As I walked across campus this morning, it was evident that the hustle and bustle of the new year is upon us. I always love the energy of new beginnings at the start of a semester. The Career Services team has been busy preparing for the new academic year and we look forward to getting to know you in the coming months. Given that many career activities happen early in the semester, I wanted to share a few highlights below. Details can be found on Handshake, the main Career Services platform.
Career Fairs: Our first career fair, CareerLink, will take place on Friday, September 5th. This is our broadest career fair of the semester in terms of industries with employers spanning both business and nonprofits. Other fairs this semester include our Engineering and Technology Career Days, Virtual All Industries Career Fair, Biosciences Career Fair, and Nursing Career Day. Penn students can also participate in the Virtual Government and Nonprofit Career Fair coordinated with several partner schools.
“Penn Only” Employer Information Sessions: This is your opportunity to connect with employers visiting Penn! Some of the employers scheduled for the first few weeks of the semester include the Penn Office of Investments, Bessemer Venture Partners, A&M’s Consumer Retail Group, Pepsico, Bloomingdales, and Bates White Economic Consulting. To view the “Penn Only” sessions, click on the Events tab in Handshake and enter “Penn Only” in the Label box under “More Filters.” There are hundreds of additional virtual multi-school employer information sessions offered on Handshake.
Career Workshops: Our staff is also busy planning career workshops for the coming weeks. The Career Kickoff livestream event takes place on August 21st, the Sophomore Career Services Orientation on August 27th, a Resume Lab on September 3 and our Ace the Interview Career Prep Series will start on September 4th. A Writing Your Law School Personal Statement workshop is coming up on September 10th. There are many additional workshops which can be found on the Events tab in Handshake.
Advising: Our career and graduate and professional school advisors can help you think broadly about your career options or assist you with specific activities like creating a resume, preparing for an interview, or writing a personal statement for your graduate school application. You can schedule a virtual or in-person appointment with an advisor on Handshake through the “Career Center” link. (Please note that advising demand is typically very high at the start of each semester. If you can’t find an available appointment when you check, try logging in again at the beginning of the next week as appointments are added on a regular basis.)
Here’s to a great start to a great semester!
