Arena’s mission is to convene, train, and support the next generation of progressive leadership. Over the last two years, we’ve done that through a combination of national summits, strategic support to candidates, and most recently, by expanding our work to include campaign staff training.
Already this year we’ve trained nearly 500 people committed to working full-time on a 2020 race. Those who graduate from our Arena Academies are majority women and people of color, and represent more than 35 states across the country.
We’re so proud of what we’ve been able to do so far (and will continue to do) this year. But if we really want to improve the way campaigns are run, we need to ensure that our trainees, and all qualified applicants, can land full-time positions on active campaigns.
To do that, we’ve created Arena Careers, a one-stop platform for job-seekers and employers to search, connect, and make change together.
Arena Careers was created out of a shared concern about the need for more diverse, trained campaign staff and the traditional hiring barriers that regularly affect job seekers and employers within the progressive community. All too often open positions aren’t accessible to all qualified candidates, and just as often, employers fall subject to urgent timelines and don’t do the work to reach beyond their existing network.
The Careers platform was built to address those challenges head on:
- Job seekers are able to create a profile, complete with their resume, photo, and special skills (like Spanish-speaking or VAN-fluent). These profiles are then searchable by employers, and are filterable by location, experience, and skills—and there are nearly 250 of them so far.
- Employers are able to post open positions in under 90 seconds. Users are then able to search those positions by type, location, and specialty. They can apply using employer instructions, directly from the Careers site.
- All users are able to use a unique networking feature that allows users to connect with one another based on areas of expertise, needs, and interests.
In short, Arena Careers is a job network customized for campaigns, with everything you need to find a job on a campaign—or your next great hire.
But Arena Careers isn’t just for job-seekers and employers. This is about building a community that will sustain the next generation of progressive campaigns and causes. Here are just some of the ways you can interact with the new site:
- Create a full profile to introduce yourself to the larger community. You can complete it with your interests, languages, and skills, and even let others know if you’re looking for a job.
- Browse through our job board—apply to the ones that look interesting, or post a job description from a campaign or an organization you work for—or just admire.
- Join a group, where you can post resources, ask questions, or just stay in touch with Arena members near you.
- Search for new connections in the Connect tab, which will grow to include skilled professionals who sign up to offer advice on everything from career changes to resume feedback, as well as on their specific expertise.
- Sign up to be a mentor and lift up the next generation of progressive staffers.
Join Arena Careers now at app.arena.run—and then help us spread the word about this new platform.