“It’s okay if things don’t turn out exactly the way you expect... and as I grew throughout my time at Wellesley, I discovered that I also wanted to gain experience in more people-oriented clinical roles.”

Job Shadowing

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

What better way to learn about a particular career path, industry, company, or role than experiencing it yourself? If you want to learn more about a specific path before committing to an internship or job, consider “shadowing” an individual who currently works in the field as a way to experience a typical workday in that career.

How to Use a Career Fair as an Exploration Opportunity

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

Career fairs are a great opportunity to explore and learn more about professional paths and opportunities and to practice networking. By attending a career fair, you’re able to speak with representatives from multiple organizations during one event. In your conversations, you will be able to learn about each organization — its values, work culture...etc. — and the types of opportunities they typically hire for.

Leading with Empathy: A Guide for Mentors and Mentees

Heidi
Heidi Johnson

This guide is an overview for approaching the mentorship relationship with care.

Make the Most of Your Internship

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

Prepare to make the most of your experience using these tips for before, during, and after your internship.

20+ Questions to Jump-start Your Career Exploration

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

In this resource, you will find questions meant to prompt your career exploration. Take time to reflect on each question as a strong understanding of oneself will be essential in order to effectively navigate the twists and turns of your unique career path. Get to know your values, personality type, strengths and interests. These all deeply inform your satisfaction with career choice.

Thinking of Study Abroad?

Wellesley Career Education logo
Wellesley Career Education

This resource was co-authored by Wellesley Career Education and the Wellesley Office of International Study.

While it is easy to see the academic benefits of study abroad, it is also important to identify its career benefits. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has a list of competencies that contribute to the career readiness of today’s college graduates. Global/intercultural fluency was one of the marketable competencies on the list. Furthermore, in a NACE survey, employers identified their top four competencies: critical thinking/problem solving, professionalism/work ethic, teamwork, and communications skills. The great news is that you could develop all of these skills as part of your study abroad experience.

Crafting Your Pitch

Wellesley Career Education logo
Wellesley Career Education

A pitch is brief — think 30 seconds — and gives a quick glimpse into your background, highlights your strengths and value, clearly outlines your goals and serves to develop a relationship with your audience. A pitch sums up your unique promise of value and gives the audience a clear understanding of your motivations and goals.

Finding an Internship

Lorraine
Lorraine Hanley ’98

While the College supports hundreds of students through our funded internship programs, the opportunities to intern around the world are endless. We understand it can be overwhelming to get started, so here are a few ideas to jumpstart your search.

Making the Most of a Virtual Internship or Project

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

Virtual internships and projects — experiences for which all of the work is done online from a remote location (e.g., your home) instead of on-site at the workplace - come with their own benefits (no commute!) and their own challenges (how to get to know colleagues?). This document will help you to identify and strategize for some of the benefits and challenges of a virtual experience in advance, so you’ll be ready to make the most of your summer experience.

Assess Yourself: What Are You Bringing on Your Career Journey?

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

Where do you begin when you don’t know where to begin with your career path? What are new opportunities you could explore once you find a field that fascinates you? How do you prioritize which experiences to pursue when there are a few, several, or many options that interest you?

Informational Interviews

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

Informational interviews are a common way to gather information about various careers by speaking with professionals in the field. Through informational interviews, your can explore career paths and job opportunities, as well as gain advice and insight into career industries and companies.

How to Conduct Career Research

ACE
Advisors for Career Exploration

Regardless of where you are in your career — whether you are unsure where to begin or you are preparing for a final round interview — conducting research can help you learn more about and prepare for potential career opportunities. There are many ways to gather information when you’re in the beginning stages of exploring your options, including career research and networking. In this resource, you’ll find ideas and general resources to get started.

“It was when I participated in an Alternative Break over the winter that I realized I needed to bring my passion for service back to campus.”