The Career Services team is here to help students (and alumni/alumnae!) sort out their choices and make decisions that lead to productive, fulfilling lives. This page provides an overview of career-related services for Penn students. Please click on the following links for answers to specific questions we frequently get from parents.
- How Parents Can Help Their Child Thrive at Penn
- Curricular Issues, Study Abroad, Majors and Minors
- Summer / Post-graduate Employment Concerns
- Information for Students Considering Graduate or Professional School
- Pre-medical Guide for Parents
What Services Does Career Services Provide?
Career Services offers guidance on all aspects of career planning, job searching, and graduate study including the following:
- One-on-one career advising. Students can schedule appointments through our online platform, Handshake, or drop by for our walk-in hours.
- Resume and cover letter critiques.
- Mock Interviews.
- Career exploration workshops and assessments.
- Customizable job and internship board, Handshake, with approximately 200,000 listings per year.
- Employer Connections. We work with many employers each year to arrange virtual and in-person information sessions to help students learn about their organizations, as well as arrange virtual and in-person interview schedules for post-graduate positions and summer internships. We typically hold over a dozen career fairs each year across a variety of industries.
- Alumni connections: We bring alumni/alumnae to campus to participate in seminars on career fields and graduate study. Penn students also have access the MyPenn (formerly Quakernet) alumni career directory.
- Graduate and professional school advising. We assist students with the application process to graduate and professional schools, including advising on optimal application strategies and reviewing personal statements.
- Post-graduate and summer outcomes information: Career Service collects and disseminates information on the post-graduate and summer pursuits of Penn students and can give you a picture of what students from different disciplines, majors and schools have pursued.
Note that new Penn students will gain access to Career Services, including the ability to access Handshake and schedule appointments with career and pre-graduate school advisors, once their first semester has officially started.