Navigating Your Future: A Guide to Barnard College Career Services Resources

Barnard College offers comprehensive career services resources through Beyond Barnard, a one-stop shop for career advising. From the moment you arrive on campus and throughout your matriculation, and for a lifetime as an alum, you have access to this distinctive support. Whether you're a first-year student exploring on-campus jobs or an alumna seeking career advancement, Beyond Barnard provides the guidance and resources you need to achieve your professional goals.

Your Path Begins Here

Beyond Barnard prepares you to pursue internship opportunities in industries and organizations. More than 150 employers visit Barnard College each year to meet students, conduct interviews, and host events. Barnard’s distinctive relationship with Columbia University makes it possible for students to receive a B.A. Your major doesn’t dictate the entire arc of your career! Don't know what you're interested in yet? Don't worry! A lot of our advising conversations and events center on the process of exploration and discernment. There's no wrong time to start visiting Beyond Barnard!

Comprehensive Support for Every Stage

Beyond Barnard helps students get on and off-campus jobs, find and apply to internships, and apply to graduate schools/programs. As soon as you arrive on campus, Beyond Barnard helps students, especially those who have a Work-Study or Barnard College Job award, find on-campus and off-campus work opportunities, and guides them through applications and the necessary paperwork. Throughout this semester I have been applying for different Fall and Spring internships, and Beyond Barnard has been an incredibly helpful resource in navigating the internship search and application process every step of the way.

Alumni Network: A Powerful Resource

Alumnae play a critical role in Beyond Barnard. This is one of my favorite parts about Barnard; we have such an expansive alumni network, and the connected, collaborative, and supportive community found on campus is also very present among Barnard alumni, who are always willing to connect with and sometimes mentor students. Much of this is thanks to the work of Beyond Barnard. Throughout the school year, Beyond Barnard invites alumni from a variety of different fields and backgrounds to share their experiences and advice, and allow students to connect directly to professionals in their fields. This is done through different panels and events such as the one discussed above, as well as with Career Insights and Mentor-in-Residence events. Students connect for mentoring support and advice.

Events and Programs

Beyond Barnard also holds a variety of programming throughout the year to support students in their internship search, application, and networking. For example, this past summer they held a series of events aimed at helping students explore different careers and graduate programs and connect with mentors. One memorable event was called Looking Back/Looking Ahead: Conversation with Distinguished Barnard Alumnae, where I was able to hear from and connect with Barnard alumni and learn about their experiences and different fields/organizations I am interested in.

Read also: Entrepreneurship Program

One-on-One Advising and Support

For one-on-one help, students can meet with Beyond Barnard Peer Career Advisors (PCAs), or Beyond Barnard professional staff members. I’ve met with PCAs who’ve helped me restructure and improve my resume and make edits and suggestions for my cover letters, in order to put my best foot forward in my applications. As a student who is still pretty unsure of what she’d like to do after college, Beyond Barnard’s different events, advising, and resources have been really helpful in navigating the internship search and application process, which can be a bit overwhelming, especially in the midst of a pandemic.

Areas of Expertise

We cover everything from resumes, CVs, and cover letters, to graduate and professional school applications, interview strategies, negotiation best practices, and navigating a range of workplaces and career searches. From day one Barnard, throughout your matriculation, and for a lifetime as an alum you have access this distinctive support.

Accessing Resources

Students and alumnae can make appointments at Handshake. All appointments can be scheduled in Handshake. This link will take students or alums directly to the "Create a New Appointment" page in the platform. Note that alums retain access to Handshake but may need to update their profiles before scheduling. Alums have unfettered access to advising resources at Beyond Barnard, but you may need to update your Handshake account to get started.

Drop-in Advising

Did you know you can connect with Beyond Barnard advisors without an appointment? Drop-in advising is a great way to address quick questions! Speak to one of our specially-trained Peer Career Advisors who, just like so many of our advisees, are balancing student life and professional development. We encourage students to drop in and get advice on career exploration, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and job search strategies, exploring Handshake, and more. Peer Career Advisor are available to meet with students on an appointment basis, from 10AM-5PM, Monday through Friday.

Maximizing Your Appointment

To make the most of your appointment with staff at Beyond Barnard, we strongly recommend walking into Beyond Barnard to meet with a Peer Career Advisor to get your resume updated first. Keep in mind that lead times for appointments with staff can be around 2 weeks. In other words: schedule with a Staff Member 1-2 weeks in advance, then head over to Beyond Barnard to meet with a PCA. You never need a concrete plan to visit Beyond Barnard. We love it when students ask us open ended questions, or simply express that they don't know where to get started.

Conclusion

Beyond Barnard is dedicated to supporting students and alumnae in their career journeys. By offering a wide range of resources, advising services, and networking opportunities, Beyond Barnard empowers individuals to explore their interests, develop their skills, and achieve their professional aspirations.

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