OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES
William Wright-Swadel, Director
Mon.-Fri., 9 am-5 pm
54 Dunster Street, 617-495-2595
www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu

The Office of Career Services (OCS) serves students and alumni/ae of Harvard College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at all stages of their career exploration and planning. OCS encourages students to take advantage of its extensive range of programs and resources beginning with their first year at Harvard. In addition to assisting with career decisions, OCS can help students learn about internships, summer jobs, work abroad, graduate and professional study, and fellowships such as the Herchel Smith, Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright.

   The first floor of OCS is accessible to students with mobility impairments via the entrance at 52 Dunster Street. Short-term loans of library materials or other accommodations can be arranged for students with other disabilities. For special assistance, contact Susan Vacca at 617-495-8050.

Counseling

OCS career counselors are available either by appointment (for in-depth sessions) or on a ten-minute walk-in basis to meet with students to assist them at any stage of their career exploration and decision-making process. Counselors can help students to begin the process by identifying their skills and interests and incorporating this knowledge into their plans. They can also help students to develop the tools they will need as they present themselves to potential employers or internship sponsors: resumes, cover letters, and interviewing and networking skills.

Counselors have areas of expertise in the arts, business, education, fellowships, government, graduate and professional study, law, media, medicine, minority concerns, public service, science, technology, summer opportunities, and work abroad, as well as in general career planning. OCS can help an individual to develop a sense of direction.

OCS Library

The OCS Library contains information in both print and electronic formats on topics ranging from from summer jobs and internships to graduate and professional schools, fellowships, career fields, and employers. Assistance in using these resources is available at the OCS front desk and from Susan Vacca, the Librarian, as well as from the OCS counselors.

Career Planning Programs and Services

OCS conducts meetings and workshops throughout the year to introduce students to the career exploration process and to provide information on specific career fields, employers, and educational opportunities. Resumé and interview workshops and videotaped mock interviews help students to hone their presentation skills. Walk-in ten-minute resumé (and cover letter) reviews are also offered every day.

A Career Forum sponsored by OCS in the early fall provides an opportunity for students to discuss summer and career opportunities with employers representing a number of fields. The On-Campus Recruiting Program brings representatives from employers and graduate schools across the globe to Harvard to interview students for post-graduate opportunities. OCS also receives numerous job and internship listings from employers worldwide on a daily basis. A Summer Opportunities Fair is held in December and presents a variety of work, study, research, and public service summer opportunities.

The Harvard College Internship Program, administered by OCS in collaboration with the Harvard Alumni Association, offers students a three- to five-day "shadowing" experience with employer sponsors who are interested in helping students learn about their respective career fields.

International Experience Program

The International Experience Program (IEP) of the Office of Career Services provides extensive advising and resources related to jobs, internships, volunteer positions, and fellowships around the world. It also offers special programs including the Weissman International Internship Program, Kawamura Summer Fellowship Program, Arias Foundation Internship Program, and the Harvard Overseas Schools Teaching (HOST) program. Students and alumni/ ae can register for the OCS International list-serv to receive timely information about opportunities and events; see www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu.

Newsletter and Publications

The OCSNews contains feature articles and information about career-related events and workshops, job and internship opportunities, fellowships, graduate and professional study, and international experience. It is published electronically biweekly during the academic year, and is available on the OCS website and through a list-serv.

OCS also publishes guidebooks on career planning, funding opportunities, and various career fields. These and other handouts are available on the first floor of OCS.

OCS Website and List-Servs

Students can subscribe to career-specific list-servs and can access the OCSNews, the OCS Calendar, On-Campus Recruiting Program information, job and internship listings, and more career-related material by visiting the OCS home page at www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu.

Fellowships Office
617-495-8126

The Fellowships Office at OCS administers nearly all fellowship competitions for the College that require institutional nomination (such as the Marshall, Rhodes, and Truman), as well as the majority of Harvard-based competitions. The Fellowships Office maintains current information on all of these and other competitions, as well as on general issues of grantsmanship, and it publishes an annual calendar of competitions and periodic editions of The Harvard College Guide to Grants. Students interested in fellowships for study, travel, work, or other projects, are encouraged to consult these resources and to call or drop by with questions of any sort. Individual counseling appointments are also available.

OCS Public Service Guidance
Contact: Gail Gilmore
617-495-2595

The Office of Career Services encourages students to engage in public service both during and after their undergraduate years. OCS counselors advise students interested in public service work in the US or abroad, and meet with students to discuss the most effective ways to pursue these options.

Workshops, career panels, and information meetings are scheduled throughout the academic year to help students identify their particular interests and formulate their public service plans. In addition, OCS maintains an extensive collection of resource materials, including paid and unpaid internship listings, summer and postgraduate job listings, and information about public service organizations and funding sources.

A number of public service fellowship programs are administered by the Fellowships Office at OCS. These include the Trang Ho Memorial Fellowships, the Lamont Public Service Fellowships, the K. J. Lee Family Public Service Fund Fellowships, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Public Service Fellowships, the Elliot and Anne Richardson Fellowships in Public Service, the Eric Ritland Memorial Fund Grants, and the Steiner Community Service Fund Grants. To learn more about these and other funding opportunities, students should consult The Harvard College Guide to Grants and consider meeting with one of the fellowships counselors at OCS.