An opportunity to connect with our alumni at or recently graduated from colleges and universities all across America, these events will include a panel discussion of HW alums followed by a question and answer and networking session where students can engage with each alum. These events are open to all Harvard-Westlake faculty, students, and parents and will occur 2-3 times per week depending upon the schedule. They can expect to cover:
- An overview of the college/university from a specific school/major perspective
- The admission process including internships, jobs, and research opportunities
- The student experience including from first generation, immigrant, historically disadvantage and/or marginalized groups
- Life after the college/university
RSVP in the events section on the platform. If you need to register a profile on the platform, click here. Parents and members of the extended HW community, please remember that signing up for the platform means agreeing to act as a resource, guide, mentor, or advisor for HW students and alumni. If you simply want access to the community for a student or an alum, have them setup a profile on the platform, If you simply want access to the community, setup a meeting with me (kfrance@hw.com)
HW Works will be offering monthly roundtable discussions to help our community take action on their careers. This is an opportunity for you to have your career questions answered.
HW Works: Ace Your Interview - Interview skills can make or break your chance of receiving an offer. HW alums Jennifer Heenan P’24, Donna LaFollette ‘84, and Spencer Villasenor `99 cover how to effectively prepare and research for an interview, including proven strategies for in-person, phone and video interviews, and how to handle difficult questions.
HW Works: Compensation Negotiation Strategies for the Job Search - Learn the skills needed to negotiate your compensation during the job search process with the VP of Warner Distribution, Melissa De La Rama ’97; and Susie Galiano ’94, labor and employment attorney at LightGabler. Explore how to research and articulate your value to prospective employers, while building a strategy to place yourself in the best position for when you have an offer.
HW Works: Deconstructing the Internship or Job Posting - What are the most essential parts of an internship or job description? Are you a good fit for the role, and is it a good fit for you? Learn how to break down an internship or job posting, properly tailor your documents towards a particular job, and be more successful in communicating your value-add to employers. Having a job/internship posting or postings of interest already is encouraged.
HW Works: Finding and Funding International Experiences - Want to intern, study, volunteer in Africa, Asia, South America, Europe, Australia, or Antarctica, but unsure where to begin? Do you want to get experience in a particular country and need ideas? Hear from a panel of alumni about their diverse internship experiences internationally and learn strategies for finding and funding your internship!
HW Works: Finding Research Opportunities - Excited to do research? Curious about what it actually means to “do research”? Learn about how to find a research adviser, important questions to ask, different ways to fit this in your schedule, and how to find funding. This workshop is geared towards HW upper schoolers and alumni in college but all are welcome.
HW Works: Gaining Experience When You Have None - Looking to build the skills and confidence that will set you up for success as you explore career opportunities? Join this info session to learn about platforms designed to unlock exciting careers for students by connecting them with virtual projects and company-endorsed Virtual Work Experience Programs across a variety of career pathways.
HW Works: Identifying Your Values, Skills, & Strengths - What role do values, skills, and strengths play in figuring out a job or career? How do you know the right balance of all of these factors when making a decision? What ARE your strengths? This workshop will help you begin to identify your unique strengths/skills/talents and show you how they can translate into a future internship or career.
HW Works: Navigating Summer Opportunities Funding - Learn about Harvard-Westlake’s many summer opportunities and where to look for your best chance of getting funding to pursue your summer plans. Presented by Director of Kutler Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Study, Jim Patterson
HW Works: The Networked Job Search - You’ve heard that networking is the best way to find a great job or internship (it is!), but you may be hesitant to get started. The most productive way to learn about different career fields and cultivate opportunities is to meet one-on-one with professionals working in your field of interest. You’d be surprised how welcoming and informative these conversations can be. This interactive, hands-on workshop will demystify the process of networking and give you practical tips on how to actually get out there and network your way into a fabulous job!
HW Works: The Platform for Networking, Career Building & The Job Search - Join this hands-on, highly interactive seminar to be guided step-by-step through enhancing your profile and networking for job and internship leads through HW Works, using the experiences of current students. We’ll discuss industry, job function, experience and demo ways to reach out to parents, alumni and industry professionals; ask for networking meetings (called informational interviews); and grow your reputation by contributing on your home page via micro blogs. This session will be taught by Director of HW Works, Kwaisi France along with a rotating group of students.
HW Works: Resume and Cover Letter Writing: First impressions count! Market yourself and gain an edge in today’s job market by learning how to write an effective resume and cover letter. From writing accomplishment statements to deciding what to include and what to leave out, this workshop takes you step-by-step through how to build and improve your resume and cover letters.
RSVP in the events section on the platform. If you need to register a profile on the platform, click here. Parents and members of the extended HW community, please remember that signing up for the platform means agreeing to act as a resource, guide, mentor, or advisor for HW students and alumni. If you simply want access to the community for a student or an alum, have them setup a profile on the platform, If you simply want access to the community, setup a meeting with me (kfrance@hw.com)
Employer Information Sessions are an excellent way to network with employers and learn about career and employment opportunities in your areas of interest and with your employers of choice.
At Employer Information Sessions, you will be able to:
- Meet recruiters and employers looking to hire Harvard-Westlake students and alumni
- Learn about employment opportunities with a specific employer.
- Ask questions and learn about employers' recruitment processes.
RSVP in the events section on the platform. If you need to register a profile on the platform, click here. Parents and members of the extended HW community, please remember that signing up for the platform means agreeing to act as a resource, guide, mentor, or advisor for HW students and alumni. If you simply want access to the community for a student or an alum, have them setup a profile on the platform, If you simply want access to the community, setup a meeting with me (kfrance@hw.com)
Our Speaker Series events are designed to help our community expand its employment outlook. At each event, you will:
- Hear from professionals who graduated with your degree or work in your field of interest.
- Learn tips and strategies about career and work search based on the lived successes and failures of professionals.
- Gain perspective on your skills, knowledge, and abilities and how they apply to the workplace.
- Open doors to opportunities by talking with professionals who can get you connected.
Each event will include a panel discussion with an opportunity to ask questions. All Speaker Series events are free. Registration is required to access virtual event links.
Careers in Consulting and Sustainability: Discussion on life as a consultant as well as recommendations for students interested in consulting.
Careers in International Organizations and the United Nations - Covering what it means to work in an International Organization; how the UN recruitment process works and how an applicant can review vacancies to find the right opportunity; how to successfully pass the interview process with a UN Panel.
Careers in Writing: Join HW Alums for a discussion on making a life and a living as a writer. Topics covered may include (but are not limited to) tv and movies, pitching magazines, developing relationships with editors, carving out space and time to write scripts and longer-form pieces, and securing an agent.
Education Career Pathways: Curious about career pathways in education? Learn from a diverse panel of alumni and faculty who have experience in a variety of careers including: mission-driven education technology, teaching (in a variety of settings), boarding school admissions, consulting, and more! Learn about the HW (name of Teaching or Teacher Leadership Program if it exists) and other pathways to teaching.
Environmental Career Pathways: EPA - Hear it from the field! You’ll hear directly from EPA employees and HW alumni who work on mission critical projects, from environmental research to rule-writing. Panelists will share their stories and provide answers to your questions about career opportunities with EPA.
Humanities, Media, Marketing, and Creative Careers Panel - In the lead up to the HW Works fairs in Arts & Entertainment, Audio/Video Technology, Communications; Marketing, Sales, and Service; and Education and Training, join a variety of working professionals to get their perspective on the importance of creativity. Learn about specific opportunities to use creative skills in branding, marketing, advertising, and strategic communications. Panelists can also answer questions regarding trends, changes, entry-level requirements, the difference between marketing, advertising, and PR, hiring timelines, and more! There will be designated time after the panel to network with panelists in breakout rooms.
Museums, Galleries, Libraries, & Auction House Careers - Have you always dreamed of working in an environment surrounded by important pieces of modern and/or antique art? Are you interested in furthering the educational mission of a museum? Hear about the dynamic range of opportunities available at cultural institutions from HW Alumni who have pursued careers in museums, galleries, libraries, and auction houses.
NGOs & Government Careers - The many skills you will develop as a scholar of the humanities (project management, communication, problem solving, and more) will help to serve people and support policy in the US and abroad. Explore career options with the US government and with NGOs.
Psychology and Social Services: Career and Graduate School Pathways - With so many paths to a career in psychology or social work, where do you begin? Be inspired and informed by a panel of alumni who have diverse backgrounds and experience. Get advice about pursuing a Master’s, PhD, or PsyD now or later.
Pursuing a DDS - If you are considering applying to dental school please join HW alums, for a discussion about dental school admissions. They will present some helpful tips for applying to dental school and discuss some essential questions you must consider before applying. They will also discuss the application process, how admissions committees evaluate you, and actions you can take to strengthen your candidacy. Finally, they will discuss various careers in dentistry.
Pursuing a JD - If you are considering applying to law school please join HW alums for a discussion about law school admissions. They will present some helpful tips for applying to law school and discuss some essential questions you must consider before applying. They will also discuss the application process, how admissions committees evaluate you, and actions you can take to strengthen your candidacy. Finally, they will discuss careers after law school.
Pursuing a MBA (Booked) - If you are considering applying to business school please join HW alums for a discussion about business school admissions. They will present some helpful tips for applying to business school and discuss some essential questions you must consider before applying. They will also discuss the application process, how admissions committees evaluate you, and actions you can take to strengthen your candidacy. Finally, they will discuss various careers.
Pursuing a MD (completed) - If you are considering applying to medical school please join HW alums for a discussion about medical school admissions. They will present some helpful tips for applying to medical school and discuss some essential questions you must consider before applying. They will also discuss the application process, how admissions committees evaluate you, and actions you can take to strengthen your candidacy. Finally, they will discuss various careers in medicine. (Tiana Woolridge, Victoria Shen, Justin Shafa)
Pursuing a PhD in the Arts & Sciences (Booked) - If you are considering applying to PhD programs please join HW alumni for a discussion about earning a PhD. They will present some helpful tips for applying to PhD programs and discuss some essential questions you must consider before applying. They will also discuss the application process, how faculty admissions committees evaluate you, and actions you can take to strengthen your candidacy.
Real Estate Career Pathways: Thinking about a future in commercial or residential real estate, but want to learn more? Wondering what it would be like to work in real estate private equity? Plan to attend this panel of real estate professionals to hear about different career paths and get your questions answered.
Underrepresented in Health - Being premed and applying to medical school can be daunting for any student, but especially for those under-represented in medicine. Come to this panel to hear from HW parents and recent alumni to learn about their paths to medical school and how they navigated the process as under-represented students.
Underrepresented in Law - Being prelaw and applying to law school can be daunting for any student, but especially for those under-represented in law. Come to this panel to hear from HW parents and recent alumni to learn about their paths to law school and how they navigated the process as under-represented students.
Underrepresented in Business - Being pre-MBA and applying to business school can be daunting for any student, but especially for those under-represented in business. Come to this panel to hear from HW parents and recent alumni to learn about their paths to businessl school and how they navigated the process as under-represented students.
Connect with professionals to learn from their career stories.
Career Day matches you with a professional to learn about the day to day realities of a career, gain valuable advice, and explore your career options.The program is currently offered as an in-person workplace visit.
Career Day is an opportunity to:
- Learn about potential career options and ways to apply education, training and/or experience;
- Test a career option before making a commitment to pursue it;
- Clarify work-related preferences and interests (e.g., work environment, sector, tasks);
- Develop knowledge of the industry, occupation or field as well as the specific vocabulary within that field;
- Make useful connections with professionals;
- Increase confidence in the work search process.
- Gain exposure to the workplace.
Job shadowing is voluntary, unpaid, and extracurricular. We cannot guarantee that every applicant and host will be matched. Career Day will take place January 29, 2025, at various locations across the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan area and via Zoom.
Career Day FAQ
RSVP in the events section on the platform. If you need to register a profile on the platform, click here. Parents and members of the extended HW community, please remember that signing up for the platform means agreeing to act as a resource, guide, mentor, or advisor for HW students and alumni. If you simply want access to the community for a student or an alum, have them setup a profile on the platform, If you simply want access to the community, setup a meeting with me (kfrance@hw.com)
Career fairs are a great way to connect with HW students, alumni, and parents while offering the opportunity to meet potential employee prospects.You can expect to connect with a variety of students and alumni from all areas of study at our Career Day and Spring Hiring Fair events.
Career fairs are a great opportunity to interact with a large number of employers on the same day. You will be able to:
- Build your network of professional contacts.
- Explore your career options and how you can put your degree to work.
- Discuss current and future work opportunities with a variety of organizations.
RSVP in the events section on the platform. If you need to register a profile on the platform, click here. Parents and members of the extended HW community, please remember that signing up for the platform means agreeing to act as a resource, guide, mentor, or advisor for HW students and alumni.
In this case, you are signing up in the capacity of a potential employer. If you simply want access to the community for a student or an alum, have them setup a profile on the platform, If you simply want access to the community, setup a meeting with me (kfrance@hw.com)
The Harvard-Westlake NextGen Conference is an annual event that fosters innovation and learning about the future of industry. Harvard-Westlake believes that education has the power to inspire, elevate, and change the future. Nextgen brings together the learner, the practitioner, the entrepreneur, and the visionary to share their groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build reimagined paths forward. It is this unfettered, inspired and passionate community that will collectively create a new tomorrow everywhere and drive impact.
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