Alumni SwatWorks: Funded Micro-Internships

SwatWorks's Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. These projects enable Swarthmore students to demonstrate skills, explore career paths, and build their networks, as they are mentored by Swarthmore alumni and parents. Unlike traditional internships, Micro-Internships will be funded through micro-grants offered by Career Services at three increments:

$150 for a 10-hour project
$300 for a 20-hour project
$600 for a 40-hour project
If you are able to provide a project beyond the scope of the SwatWorks grant please click here to learn more.

This year's SwatWorks will take place primarily over Winter Break (see timeline below). Please be thoughtful of your available time to mentor current students; eligible class years include 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027, so please be sure to select students in these class years.

Also please understand that in order to support as many alumni as possible, we can fund 1 project up to 40 hours. Multiple smaller projects can be completed for one organization so long as the total number of hours does not exceed 40 hours. For example, you can host two SwatWorks students for 20 hours each. If your project will continue, your organization may work with Parker Dewey to fund the opportunity.

To view sample projects or post your own project, click on the links below based on how long you think the project will take. If you have questions about the SwatWorks program, you can complete the form at the bottom of this page, and a member of the Parker Dewey team will reach out to you to help. To reach the Swarthmore Career Services team, please contact swatworks@swarthmore.edu.

Micro-Internship Templates

Click on the links below to see Micro-Internship templates that you can customize before posting. If you have questions or need help, complete the form above, and a member of the Parker Dewey team will reach out to you.

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Timeline

Mid-October

Post your project via Parker Dewey.

Early November

Micro-Internships will begin to be promoted to Swarthmore students. Students can be selected for Micro-Internships at any time.

Mid-December through Mid-January

Students are on Winter Break. Those selected for Micro-Internships can complete their project.

January 22, 2024

First day of Spring classes and all Micro-Internships must be completed. Students paid by Parker Dewey.

SwatWorks Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. These projects enable Swarthmore students to demonstrate skills, explore career paths, and build their networks, as they are mentored by Swarthmore alumni and parents.

Swarthmore students have an amazing array of skills and talents and are eager to gain experience. Please consider any short-term REMOTE projects needed by any organization with which you’re affiliated.

Frequently Asked Questions

SwatWorks Micro-Internships are funded by Swarthmore Career Services. You will not receive an invoice for this project.

If you are posting a customized Micro-Internship, please input the number of hours you expect your project to take (10, 20 or 40 hours) and $600 for the project's cost. This price will be adjusted once the project has been reviewed to meet the program's guidelines.

In short, it’s easy as Parker Dewey handles it all. No HR burdens. No questions about ownership or worries about confidentiality/liability.

Employment: Micro-Interns are not your employees, contractors, interns, temps, or freelancers. Similar to working with a consulting firm or any other service provider, you are engaging Parker Dewey LLC to complete the assignment, and the student you select is a contractor or employee of Parker Dewey.
Liability: Parker Dewey assumes all liability. Not happy with the work product? We’ll work with you and the Swarthmore team to determine next steps.
Work Product: All work product is owned by you.
Confidentiality: While most projects involve public-facing information of a non-sensitive nature, both Parker Dewey and all Career Launchers sign strict NDAs to protect your information. In addition to the standard provisions, the students understand that they are risking their academic transcript or expulsion for any violation of confidentiality.
Background Checks: Given the short-term nature and structure of these assignments, we do not conduct background checks. While companies are always welcome to conduct a background check directly, the nature of the specific assignments and lack of a direct relationship with the individual who is selected has caused most organizations to defer the background check until after a Micro-Internship is completed and a student is offered a traditional internship or full-time role.

While Micro-Internships can be either on-site or virtual, depending on the requirements of the project, SwatWorks Micro-Internships should all be remote opportunities. This makes the opportunity more flexible and accessible both to you and the student.

Once you post your project, Swarthmore students will apply if they are interested. You will receive an email each day that your project receives at least one application.

To select a student:

Log back into the Parker Dewey platform by clicking this link. If you do not remember your password, click on "Forgot password? Reset it" button.
Once you log in, click on Details underneath your project. Then select View Applicants.
Click Details next to each student to read more about each student's background and his/her answers to your application question(s).
Once you have made your selection, you can select Approve Applicant for This Project. If you want to send your student a message you can click Send Them a Message! to set up a time to do an interview or ask the student for more information.

If you have any questions about this, please reach out to SwatWorks@parkerdewey.com.

When you select a student, both you and the student will receive an email with each other's contact information so that you can schedule a time to meet and kickoff the project.

During this on-boarding meeting, you can discuss the following:

Communication: Mentors and Students should initiate contact after the Mentor chooses the Student for their project. They should confirm that their ongoing communication will be via email, phone, Zoom/Skype etc. A plan for communication about the project will be agreed upon by both.
Define Project and Expectations: The mentor will define the project, specifying the duration of the project. The student will confirm they understand the necessary tasks and action steps.
Set Check-Ins: The mentor and student will communicate to discuss questions or challenges of the project. Mentor and student will mutually agree upon frequency/schedule of check-ins.
Review: The mentor will review the project upon completion and offer feedback to the student.

We'll also send you additional resources via email so that your project goes as smoothly as possible including the contact information for a member of the Parker Dewey Client Success Team. You can reach out to that individual at any time if you need help with your project.

If you have any additional questions, please reach out to SwatWorks@parkerdewey.com.