cover letter support, you can review our Cover Letter Structure Worksheet and our Cover Letter Content Worksheet. We recommend the following structure for your cover letter: 

Addressed to Dr. Ari Renda, the Associate Director of SPH Careers 

Paragraph 1: Include the following - 

• Your specific interest in the Peer Coaching role

  • Why  are you interested in supporting students in their career journeys through coaching, group facilitation, or resume reviews? 

• Your interest in working at the School of Public Health Careers Office  

  • Why do you want to work at an office focused on public health careers? What student career needs do you want to address?  

• Your Investment in learning and growth mindset 

  • Being a careers peer coach will involve participating in training so that you can support students - we don’t expect you to already know how to offer career coaching support! Please share 1-2 sentences about your commitment to learn and develop in this role.  

Paragraphs 2-3: Include the following - 

• Examples of when you have engaged with students in 1:1 and group settings through leadership roles, peer mentoring or advising, or jobs. 

• Examples of when you have used project management & time management skills such as in course projects, jobs, research, or leadership activities. 

Paragraph 4: Include the following - 

• Your interest in sharing career resources and support with students. 

  • Share your ideas on how peer coaches can connect with students or how to get our students out to connect with our services or share how you would approach connecting with students in a creative way