Announcing Handshake

I am delighted to announce that beginning in June, Penn Career Services will be moving to the Handshake platform for job and internship listings, workshops, career fairs, on-campus recruiting and employer presentations.  This platform is used by 170 schools (including many of our Ivy Plus peers) and 120,000 employers; it offers many features that we believe will enhance the student user experience, including the ability to make appointments with career advisors using the online scheduling system. We are excited to launch Handshake at Penn, as it is intuitive, well-designed and cutting edge in its approach.   We will keep PennLink, our Symplicity system, live through June 30, 2017.  After June 30 you will no longer be able to retrieve any information on past applications and interviews, nor will you be able to access your documents. 

We will be following up by email in late May with information on how to join and use Handshake.  Since both platforms will be live during June, you can download resumes or cover letters from PennLink and upload them to Handshake if you wish.  If, however, you will be busy in June, or traveling without good internet access, you should download your documents now.  They will not be available after June 30.

For now, full-time jobs and internships are still being posted on PennLink.  Many employers are advertising interesting opportunities, so please continue to check PennLink regularly.  And it goes without saying that our office will be open all summer, and we are here to assist you today and in the coming months.  Please let us know if you have any questions. 

Best wishes for the end of the semester. 

 

 

 


Patricia Rose
Director, Career Services

 

Deadline Friday! Career Services Summer Funding

Deadline: Friday, March 24th
Apply On PennLink, ID#: 837047

Have you identified a really cool summer opportunity but don’t have the financial resources to make it a reality? Many summer internships and summer research opportunities, particularly in certain fields, provide only a small stipend or do not pay at all.  Frequently the internships are located in cities with a high cost of living. This means that many students are unable to take advantage of excellent positions, which are sometimes the first step towards a career in a given field.  Other students wish to participate in not for profit or NGO work abroad, or to do a research project, but the travel costs to get there are prohibitive.

This year, thanks to generous donors, Career Services has a small fund of money to allow returning students to pursue unfunded or under-funded summer opportunities. The funds could cover travel expenses, living expenses, or both.  No award will exceed $3000. For full details, visit our funding page. Curious about other sources of funding at Penn for summer opportunities? Learn more here: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/SummerFunds

 

New Staff Member: Natty Leach

It seems one day back to the grindstone after spring break was enough to merit more time off. I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy some winter activities—sledding, sipping hot cocoa, or building tiny snow-Quakers. For my first ever Penn snow day, I enjoyed sleeping in and making breakfast sandwiches around noon. Since I am new around here, I wanted to take a chance to quickly introduce myself:

 

My name’s Natty Leach and I just joined the Career Services team a few weeks ago. My primary role will be meeting with students from the College about all of their future career goals. I will also be managing our job database system to help make sure Penn students are receiving great job and internship opportunities.

My interest in higher education started when I became an RA at New York University where I majored in Media, Culture, and Communication (a real mouthful). While at NYU, my favorite part of college was being able to explore an array of disciplines and subjects which I took advantage of by minoring in English and Web Design. After college, I advised pre-health students at Temple University for several years. Here at Penn, I’m excited to talk with you about all of your various interests and passions.

A few fun facts about me:

  • I love music. In college, I played guitar and sang vocals as part of a hip-hop band.
  • I love video games. I just beat Bravely Second over our snow day but still haven’t managed to beat DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) over the last 10+ years.
  • I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica. I hear the weather’s great, though – today it’s -78°F.

 

Thanks for hearing a little bit about me – I look forward to getting to know more of you all in the future!

Have a Great Break

Those of us in Career Services wish all of you a relaxing and restorative break. We hope your travels are safe, and your celebrations are festive and meaningful.

During the next two weeks our office will be undergoing a makeover. We will have new paint, new carpet and new furniture in our Suite 20 public spaces. We look forward to showing the office off in the new semester — stop by and see us.

To expedite this work, we will be working remotely on December 22 and 23, and again on January 3 and 4. We are available via email on these days if you need us, and can schedule phone appointments as well.

All the best to you all. Have a happy new year!

Special Winter Break Hours

Career Services will be undergoing some renovations during the winter break.  Beyond the usual holiday closing, Career Services staff will be working remotely while the office is being refurbished.  See below for the full details and we look forward to welcoming you back to a bright, fresh space in 2017!

Reading days AND FINALS

Monday, December 12 – Wednesday, December 21st
Normal office hours, 9am-5pm

Thursday, December 22nd & Friday, December 23rd
Career Services will be closed for renovations.  Counselors and assistants will be actively checking e-mails and voicemails.  Phone and online appointments may be scheduled for these days – please call to schedule before Wednesday, 12/21. The On Campus Recruiting office will be open with limited staff.

WINTER BREAK

Saturday, December 24th, 2016 – Monday, January 2nd, 2017
The University of Pennsylvania is closed for the holiday break.  No Career Services staff will be available during this time, though some staff may periodically check e-mail.

Tuesday, January 3rd & Wednesday, January 4th
Career Services will be closed for renovations. Counselors and assistants will be actively checking e-mails and voicemails.  Phone and online appointments may be scheduled for these days, please contact your counselor to discuss availability. The On Campus Recruiting office will be open with limited staff.

Thursday, January 5th – Tuesday, January 10th
Normal business hours resume, 9am-5pm

Wednesday, January 11th
Extended library hours resume, open until 6pm Monday-Wednesday while classes are in session.

We look forward to serving you again in 2017 and wish you a safe, relaxing and wonderful holiday break!