Coaches and Mentors
External Career Coaches
The Office of Career Strategy has negotiated with a group of professional career coaches to provide assistance to Yale alums. All coaches listed have agreed to offer a 20-30 minute complimentary session for Yale alums to discuss general tips for a specific career transition, as well as the state of the market in the coach’s geographical area. Click here for instructions on how to access the list. In addition, alums are encouraged to search the National Career Development’s website.
Cross Campus Networking Platform
Cross Campus expands our campus community and bolsters the alums experience by harnessing the power of our Yale community for exchanges of advice, wisdom, and ideas. For mentors, it is an opportunity to give back and share all that they have learned. For mentees, it’s an opportunity to network, to get advice from those who have been through the process, and an opportunity to get one-on-one coaching from Yalies who have “been in their shoes”.
Job Search Resources
Resumes: These templates included below are formatted to work with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), used by many employers to screen resumes.
Cover Letters and Correspondence: Guidance on writing correspondences.
Interview Preparation: An overview of various interview types are listed below. Visit the hyperlinks for preparation tips.
Networking: Learning how to network and build a strong base of professional connections is essential to a successful career search. 85% of jobs are found through Networking (U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics)
Informational Interviewing: Informational Interviewing is a powerful networking tool to learn about career paths and build future relationships. Although an informational interview may lead to a job offer, that is not the primary goal.
LinkedIn: Utilizing LinkedIn is a key step in the job search process. 87% of recruiters and hiring managers source for candidates on LinkedIn.
Building Your LinkedIn Profile: Now that you are convinced it is worth setting up a LinkedIn Profile, OCS will break down the LinkedIn Profile by each section and provide specific tips on creating and improving your profile.
- Tips By Sections
- Profile Picture
- Background Image
- Headlines and Sample Headline
- Summary
- Experience
- Using Multimedia
- Skills and Endorsement
- Recommendations
- Education
Executive Recruiters: Connecting with executive recruiters and search firms who specialize in your career field can be beneficial to your job search. Executive recruiters work primarily with candidates that have prior work experience, but there are some exceptions. These recruiters will assist you in your job search as well as expose you to new opportunities. Keep in mind, working with an executive recruiter or search firm does not replace your own diligent management of your job search. Click here for tips and services. The Office of Career Strategy does not have direct experience with these organizations and does not directly endorse any of their services.
Job Databases and Job Seekers Tools
Yale Career Link (powered by Symplicity): Yale Career Link, offers a centralized place to view career resources and find opportunities. It is only accessible to alums of Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and the Yale Postdoc Program. Access Yale Career Link on your desktop or mobile device (‘Symplicity Jobs and Careers’ app in Apple App Store or Google Play).
Career Shift: CareerShift, licensed by the OCS, is a job aggregator and a powerful tool for searching internship and full-time positions posted across thousands of employer websites and other public sites. It also allows the job seeker to find millions of contacts for networking (including Yale alums) and find recruiters for various companies or by industry. CareerShift is neither created nor maintained by Yale OCS; therefore, Yale is not responsible for the content presented therein.
How to Access CareerShift: Yale College Alums, Yale GSAS Alums and Postdoc Alums – Log into Yale Career Link . You can find CareerShift by selecting Resources from the top of the page and then proceeding down to the My Shortcuts section. The first time you use CareerShift, you will be asked 1 quick question to verify your affiliation to Yale.
Vault Guides (formerly Firsthand): Vault helps students, alums, professionals, and job-seekers find the right career path through career exploration and connections with mentors and employers
GoinGlobal: GoinGlobal Country Career Guides are the ultimate jobseeker’s tool for finding employment at home and abroad. Packed with country-specific career information, each guide has been developed by a local career specialist, updated annually, and features recommended websites and detailed resource descriptions for vital employment topics.
Log in through your Yale Career Link Account, choose Resources from the top toolbar and scroll down to “My Shortcuts”, choose GoinGlobal
Using AI In Your Job Search: With the increased attention and usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, and Yale’s own Clarity Platform, it’s important to consider how these tools can help in the job search process and where to proceed with caution.
- Tips By Sections
- Office of Career Strategy Recommendations AI Tools
- Important Considerations When Using AI Tools
- Career Exploration
- Target Lists
- Resumes and Cover Letters
- Interview Preparation
- Informational Interviewing
- Negotiating An Offer
Career Exploration Tools
Exploring Careers: Exploring careers means taking the time to understand different job paths, industries, and roles to see what aligns best with your skills, interests, personality and values. It’s about more than just browsing job listings—it’s researching options, talking to professionals, gaining hands-on experience, and reflecting on what interests you.
Design Your Career: Yale University’s Office of Career Strategy is proud to offer this effective and engaging online tool to the public, based on Stanford University’s innovative approach to applying Design Thinking principles to career decision-making. Please visit our designated page for more information on Designing Your Career@Yale. Click here to start.
5 Steps to the Career Decision Making Process: The career decision-making process is ongoing throughout your professional life and as your career progresses, you may find yourself using this process again. There are times you may feel frustrated as if you are no closer to finding direction than when you started. If you’re going through the process, you are making progress. Each area you explore takes you closer to the options that are a good fit. Click on the above links to take a deeper dive into career decision making.
My Next Move: An interactive tool for job seekers created by the National Center for O*NET Development for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. It provides easy access to career exploration, educational programs and more.
Explore PhD Pathways: Your Ph.D. has equipped you with skills that can be applied to diverse careers within and beyond academia. Learn more about Humanities and Social Sciences Ph.D. pathways and STEM Ph.D. pathways.
Additional Yale Career Offices
Alums of Yale College, the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and postdoctoral scholars have access to the Office of Career Strategy’s online resources. For other Yale University Career Offices, please consult the list below:
