Parents Home

Welcome to the Office of Career Counseling at Williams College! We are delighted to be working with your sons and daughters, and helping them decide what their next steps will be once they graduate. Often, this decision can be one of the most difficult as senior year approaches, and that’s why it is so important for students to start early to think about their options. We are here to help in that process, so please encourage your charges to visit us early and often.

John H. Noble's signature

John Noble, Director

Office of Career Counseling
(413) 597-2311
e-mail: jnoble@williams.edu

Our Mission

The Office of Career Counseling (OCC) exists to help students and recent graduates discover, create, and pursue extraordinary careers that will not only draw upon their talents, interests, and skills, but will also contribute to the community at large. The Route 2 Program is a program that encourages students to explore multiple pathways when thinking about life after Williams. All the various career, advanced study, and fellowship options available to students are highlighted with counseling, programming, and resource allocation directed toward this goal.

Career Counselors

Students tap the expertise of the counseling staff at OCC by making an appointment to explore their various career interests. Our counselors have developed particular areas of expertise and will help students think carefully about their specific career choices. Counselors are also available to those who need help focusing on where to start their searches, how to integrate academic interests with career interests, and when to begin the process. Additionally, counselors are available to answer brief questions during open walk-in hours for all students every day between 11:00 and 4:00.

Partner Advisors

Beyond its own staff, the OCC works closely with a number of faculty and other staff at the college who provide guidance and advice on specific career fields. For example, students will find the Center for Environmental Studies a rich resource of information and networking. The Program for Teaching is another resource for Williams students to test their interest in and aptitude for teaching in public schools. OCC works with the Multicultural Center, Alumni Affairs, and the Special Academic Programs Office.

Faculty

Finding inspiration at Williams is not hard to do; our faculty provide it every day in their classes in every department. Students take advantage of the interaction with their professors by seeking advice beyond the classroom and into the field. OCC works closely with the academic departments to help students think creatively about how their academic interests might connect with their life after Williams. Students thinking about pursuing graduate study will find expert advice in each of the departments. Also, OCC’s library is a source of extensive information about advanced study.

Peers

If students want to know about a particular internship or summer job who better to ask than a fellow Williams student who has just returned from that experience? OCC keeps evaluations by students of recently completed internships to help their colleagues decide which internships to pursue and which to pass by, and these students are more than willing to discuss the pros and cons of their internships in person; primary sources are always the best.

Alumni & Parents

Once students have made some initial decisions about the career fields they would like to explore, Williams College alumni and parents of current students can be excellent sources of information and connections. Our alumni and parents together are an enthusiastic group eager to help students learn the inside story. Many alumni visit campus to be a part of career panels and seminars. The alumni database is the first window into the vast resource that our alumni represent. Parents are encouraged to take part in campus presentations and in developing internships. Also, we encourage parents to send us any appropriate job or internship announcements they may see.

E-mail us a copy of post-graduate or summer job descriptions and we will be happy to post it in our Route 2 System database. Alternatively, you may fill out and submit this form.

Career Skills Workshops

Every job search presents the challenge of creating the perfect resume and cover letter, of acing the interview, and succeeding at networking. The OCC holds regular workshops addressing each of these aspects of the job search. Workshops are held at appropriate times throughout the year and at different hours of the day to accommodate even the most packed schedule. Check the OCC website and calendar for the next series.

Career Panels

Students are often shy about contacting alumni out-of-the-blue. We bring the alumni to students in many programs throughout the course of the year. Panels of alumni are presented on a variety of industries and career fields, including the arts, the nonprofit world, mass media, entertainment, law, the sciences, and many more. In addition, other programs and centers on campus also offer programs bringing alumni to their doorstep for networking and information exchange.

Williams College Alumni Sponsored Internships

Through the generosity of many Williams College alumni, funds are available to help sophomores and juniors participate in summer internships in community service, women’s issues, healthcare, the arts, entertainment, public policy, journalism, and other fields that are otherwise unable to provide stipends. The program is run as a joint effort of OCC, alumni, students, faculty, sponsors, and administration. Students may attend a fall internship information session at OCC to learn more.

On-Campus Recruiting

This program brings representatives from graduate schools, private businesses, independent schools, and public service organizations to interview students here in Williamstown. Information about recruiting is detailed on OCC’s website and students interested in interviewing with employers and graduate schools should attend orientation meetings and learn how to use the on-line Route 2 System. This program is aimed primarily at seniors looking for full-time employment and juniors seeking summer opportunities.

Job & Internship Fair

Every year, in the Fall, the OCC hosts a Job & Internship Fair. We feature employers who have 'real' jobs or internships targeted to all students. This is a good opportunity for students to meet possible future employers, practice networking, and gain career information in an informal, friendly atmosphere. If you or your company has a job or internship that would be appropriate for Williams students, we would love to have you visit campus one day in February to meet students.

The Career Library

OCC’s library contains a large number of reference materials to help with career exploration. These include job and internship openings as well as national directories and information on a variety of fields. Increasingly, our “library” contains more and more resources available through our website.

The OCC Website and the Route 2 System

We maintain a website that gives information on OCC events and services, links to career planning, employment, fellowship, and advanced study websites. It also is their on-line link to our Route 2 System database of hundreds of jobs and internships, and also offers career related listservs that deliver e-mails matching their interests.