Career Counseling

Why meet with a career counselor? 

One-on-one career counseling appointments are available to current students and alumni who are: seeking direction, considering majors, exploring internships, job searching or applying for graduate school.

You don't need to have a clear career path in mind to meet with us! We work with each student and alum on an individual basis because each person's needs are unique. Meet with a career counselor to clarify your interests, skills and values, and sometimes we use inventories as well -- like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory. Our goal is to help you  make an informed choice about where you want to start your life during and after Swarthmore. 

Once we've narrowed down some potential interests, counselors can help you with:

  • Resume and Cover Letter Development
  • Professional Networking
  • Mock Interviews
  • Graduate School Applications

How do I meet with a career counselor?

Log into Handshake, call the office or stop by in-person to make an appointment! 

What if I need to cancel or modify my career counseling appointment?

We realize that last minute changes happen, and that you might not be able to make it to your scheduled appointment. We kindly ask that you make those changes in Handshake as soon as possible (ideally within 2 hours of your appointment time). If you simply do not show up to the OR are more than 15 minutes late,  it will be considered a "no show." Having more than two "no show" appointment may result in losing Handshake privileges. 

Need a resume/cover letter reviewed in a hurry? Can't make an appointment yet to see a counselor?

Meet with a Career Peer Advisor: Monday-Friday from 1-4:30pm EST and other hours as needed. 

Although CPAs aren't trained to provide counseling, they can help you get started on resume/cover letter/CVs/personal statements and help you become familiar with Career Services' resources.

To get started on your own:

Swarthmore-Sponsored Resources

Additional Resources

  • FirstHand (formerly Vault):  Career guides; job & internship listings, employer profiles & rankings; discussion boards, industry blogs, diversity rankings, green programs and leadership development profiles.  On-campus users can access the site directly. Off-campus users access via Handshake (Resources).
    • Day in the Life of: Discover the best profession for your skills and interests with in-depth profession overviews. Gain insight on the main duties of each profession, the work environment, training requirements, advancement prospects and more.
    • Explore Careers: Discover the best profession for your skills and interests with in-depth profession overviews. Gain insight on the main duties of each profession, the work environment, training requirements, advancement prospects and more.
  • America's Career Infonet: This site is part of the US Department of Labor sponsored Career Kit.
  • Occupational Outlook: The Bureau of Labor and Statistics resource to learn about careers, including nature of work, working conditions, educational qualifications, job outlook and more.
  • One Day One Job: Highlights one company each day and discusses its entry-level job offerings. The posts are completely editorial in nature, and give students a starting point for researching a company.

Funding from Career Services

Does your campus group want to sponsor a career-related event on campus? Any student group can apply for funding for an event that welcomes and invites all students. Please apply early because we only have a limited amount of funding.

Peer Advice for a Successful Search

Learn More
alumni talking with students