Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to the most common questions about advising, internships, résumés, and more:
- How do students schedule appointments with a Career Counselor?
- What is covered in an appointment with a Career Counselor?
- What if a student simply wants to start a résumé, cover letter or LinkedIn profile and find out more about CareerLAB?
- Should First Year students wait until second year to use CareerLAB?
- Does CareerLAB have tip sheets on résumé, cover letters, interviewing, social media, and more?
- Does CareerLAB offer practice interviews for jobs and internships?
- What about students who are not interested in many of the well-defined career fields, including medicine, banking, consulting or law. Can CareerLAB help these students?
- How does on-campus recruitment work?
- How can students find alumni that are in a field that interests them?
- Does CareerLAB partner with departments to accomodate programming?
- Does CareerLAB see grad students?
- How does CareerLAB communicate with students?
- Where can I find information about what students do after Brown?
Internship and Funding Questions
- What is BrownConnect?
- Can students receive credit for a summer internship?
- What internship programs exist at Brown?
- Does CareerLAB offer internship funding?
- How can I talk to other Brown students about my internship experiences?
- What resources are available for searching internship opportunities?
How do students schedule appointments with Career Counselors?
They log into Handshake* and schedule online. Students can request a phone or Zoom call. Counselors will email them a link with their contact information after the meeting is scheduled.
What is covered in an appointment with a Career Counselors?
Students can meet with career counselors on any topic requiring in-depth discussion. Frequent topics include feeling overwhelmed and lost about future plans, decision making about careers and concentrations, job and internship search strategies and resources, and practice interviewing. All appointments are for a half-hour, and students can schedule follow-up times as needed.
What if a student simply wants to start a résumé and find out more about CareerLAB?
Peer Career Advisors (PCAs) are the best place to start. Just e-mail [email protected] and a PCA will email you to set up a phone or Zoom call.
Should First Year students wait until second year to use CareerLAB?
No, we encourage first year students to visit CareerLAB as soon as October of their first semester. Meeting with a Peer Career Advisor is a great first step. We have found that juniors and seniors have more success if they have been working with us since their first year.
Does CareerLAB see grad students?
CareerLAB supports Brown graduate students - both masters and doctoral candidates - along every step of their graduate school careers, complementing the essential advice received from faculty advisors. CareerLAB resources include individual advising sessions; grad student drop-in hours; resume/CV/cover letter development; interview preparation; and programs tailored to career exploration and the job search. Graduate students can make appointments through Brown Handshake or by emailing [email protected].
How does CareerLAB communicate with students?
CareerLAB reaches students through a variety of channels. We send out three email communications which includes:
- Weekly Emails: distributed to all undergraduate students and are differentiated by class year, providing relevant programs, announcements, and internship and job opportunities specific to that particular class level.
- Employer events: weekly blast sent to student groups that promotes employer events and featured opportunities that are relevant to those particular DUGs.
- BrownConnect featured opportunities: sent to student groups highlighting internship opportunities in relevant fields that have a strong Brown connection.
CareerLAB is also active on:
- Facebook (where we primarily share student stories and industry news/skills),
- Twitter (where we promote featured opportunities in and outside of Brown Handshake and BrownConnect),
- Instagram (where we highlight the faces and events of CareerLAB), and
- YouTube (where we host numerous alumni spotlights, event highlights, live programs, and internship/job search “how to” videos).
We encourage all students, faculty, and departments to follow and engage with us on social media!
Does CareerLAB have tipsheets on résumés, cover letters, interviewing, social media and more?
Yes, they can be found on our Databases and Resources page. We encourage students to read tip sheets related to their topics of concern before scheduling a meeting with Peer Career Advisor or a half-hour appointment with a counselor.
Does CareerLAB offer practice interviews for jobs and internships?
Yes, students can schedule an appointment with a counselor through Brown Handshake* In addition, students can log into Brown Handshake and click the "Appointments" link on the left sidebar to sign up for a Mock Interview with our career counselors.
How can students find alumni that are in their field of interest?
CareerLAB brings alumi back year round through panels and small group discussions and other events. Many alumni also recruit at Brown’s on-campus career fairs. More than 100 alumni return to campus each year to share their experiences through these and other events.
BrownConnect and LinkedIn’s alumni page are two great resources for students looking to set up informational interviews to explore different internships, jobs and career paths. Students can get help and advice on how to reach out to alumni by talking to a peer career advisor at walk in hours at the CareerLAB or by scheduling an appointment with a career counselor.
How does on-campus recruitment work?
Brown University is fortunate to have a wide array of employers seeking to hire interns and recent graduates. Fall campus interviews take place at CareerLAB late September through early December. Recruitment activity begins with full-time recruitment in early fall followed by internship recruitment beginning in late October. Spring recruitment interviews for both full-time and internships take place early February through the end of April. Visit Recruiting for students for complete details and timelines.
What about students who are not interested in many of the well-defined career fields, including medicine, banking, consulting or law. Can CareerLAB help these students?
Yes, CareerLAB can help students with a wide-range of career interests. We have counselorss with knowledge across a number of areas, including public interest work, education, non-profits, government, communications, entertainment, STEM, and media. We also provide several opportunities throughout the year for students to connect with alumni in numerous fields. Students who are confused or uncertain about their career options can develop an individualized plan in consultation with any of our Career counselors.
Does CareerLAB partner with departments to accomodate programming?
Peer Career Advisors (PCAs) can coordinate programs with the DUGs around general job search resources and internship searching and funding. Contact [email protected] to get started.
Where can I find information about what students do after Brown?
Each year the CareerLAB surveys the graduation class to gain insight about their first destinations post-Brown. This information is available by concentration on our Post-Graduate Outcome Data pages.
What is BrownConnect?
BrownConnect is the newest addition to CareerLAB’s suite of services. BrownConnect serves first years, sophomores and juniors who are seeking high-quality internships and research opportunities. BrownConnect provides “one stop shopping” for internship and research opportunities in a wide range of fields and geographical locations, as well as financial support to students in low-paid or unpaid internships. Students can search BrownConnect for internships, research opportunities, alumni, and funding offered through and for the Brown community.
Can students receive credit for a summer internship?
It is rare for Brown students to receive academic credit for an internship. To receive credit, students need to develop an independent study related to the internship under the direction of a faculty member. Since independent study is not offered in the summer, the employer must be willing to accept fall term credit. CareerLAB can write a letter that explains Brown's policy but does not confirm that the student will receive credit. To obtain this letter or if you have further questions about this issue, contact [email protected]
What internship programs exist at Brown?
BrownConnect is a university-wide initiative aimed at providing Brown students with more summer internship opportunities, more funding to ensure these opportunities are accessible to all students regardless of financial circumstance, and more connections with alumni and parents.
BrownConnect offers a variety of Signature programs, the Ittleson Foundation Summer Internship and many internship award opportunities. Go to our BrownConnect page to read more about these exciting opportunities.
Does CareerLAB offer internship funding?
Yes, depending on your internship opportunity, you may qualify to apply for some of Internship Awards. Visit the BrownConnect page to review the internal and external options available.
How can I talk to other Brown students about my internship experiences?
The Peer-to-Peer Summer Opportunities Fair, an annual event held before winter break, is an opportunity for students seeking internships to learn from their peers who have already interned in a number of fields. Experienced students can talk to their peers not only about internship experiences in the US and abroad, but also about housing resources and options for funding.
What resources are available for searching internship opportunities?
Many options exist. Here are a few Brown specific resources to get you started:
