5 career resources you may not know about

Harvard Extension School has great career resources for students, whether you are a degree candidate or simply taking a course for pleasure. Maureen Worth, a special projects associate in Academic and Student Services shares a few of the career services here.

1. Career counseling

Linda Spencer talking with a student

The Extension School offers career counseling for all registered students. Linda Spencer, assistant director of the Office of Career Services (OCS), holds drop-in counseling hours. You can get advice and constructive tips on searching for jobs, cover letters, resumes, or any other career-related inquiry. Appointments are about 15 minutes long and are available Mondays from 1 to 4 pm, September 12 through May 7. For distance students, Linda can have an audio-only meeting with you via Skype. You can call the undergraduate office at (617) 495-9413 or stop by the office (located at 51 Brattle Street, Room 501) to book an appointment.

If you’re a degree candidate or alumna or alumnus, you can make an appointment with Linda for 30 minutes, and she can help you explore your career options even further. Degree candidates and alumni can make appointments with Linda through Crimson Careers.

2. Workshops

The Career and Academic Resource Center (CARC) offers workshops, many of which focus on job searching, interview skills, networking, writing your resume, and specific career panels. Some of the workshops are held on campus, but many are also available as webinars.

There are also career guides available on the CARC’s Career Services webpage. “The guides are a great resource to use in tandem with the respective workshop,” said Worth. If there’s a career workshop you would like to see that is not already offered, contact Sarah McNeeley (smcneeley@fas.harvard.edu), our career events and employer relations manager at the OCS.

3. Reference library

The Grossman Library  houses over 400 CARC texts, many focusing on the job search process and various careers. The books and guides do not circulate, but you are welcome to copy pages that you find useful. The books are regularly updated and are a great resource if you want to explore a career option further.

4. Harvard Extension Student Association (HESA)

HESA can be a great resource for networking and staying up to date on the Extension and Harvard communities. Worth says, “HESA students are more likely to be in the know about how you can connect to the Harvard community. The president is also making it very accessible to distance students.” Along with networking, HESA also has various student clubs like the Harvard Extension Business Society and the Harvard Extension Environmental Club.

5. Spring Employer Networking Night (degree candidates only)

On March 29 at 5 pm degree candidates can network with employers across an array of industries, and learn about internship and job opportunities. If you are a degree candidate bring your resume and be ready to network. Another great job search resource for degree candidates is the OCS-DCE listserv.

Whether you’re a registered student, alumna or alumnus, or a degree candidate at the Extension School there are plenty of helpful tools accessible to you to aid your career search. “Our career services offerings, as well as our relationship with the Harvard OCS, has greatly expanded over the past 5 years, and indeed continues to expand each academic year,” says Worth.

Be sure to check out all the career resources available. You can e-mail carc@dcemail.harvard.edu with any questions about the services.