Williams College Career Toolkit

Williams’ career advising model is intentionally more personal than at a large university — advisors specialize by career community, there are no generic one-size-fits-all sessions, and the student-to-advisor ratio is extremely low. Use this to your advantage by starting early and coming back often.

• Book a ‘Getting Started’ Appointment

  Your first ’68 Center appointment. Come with no plan — advisors want to hear where you are, not where you think you should be. They’ll walk you through Handshake, EphLink, and your relevant career community. Schedule within your first two weeks at Williams.

• Career Community Advising (Industry-Specific)

  The ’68 Center is organized by career community, not major. Each community has a dedicated advisor with real industry knowledge — finance, consulting, public service, arts, health professions, education, and more. After your first appointment, book directly with your community’s advisor for deeper industry-specific guidance.

• Peer Career Advisors

  ~20 trained peer advisors who run outreach, events, and 1:1 appointments for resumes, cover letters, networking, and interview prep. Often more available than professional staff and candid about the recruiting reality at Williams. Find them via Handshake appointments.

• Health Professions Advising (Pre-Med & Allied Health)

  Director of Health Professions Advising Sharon Gonzales works alongside faculty to help students plan academic, clinical, service, and research trajectories toward medical and other health professions schools. Start meeting with her freshman year — the timeline for MD/DO/PA applications requires years of planning.

• Entrepreneurship & Innovation Advising

  The ’68 Center supports entrepreneurship through advising, funding, and the annual pitch competition where student teams compete for $20,000 in seed money and alumni mentorship. If you have a business idea, tell your advisor — Williams has more alumni-investor infrastructure than students typically realize.

• Graduate School Advising

  Pre-professional advising for law school, business school, PhD programs, and other graduate paths. Williams has exceptionally strong placement into top graduate programs — advisors have specific knowledge about which programs Williams grads get into and what a competitive application looks like.

Williams organizes career support by industry community, not by major. You can belong to multiple communities simultaneously and switch as your interests evolve. Each community has its own advisor, alumni network within EphLink, dedicated Handshake events, and industry-specific Career Treks.

• Financial Services Career Community

  Dedicated finance community with its own advisor, action plans, recruiting timelines, and alumni network. Covers investment banking, asset management, hedge funds, PE, VC, and financial planning. Finance is one of Williams’ largest post-graduation sectors — the alumni network here is unusually dense. The community uses Wall Street Oasis financial modeling and interview prep resources, accessible free to members.

• Consulting Career Community

  Dedicated consulting community covering MBB, Big Four strategy, boutique advisory, and internal corporate strategy. Williams students fare well in consulting recruiting — advisors have firm-specific knowledge about McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture timelines and case interview expectations. The community runs case practice matching through EphLink’s ‘Ephs in Consulting’ group.

• Public Service & Government Career Community

  Covers federal government, state/local government, international development, policy think tanks, and political campaigns. Williams has strong placement into Teach For America, Peace Corps, government agencies, and policy fellowships. Advisors can connect you with alumni across all branches of government.

• Arts, Media & Communications Career Community

  Covers journalism, publishing, film, theater, music, museums, design, advertising, and digital media. Williams’ WCMA (one of the finest college art museums in the country) and its arts programs produce a strong arts-sector alumni base. The community runs treks to New York City media companies.

• Nonprofit, Social Impact & Education Community

  Covers nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, K-12 and higher education, and social enterprise. Williams has unusually high engagement in education — Teach For America regularly ranks Williams among its top feeder colleges per capita. The Center for Learning in Action (CLiA) bridges this community with campus service programs.

• Science, Technology & Engineering Community

  Covers software engineering, data science, biotech, environmental science, and academic research. Williams students going into tech often succeed through the liberal arts angle — advisors can help you position your quantitative and writing skills to tech employers who actively seek non-CS majors.

This is the section most students underuse. Williams has two significant funding programs that remove financial barriers to career exploration — ASIP for summer internships and CAF for year-round career expenses. Most peer schools do not have anything equivalent at this scale.

• Alumni Sponsored Internship Program (ASIP) — Main Page

  Grants of $2,000–$5,500 for unpaid or minimally paid full-time summer internships. Open to currently enrolled first-years, sophomores, juniors, and off-cycle seniors. The internship can be anywhere in the world. Applications due in late April — you must have a secured internship first. Highly competitive. Email asip@williams.edu with any questions.

• ASIP Opportunities Board

  Alumni-sourced internship listings specifically curated for ASIP. Williams alumni post positions they want to hire Williams students into — often in fields and cities that don’t heavily recruit on Handshake. Check this board in January and February before it fills. Even if you find your own internship, you still apply for ASIP funding separately.

• ASIP Intern Gallery — See Where Past Interns Have Gone

  Final reports from past ASIP interns across every industry and location. Read these before writing your ASIP application — they show what a successful application looks like, what kinds of internships get funded, and what students learned. Galleries available for 2024 and 2025 cohorts.

• Career Access Fund (CAF)

  Year-round financial support for career expenses — interview travel, professional clothing, conference registration, graduate school exam fees, and more. Applications reviewed every Wednesday at 1pm during the academic year. Far fewer students apply than are eligible. If you receive financial aid and have a career-related expense, apply.

• Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford (WEPO)

  26 students per year spend junior year at Exeter College, Oxford, as full members of the college. A year at Oxford adds significant credibility to applications for graduate school, finance, and consulting — and the network of WEPO alumni is tight. Apply through the Dean of Studies in sophomore year.

• Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program

  Semester-long program at Mystic Seaport covering maritime history, marine policy, literature, and ecology. Strong pipeline into environmental consulting, maritime law, and ocean science careers. An unusual academic credential that distinguishes applicants in environmental and policy fields.

Williams resumes are one page regardless of year. The ’68 Center has specific guidance by class year — first-years include high school material, upperclassmen do not. The Williams career communities also have industry-specific resume templates (finance resumes look different from consulting or nonprofit resumes).

• Resume & Cover Letter Resource Hub

  The ’68 Center’s main written guide to resumes and cover letters, including a downloadable guidebook and year-specific templates. First-years: use the first-year template that includes high school experience. Upperclassmen: your resume should have no high school content after sophomore year unless it is exceptionally distinctive.

• Book a Resume Review with a Career Advisor

  Book a 1:1 resume review via Handshake. Request a reviewer from your specific career community — a finance advisor will know what Goldman Sachs recruiters want to see, which is different from what a nonprofit hiring manager looks for. Get your resume reviewed before sending a single application.

• Book a Resume Review with a Peer Advisor

  Peer advisors are often more available and will give you brutally honest feedback. Book through Handshake. Particularly useful for a quick turnaround before an application deadline — peer advisors are trained to the same standards as professional staff.

• Cover Letter Workshop via Career Community

  Each career community runs cover letter workshops aligned to its industry’s expectations. Finance cover letters are short and technical; consulting cover letters are structured around problem-solving frameworks; nonprofit cover letters lead with mission alignment. Attend the workshop for your community before writing your first one.

• LinkedIn — Williams Alumni Search

  Search Williams alumni on LinkedIn by industry, company, and location. Type ‘Williams College’ in the search bar, select Alumni, and filter by field. This finds alumni who are not on EphLink. Standard outreach: 3 sentences — who you are, why you’re reaching out, one specific question. Response rates for cold LinkedIn outreach to Williams alums are high.

• Visualize Your Liberal Arts Future — Alumni Career Paths

  Interactive graphic mapping career paths of 31,000+ Williams alumni by major. Shows where Economics, Math, Biology, English, History majors actually end up — most paths are far less linear than students expect. Use this to see which majors open which doors, and to stop worrying that your major determines your career.

Williams has no large dedicated interview prep infrastructure the way Ross or Wharton do — but the EphLink alumni network is specifically designed to fill this gap. Many alumni have checked ‘mock interviewing’ as a topic they will help with. Use them. The ’68 Center also runs industry-specific prep workshops each semester.

• Mock Interview with a Career Advisor

  Book a mock interview via Handshake with a ’68 Center professional advisor. Best for first-round behavioral prep and general interview structure. Tell the advisor which firm and role you are preparing for — they will tailor the questions to that employer’s known style.

• Mock Interview via EphLink — Alumni Who Volunteer

  Filter EphLink by ‘Mock Interviews’ under Help Topics in the More Filters section. You’ll find alumni at your target firms who have volunteered specifically to practice interviews with students. A Goldman alum practicing Goldman interview questions with you is more valuable than any generic prep platform. Message 3-5 alumni and book whichever responds first.

• Consulting Case Practice — ‘Ephs in Consulting’ EphLink Group

  Join the ‘Ephs in Consulting’ group on EphLink to find alumni who will practice cases with you. The ’68 Center’s consulting community explicitly recommends this as the most effective case prep method — practicing with alumni who recently went through MBB recruiting is more valuable than case books alone. You need 50-100 cases minimum before consulting interviews.

• Wall Street Oasis — Finance Interview Prep (Free via ’68 Center)

  The ’68 Center’s financial services community has licensed access to Wall Street Oasis interview prep, including a Behavioral Interview course and Technical Interview course. The technical module covers accounting, DCF, LBO, and market questions. Complete both modules before any finance interview. Access through the finance community page.

• Wall Street Oasis — Financial Modeling & Networking Module

  Also via WSOaccess: a networking-in-finance module that covers how to cold email analysts, how to structure informational interviews at banks, and how to follow up. Finance recruiting at Williams is heavily relationship-driven — understanding the networking protocol is as important as technical prep.

• Salary Negotiation & Self Advocacy (Alumni Presentation)

  Alumni-led presentation on how to negotiate salary and evaluate offers. Linked from both the finance and consulting community pages. Williams students frequently leave money on the table at the offer stage — watch this before accepting any offer. Employers typically give 2-3 weeks to decide; deadlines can often be extended.

Williams’ greatest career asset is its alumni network — frequently described as the strongest per-capita network among all liberal arts colleges. 6,500+ alumni on EphLink have voluntarily raised their hand to help current students. This is not typical. Use it aggressively and early.

• EphLink — Full Alumni Platform

  Primary networking platform. Import your LinkedIn profile to speed up your profile setup. Search alumni by industry, company, location, class year, and help topic. Best uses: informational interviews (30-minute calls to learn about a field), mock interview practice, finding mentors, and connecting with alumni at specific firms before you apply. Message style: 3 sentences, one specific question, always.

• Career Meetups

  Recurring on-campus events where alumni and employers meet informally with students. Different from a career fair — smaller, more conversational, no expectation of applying on the spot. Attend in fields you are exploring even if you feel underprepared. The ’68 Center schedules these through Handshake events.

• Career Treks — Employer Site Visits Across the Country

  Organized trips to visit employers, alumni, and graduate programs in target cities — primarily New York, Boston, and Washington DC. Each trek is organized by career community. Attending a trek gives you the relationship foundation to follow up with a firm before formal applications open, which is a significant advantage. Check Handshake events in September and January for trek registration.

• Fall Job & Internship Fair (Annual — September)

  Annual career fair held each September (2025 date: Friday, September 12, 1:00-4:00pm). ~300 employer partners connect with Williams students via on-campus events throughout the year — the fair is the largest single event. Come with tailored resumes for each employer you plan to visit. Register in advance via Handshake.

• Winter Study Career Exploration Trip to New York City

  Part of CCE 42 (Exploring Careers), offered during Winter Study for first-years and sophomores. Includes a 3-day trip to New York City for career conversations with alumni and employers across industries. One of the most useful experiences available to first-years — sign up in October when the course application opens.

• Alumni Career Connections — Online Platform

  Broader alumni platform for professional networking, resource sharing, and career content from the 30,000+ Williams alumni community. Complements EphLink — useful for finding alumni in less-represented fields who may not be on EphLink.

Williams doesn’t have a massive on-campus recruiting infrastructure like a large university — but its alumni network and ASIP program create a parallel system that is in many ways more effective. The combination of Handshake, EphLink, and the ASIP Opportunities Board gives Williams students access to opportunities that never get posted publicly.

• Handshake — Williams Job & Internship Board

  Primary platform. Set up Career Interests immediately — this determines which postings and events you see. Use the filter function on the Jobs tab to select Internship, Industry, Skills, and Location. Save search criteria to receive email alerts. Also the system for booking advisor appointments and signing up for on-campus interviews.

• ASIP Opportunities Board

  Alumni-sourced internships specifically curated for Williams students. Different from Handshake — these are positions that Williams alumni have specifically created or opened for Eph students. Many are in smaller firms, boutique shops, and nonprofits that don’t post on general job boards. Check starting in January each year.

• CCE 21 — Winter Study Internship Course

  For sophomores, juniors, and seniors. A full-time January internship for academic credit. Some positions are posted by the ’68 Center; most students find or create their own through EphLink and alumni outreach. Applications for the course open in fall — meet with a career advisor in October to build your search strategy.

• Fellowships & Post-Graduate Funding

  Williams has strong fellowship placement — Watson Fellowship, Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, and Gates Cambridge among others. The ’68 Center and Dean of Studies advise on fellowship applications. If you have any interest in a fellowship year, tell your advisor sophomore year — most require 2+ years of relationship building and faculty nominations.

• Switchboard — Senior Housing & Post-Williams Community

  Bulletin board for seniors and recent grads to find housing, roommates, and post-Williams community in cities like New York and Boston. Practical tool for the transition out of Williamstown — a Class of 2026 tag helps you find classmates headed to the same city.

• USAJobs.gov — Federal Government Positions

  Federal government job board for policy, research, regulatory, and public service roles at agencies including the State Department, Treasury, SEC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve. Williams has strong pipelines into government given its political science, economics, and history programs. These roles don’t appear on Handshake.

Williams’ unique January Winter Study term is an underused career resource. The ’68 Center runs courses specifically designed to advance career development during this month — these are among the highest-value uses of a Williams January.

• CCE 42: Exploring Careers (First-Years & Sophomores)

  Deep-dive career exploration course covering self-assessment, career options research, resume writing, cover letters, interviewing, and networking. Includes a 3-day trip to New York City for in-person career conversations with alumni and employers. Ideal for students who haven’t declared a major and want to clarify their direction. Applications launch in October — apply as a first-year.

• CCE 21: Winter Study Internship (Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors)

  Full-time January internship for academic credit. You spend the month embedded with an organization in your field of interest. Some positions are posted; many students source their own through EphLink alumni outreach. Advisors help with strategy throughout fall. Applications due mid-to-late October.

• ‘Investing in a Real Fund’ — Winter Study Finance Course

  Taught by David Pesikoff ’90, this course teaches real portfolio management and equity research using the Williams Investment Group’s actual fund. Students who complete the course have the option to join WIG afterward. The most direct on-ramp into Williams’ finance club ecosystem. High demand — apply early.

• Industry-Specific Career Exploration Courses

  The ’68 Center partners with alumni and community members to offer an expanding set of Winter Study courses for students with identified industry interests. Topics vary by year — recent examples include courses in consulting, public interest law, and healthcare. Check the Winter Study catalog in October for the current year’s offerings.

Williams has 200+ student organizations. The ones below are most directly career-relevant — particularly for students interested in finance, consulting, entrepreneurship, and social impact. At a school of 2,000 students, joining a club is a much more intimate experience than at a large university, and alumni connections through clubs are correspondingly stronger.

• Williams Investment Group (WIG)

  A long-only investment fund that is a separate capital pool within the College’s endowment, managed entirely by students. Members manage a six-figure portfolio funded by alumni donations specifically to WIG. Weekly stock pitches and portfolio votes — real money, real decisions. Entry through the ‘Investing in a Real Fund’ Winter Study course taught by David Pesikoff ’90. Strong alumni base in asset management and hedge funds.

• Purple Mountain Partners

  Investment club (not an official RSO) that manages its own pool of capital funded by alumni board members. Weekly stock pitch meetings with 35-40 active members. Has a structured mentorship system pairing underclassmen with upperclassmen for recruiting prep and career advice. Particularly strong entry point for first-years interested in investing who haven’t yet done the WIG Winter Study course.

• Williams Insight — Financial & Political Think Tank

  Weekly meetings analyzing current financial and political affairs, culminating in written articles for Insight’s public financial publication. Builds the research, analytical writing, and market commentary skills that equity research, journalism, and policy roles value. A good fit for students who want finance exposure through an intellectual lens rather than portfolio management.

• Williams Consulting Group (WCG)

  Student-run pro-bono consulting organization working with local nonprofits and small businesses in the Williamstown area. Semester-long project engagements that mirror real consulting deliverables. Strong prep for MBB recruiting — the project experience and structured problem-solving are directly relevant to case interviews and resume conversations.

• Williams Undergraduate Economics Society

  Hosts speaker series, networking events, and discussions with economists and business professionals. Economics is one of Williams’ most popular majors — this club creates the alumni connections and professional context that econ coursework alone doesn’t provide. Open to all students regardless of major.

• Minorities for Pre-Law (MPL)

  Supports underrepresented students pursuing careers in law. Hosts alumni panels, LSAT prep information, and networking events with Williams law alumni. Williams has a strong law school placement record — advisors can connect you with alumni at top law schools and firms.

• Center for Learning in Action (CLiA) — Service RSOs

  Hub for community engagement RSOs including OURSTEM+, Higher Ground Inc., and others. Bridges academic work with community-based service and research. Strong pipeline into education, social enterprise, and nonprofit careers. CLiA Director Paula Consolini can connect students with organizations for volunteering, fieldwork, and paid community work.

• Annual Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition

  $20,000 in seed money awarded to winning student teams, who also receive ongoing mentorship from alumni investors and business professionals. Organized by the ’68 Center with deep alumni involvement. Even if you don’t win, competing puts you in front of the most entrepreneurship-engaged alumni. Ask your career advisor in the fall about the current year’s timeline and requirements.

Williams has one of the strongest outcomes profiles of any liberal arts college. The small class size (550 per year) means that per-capita placement into elite graduate programs, fellowships, and competitive employers is consistently high. Use these data points to understand what is realistic and to calibrate your own goals.

• Destinations After Williams — Official Outcomes Report

  First-destination survey data reported six months after graduation. Shows employment rates, graduate school enrollment, industries, top employers, and geographic distribution by class year. The most reliable picture of what Williams graduates actually do — read the most recent report before your first career advising appointment.

• Visualize Your Liberal Arts Future — 31,000 Alumni Paths

  Interactive tool mapping the actual career paths of 31,000+ Williams alumni by major. Shows that Economics majors go into medicine, that Biology majors go into consulting, and that every major produces outliers in unexpected fields. Use this to stop assuming your major determines your outcome — it doesn’t.

• Watson Fellowship (Rising Seniors)

  Year of independent exploration outside the US — no structured agenda, no supervision, full stipend. One of the most distinctive post-graduate fellowships available. Williams has a strong Watson track record. Apply through the Dean of Studies in senior fall — requires faculty nomination and prior relationship with the committee. Start conversations sophomore year.

• Fulbright US Student Program

  Teaching assistantships and research grants in 140+ countries. Williams has a consistent Fulbright track record. The application is competitive and campus-reviewed — Williams nominates a limited number of applicants. Start conversations with the ’68 Center and Dean of Studies in junior year. Strong faculty relationships are essential.

• Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford — Junior Year

  26 students per year spend junior year as full members of Exeter College, Oxford. Adds significant credibility for graduate school and competitive employment applications. The WEPO alumni network is unusually tight and actively supportive. Apply through the Dean of Studies in sophomore year — start building the relationship early.

• ’68 Center Graduate School Pre-Professional Resources

  Advising and resources for law school, MBA, PhD, MD/DO, and other graduate paths. Includes guidance on LSAT/MCAT/GRE/GMAT prep, personal statements, and interview preparation. Williams has exceptionally strong graduate school placement — advisors have specific knowledge about which programs Williams students gain admission to and what makes a competitive application.