Career Advancement
Lifetime Support for Career Advancement
A benefit of being a graduate of Wellesley College is continued access to Career Education resources. Dedicated Alumnae Career Advisors and Industry Advisors are here to help you navigate your career journey, make meaningful connections, overcome obstacles, and celebrate success at every stage.
We offer one-on-one advising, resume and cover letter reviews, interview practice, professional development webinars, and advice on new trends that will impact your job search process. Our experienced staff can work with you to address whatever you are facing, including making a career pivot/change, advancing in your current career field, re-entering the workforce, or finding an “encore career” after retirement.
Connect using Handshake and The Wellesley Hive
Alumnae maintain lifelong access to Career Education technology platforms. Handshake is Wellesley's online platform for finding jobs/internships and making appointments with advisors. The Wellesley Hive is an interactive virtual space for professional networking and mentorship with other Wellesley alums and current students.
The Hive also includes a robust job board! Each job post features suggested connections to help you take your search to the next level. Find a good job match? Reach out to an alum associated with the role or company. Alums can also share opportunities directly with other alums by posting positions directly to The Hive.
For ease of use and security, your Wellesley username and password are required to log in to both platforms.
Opportunities for Alums to Engage with Students via Internships
Interested in creating an internship for a Wellesley student, or sharing an existing opportunity with the Wellesley network? This helpful resource outlines how.
Fall 2025 Alumnae Connections Programs
‘Ask a Career Coach’ Series
Monday, September 29, Noon – 1:00 PM ET
Tuesday, October 21, Noon – 1:00 PM ET (Topic: Returning to work after a career break)
Thursday, November 13, Noon – 1:00 PM ET
Whether you're looking for a new industry or position, contemplating graduate study, navigating a role change or promotion, returning to the workforce, or planning for an engaged retirement, drop in to ask our Alum Career Advisors your questions!
Alum Webinar: Ask a Recruiter
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Noon – 1:30 PM EST
Join us for a Q&A format webinar featuring four alums with professional experience as recruiters. This webinar will offer helpful recruiting insights about hiring trends, shifting employer and employee expectations, the job application process, the use and impact of AI, ways to connect for meaningful career outcomes, and more!
Fireside Chat: How to remain hopeful and positive during turbulent times
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Noon – 1:00 PM ET
Given today’s ever-shifting economic landscape, career resilience is no longer just a soft skill – it’s a necessity. For dedicated professionals, uncertainty can take many forms, from layoffs and market shifts to the impact of AI. We will come together (virtually) to share ideas and strategies for developing adaptability and a growth mindset to approach current and future challenges. Join Career Education and your Wellesley siblings in a supportive and timely conversation.
‘Designing Your Work Life’ Cohorts
This program is for alums who want to make a professional change, but need inspiration to figure out what that might be. Alumnae Career Advisors Dana Keep and Becky King will facilitate the discussion as a group of Wellesley alums help each other ‘build their way forward’ and design a new direction. Space is limited, and we kindly request that participants commit to all three sessions to ensure cohesiveness and continuity of conversation.
- Thursdays, October 9, 16, 23, 2025, Noon – 1:30 PM ET (waitlist)
- Thursdays, January 15, 22, 29, 2026, Noon – 1:30 ET
- Tuesdays, April 14, 21, 28, 2026, Noon – 1:30 ET
Alum Career Book Club: The Defining Decade
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Noon – 1:00 PM ET
In The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now, Meg Jay provides the tools necessary to make the most of your twenties, and shows how work, relationships, personality, identity, and even the brain can change more during this decade than at any other time in adulthood—if we use the time well.
Alumnae Career Advancement Team
Alumnae Career Advisors are here for one-on-one advising about career pivots, re-entry into the workforce, resume and cover letter reviews, interview practice, and more. You can schedule an appointment to meet with an Alumnae Career Advisor through Handshake using your Wellesley credentials.
Industry-Specific Advisors
Career Education's Industry-specific Advisors can provide industry expertise for alumnae exploring specific career paths, whether looking to break into a new field or advance in their industries with a competitive edge. Make an appointment on Handshake using your Wellesley credentials.
Resources
Our advisors have written a series of resources to jumpstart your research on a variety of career topics. Browse the links below, and schedule an appointment in Handshake to explore further!
Alumnae Webinars
Wellesley Career Education hosts professional development webinars to support alums at every career stage, often in partnership with alumnae who offer expertise on a specific topic. An archive of past webinars is housed below.
You can also watch a full playlist of our Alum Webinars on Youtube!
Alumnae Career Conversations
Wellesley Career Education regularly hosts career conversations with alums across a range of industries, who have generously offered to share their professional experiences with students and other alums. Recordings of many of these webinars are listed below.
Mentor Students & Connect with the Wellesley network!
The Wellesley Hive is a flexible, interactive virtual space for professional networking and mentorship. Through this Wellesley-exclusive platform, you can connect with alums and students as a mentor, mentee, or both. Log in to the Wellesley Hive using your Wellesley credentials, and follow the guided process to customize your involvement and improve your connections.
Alums and students are connected to The Wellesley Hive, Wellesley’s Mentorship Platform
Countries with members connected to The Wellesley Hive
Fellowships for Alumnae
Fellowships serve as an investment in individuals, for opportunities like:
• studying a language
• conducting academic research
• completing a service project
• pursuing graduate study
• designing and executing an independent project
As an alumna, you still have access to Wellesley Fellowship Program resources and advice from our team. Let us help you make the most of them!
Rejoining the Workforce
Many women find it challenging to prepare a resume after being home for several years. Do not discount the value of work that you have been doing, even if it has not been a formal or paid job. This resource will provide an overview for women returning to the workforce and working parents.
Job Searching After 50
This resource outlines considerations for job searching over 50, including tailored advice for your writing your resume, networking, and interviewing.
Introduction to Fellowships for Graduates
Fellowships and scholarships can fund graduate or professional study, purposeful travel, professional placements, self-designed projects, and so much more. They can help you build your experience and qualifications, help you explore a passion, and clarify a path forward. What would you do with a fellowship?
Career Assessment and Advancement
Career Advancement can mean different things to different people. For some, advancement means reaching a leadership position within a company or a field. For others, advancement means performing at a high level in a given role. Sometimes, advancement means switching careers entirely to learn a whole new domain, or focusing on giving back to a field or a community.