We support undergraduate and graduate students of all years and interests to explore and prepare for careers they find personally meaningful.
Career development is an ongoing process, and everyone’s path is different. We can help you:
- Discover your interests, skills and values
- Explore options
- Build experience and skills
- Identify and apply for opportunities that interest you
This fall, we're offering advising and programs both in person and virtually. The Center for Career Development is located at 36 University Place, Suite 200 (above the U-Store).
Advising
Advisers can help you talk through your questions, figure out what interests you and how to start putting together a personalized plan.
In-person and virtual appointments for undergraduate and graduate students are available year-round — even during academic breaks.
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What happens in a career advising appointment?
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Advising sessions are casual conversations. Whether you have a topic in mind or if you’re not sure where to start, meeting with an adviser is a good next step.
You do not have to have anything figured out before an advising appointment. Advisers can help you talk through your questions, figure out what interests you and how to start putting together a personalized plan.
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What are common appointment topics for graduate students?
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Common topics for graduate students include:
- Getting started with career development
- Exploring career options for Ph.D.'s
- Networking (e.g., how to talk with alumni about their careers)
- Creating and revising CVs, resumes and cover letters
- Preparing for interviews
- Refining communications and networking skills
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What are common appointment topics for undergrads?
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Common topics for undergraduates include:
- Career exploration
- Networking (e.g., how to talk with alumni about their careers)
- Internship, job and fellowship search strategies
- Interview preparation
- Resume, cover letter, personal statement reviews
- Graduate school plans and developing applications
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How do I meet with a career adviser?
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You can schedule an appointment using Handshake, or come to drop-in advising for undergraduates.
Appointments will be conducted in-person or by Zoom. If you can't find an appointment please email [email protected] for help scheduling one.
Advising appointments
We offer in-person and virtual advising for undergraduate and graduate students to help them reflect on their values and strengths, pursue opportunities that match their unique interests and design personalized plans to achieve their goals.
Drop-in advising
Drop-ins are 15-minute, in-person advising sessions for undergraduates that do not require an appointment.
Drop-ins are held daily when classes are in session (Monday-Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 12-4 p.m. on Fridays).
Resources for Common Topics
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If you're looking for inspiration...
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- CareerExplorer and other career assessments (discover about your interests)
- Career Fields (explore multiple career fields, find related resources and events, and learn from alumni career paths)
- Career Chats (casual conversations with alumni, offering insight into different career paths and to help you start to develop your own network)
- Ph.D. Transferable Skills Self-Assessment
- Next Steps (post-graduation plans of outgoing seniors, profiles of alumni who pursued law school and employers that offered international graduate students OPT and CPT between 2018-2020)
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If you're looking to put a plan together...
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If you are actively searching for internships or jobs...
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- Handshake and CareerShift job and internship postings
- A list of Princeton internships and post-graduate fellowships
- Learning and Education through Service (funded social impact and service summer internships)
- Internship and full-time recruiting timelines
- Postings of the Week (curated internships, jobs and related upcoming events across a wide range of career fields)
- Campus Recruiting Program
- Opportunities to meet employers (including information sessions, coffee chats and career fairs)
- Networking guides
- A list of 500 companies in Handshake currently hiring students
- Job Search Resources for International Students
- Rotational Programs
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If you are making connections with alumni and others...
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- Five-Step Guide to Networking
- Informational Interviews
- Tools to Connect with Alumni
- Developing Your Elevator Pitch (How to answer "Tell me about yourself")
- LinkedIn Tips and Resources
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If you're preparing to apply or interview...
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- Resume Guide (undergraduates)
- Cover Letter Guide (undergraduates)
- CV vs. Resume Guide and Transforming Your CV to a Resume Guide (graduate students)
- Cover Letter Guide for Careers Beyond Academia (graduate students)
- Interview Guide
- Case Interview Preparation
- Techical Interview Preparation
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If you're thinking about graduate, law or med school...
Campus Recruiting Program
Students have the opportunity to attend information sessions, employer-led career education programs and interviews for internships and full-time positions without leaving campus.
While hiring takes place throughout the year, it's common for certain industries to have specified recruiting periods.
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What is recruiting?
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Recruiting is when an employer seeks out prospective hires for open positions with their organization. This process involves sourcing, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding of strong candidates.
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What is the Campus Recruiting Program?
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The Campus Recruiting program features organizations who work with Princeton in a variety of ways from sharing opportunities to actively recruiting students at campus events and career fairs.
Employers will host events throughout the summer and academic year and post internships and jobs in Handshake.
The largest recruiting events of the year for jobs and internships are the HireTigers Career Fairs in the fall and spring.
Campus Recruiting is just one of the many options for students. The Center for Career Development also helps students pursue internships and jobs in many other ways.
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Who can participate?
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The Campus Recruiting program is open to all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students.
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How should I get started?
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Make an appointment to meet with one of our career advisers. Advising sessions are casual conversations, you do not need anything prepared. Advisers can explain the recruiting process and help you start to put a personalized plan together.
Before attending employer events and applying for jobs or internships, please read our Community Standards for Recruiting for policies and procedures. Please note that to be considered for an interview, you have to apply to its respective position through Handshake and be selected by the employer.
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How do I find information sessions and internship/job postings that are part of the campus recruiting program?
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Information sessions, coffee chats and internship/job postings that are part of the recruiting program will be regularly added to Handshake as they are scheduled. Check back often.
Handshake also has thousands of internship and job postings open to Princeton students in addition to opportunities that are part of the campus recruiting program.
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I'm interested in exploring options outside of the Campus Recruiting Program. What options are there?
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Campus Recruiting is just one of the many ways we help students to learn about career options and pursue opportunities.
Not all organizations or industries participate in campus recruiting, and some often post positions and hire closer to start dates than many organizations that come to campus in the fall. Here are a few resources that have opportunities in multiple fields:
- Handshake (There are thousands of internship and full-time positions that aren't part of the campus recruiting program)
- CareerShift
- Postings of the Week
- Jobs and internships from alumni
You can also schedule an appointment with a career adviser to start to put a plan together to explore options that interest you.
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How do I get some assistance in coming up with a plan, understanding what opportunities are out there and how to pursue them?
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Read our Campus Recruiting Program and Community Standards for Recruiting pages for more information.
Not all types of employers recruit at the same time. Learn more about common recruiting timelines by career field for internships and jobs.
If you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected] or schedule an appointment with a career adviser in Handshake.
Employer Events
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Programs and Workshops
We're offering in-person and virtual events for undergraduate and graduate students. More information and the Zoom links are available in Handshake.
Students on Leave
The Center for Career Development can provide students with advice about possible career advancement and potential opportunities during their time away from Princeton.
During leave, students can continue to access Handshake to find job and internship postings and register for workshops. Students can also use Handshake to schedule advising appointments, but should keep in mind that enrolled students will receive priority for appointments, and students on leave may have a longer wait to meet with an adviser.
Please note that there are opportunities that may not be available to students on leave. For specific questions, check with a Center for Career Development adviser.