CareerShift is a job and internship search tool that aggregates opportunities from multiple sources and provides contact information for alumni and other professionals. To access CareerShift, follow these steps:

• Visit the Princeton CareerShift homepage.
• Create an account using your Princeton email address and password. CareerShift is free for all Princeton students and alumni.

When log in for the first time, you can view a tutorial video on your Dashboard.

How can do I search for jobs or internships on CareerShift

Click Jobs on the left side of your screen and then click Search. Enable the Search by Area and Advanced Search options.

 

When searching, use quotation marks around the entire phrase (e.g. "product management"). Include the words "and" "not" and "or" between keywords to refine your search. For example, if you are searching for jobs in the healthcare industry but not in direct care roles, you could search: healthcare not nursing. Doctoral students can search using "PhD and (academic area of interest)" to find postings in both industry and academia for doctoral-level candidates. 

You can specify a location in the Area Criteria section. CareerShift defaults to the United States but you can select many international locations.

 

In the Advanced Criteria section, you can select your search preferences in the Job Type (Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Temporary, Contract) and Experience Level (Entry Level, Mid Level, or Senior Level) categories. For graduating seniors, selecting Entry Level under Experience will provide the most relevant results. 

Select 15-30 Days in the Published Within drop-down menu to find postings that are likely to still be open. 

International students can use the H1-B Visa Sponsorship filter to view postings that indicate organizations’ willingness to sponsor visa holders.

 

You can apply to postings immediately or save postings in CareerShift to apply at another time. Saved postings will be stored in the Manage page under the Jobs section. 

Once you find a posting of interest and organize your application materials, follow the guidelines stated in the job description to submit your application.

You can also begin networking with people in the organization by clicking the Find Contacts option in the posting.

 

You can save searches and sign up to receive alerts when new jobs related to that search are available.

 

How can I use CareerShift to find remote opportunities

A list of companies and their updated hiring status is available on the Dashboard. 

If you are interested in virtual job or internship opportunities, click the Search Remote and Work From Home Jobs option under Area Criteria.

 

How can I use CareerShift for networking?

Networking is an important component of an effective job or internship search. You can use CareerShift to find people’s contact information. Networking outreach can be done before you apply to a particular organization or around the same time you submit an application.

After you apply to an organization, enter the organization’s name and location into the Contacts search to find people who work there. Try to identify a contact related to the position you’re applying to or within the human resources department. You can do this by turning on the By Position search function and entering keywords like: human resources, talent management/acquisition, recruiter or the team/division name related to your application.

 

Check if any Princeton alumni work at companies of interest to you. You can easily find alumni contact information through CareerShift by entering Princeton University in the School Attended search bar, along with the company name and location.

Once you conduct a Contacts search, CareerShift provides you with a list of names, job titles, companies/organizations and professional email addresses. Similar to jobs, you can save individual contacts or searches.

 

Once you have identified a contact, it is time to compose your outreach email. The content of this email should include the following elements:

• Introduce yourself
• Bring to their attention particular skills, experiences and interests of yours that relate to the work they do
• Express your interest in their company or their career field
• Ask to connect for an informational interview or to discuss opportunities for you to contribute to their organization’s mission/work 

If you have already applied for a job at their organization, or would hope to be considered for one in the future, be sure to attach your resume to the email. See our Networking Guide for examples of outreach emails.

What are other features of CareerShift?

• Companies Search: This tool will help you discover companies in industries and locations that interest you. Familiarize yourself with the industry list since CareerShift may categorize certain industries in ways that you may not expect. This search tool functions similarly to the Jobs and Contacts searches.
• Documents: You can save resumes and cover letters in this folder for easy access when applying to jobs or reaching out to new contacts.
• Campaigns: The system will use mail merge to send email messages to your Contacts list.
• Folders: You can create and name your own folders to organize your search in ways that work best for you.