Fletcher launches remarkable careers in an amazing array of different directions – private, public, non-profit, and international organizations. Sifting through the array of opportunities can be exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Not all students arrive at Fletcher with a well-defined plan for the next step of their career. Some do. No matter where you are in this spectrum, the Office of Career Services (OCS) is here to partner with you to find success.
Fletcher takes your career success as seriously as you do. Please find below a list of resources available to Fletcher students.
Professional Development Program (PDP) classes meet every Friday morning during the first semester. We have built time into the academic calendar with no other course conflicts so that every student is able to dedicate time each week to creating and executing a personalized career search program while here at Fletcher. The Professional Development Program takes a holistic approach to career management and introduces students to a portfolio of essential professional skills. The interactive course is taught by a combination of Office of Career Services staff, alumni and outside speakers.
Professional Development Program Syllabus
PDP 1 Introduction to the Office of Career Services & How Preferences Impact Career Choices
PDP 2 Developing Your Career Plan
PDP 3 Marketing Yourself
PDP 4 Strategic Resumes
PDP 5 Professional Communications
PDP 6 Cover Letters
PDP 7 Networking
PDP 8 Interview Skills
PDP 9 Elevator Pitch
The Office of Career Services has developed guides that correspond to each of the PDP sessions to help students with many of the complicated steps in the career search process. These guides offer additional background as well as useful tips and suggestions on the topic of each session to give students critical reference materials beyond the class discussions to which they can refer when the time comes to “exercise” that skill. For example, the cover letter guide includes several (successful) examples of Fletcher students which include the actual job description, resume and cover letter used to apply for the position so that students can see how the resume and cover letter work together to best highlight the student’s experience and skills for a specific position.
The OCS staff is available for all aspects of career coaching from self-assessment to salary negotiation. Career Coaches stay abreast of trends in the sectors they support through research and frequent employer outreach. Fletcher Career Coaches support students targeting careers in over 30 specific sectors and fields (e.g. business, energy, human rights, international development, public international law, security, US government). One-on-one coaching appointments might focus on:
Self-Assessment
Career brainstorming and strategy development
Information on specific fields
Resume and cover letter feedback
Application review
Videotaped mock interviews
Job offer and salary negotiation
Employers around the world value Fletcher’s unique interdisciplinary program, which produces graduates who know how to navigate the increasingly complex and globally integrated world. The faculty and staff at Fletcher explore, build, and maintain relationships with employers around the world. Examples of Employer Relations include:
Information Sessions
Resume Collections
Resume Books
On-Campus Recruiting
Interviews
Employer Outreach
Internship and Job Postings
Career Trips
In addition to the Professional Development Program, the Office of Career Services offers workshops on special topics such as:
Salary Negotiation
Case Interviews
Networking
Throughout the course of the year, OCS offers various workshops targeted towards students interested in particular sectors. The sectors are divided in the following way:
- Private Sector - for-profit industries, such as financial services, consulting, energy, telecommunications, airlines, and health services.
- Public Sector - government agencies and organizations (US or international) in fields such as immigration, justice, policy, security, Foreign Service, and transportation.
- Non-Profit Sector - organizations (US or international) with the tax status of not-for-profit, in such fields as humanitarian aid, refugee assistance, education, and human rights.
- International Organizations (IOs) - intergovernmental organizations are made up of, and financed by, member countries and include the United Nations, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, etc.
Sector Specific Programming includes sessions on:
Recruitment Timelines
Hiring Practices
Industry Specific Panels
Organization Specific Sessions
Summer Internship Panels
Alumni Information Sessions
These trips provide students with the opportunity to attend panels, visit particular organizations, join alumni for small group lunches and an evening information session. Please see the Career Trips page for additional information.
New York in January
Washington, DC in February
Boston
Networking is one of the most important things you will do at Fletcher and for a lifetime. You will have numerous opportunities throughout your time at Fletcher to network with peers, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, speakers, etc.
On-campus
New York, NY
Washington, DC
Boston
Around the world
Through the generosity of alumni and friends of Fletcher, OCS has some funding available to assist students with unpaid summer internships. Typically over 100 students receive summer internship funding which enables internships in dozens of different countries spread across Africa, Asia, Middle East, North and South America, and Eastern and Western Europe.
Below is a sample list of recent summer internships supported through this program.
Millennium Challenge Corporation in Burkina Faso
FINCA International in the Democratic Republic of Congo
OECD in France
UNICEF in Haiti
US Department of State in Malta
Accion International in Mexico
UNDP in Myanmar
The Tony Elemulu Foundation in Nigeria
Aghaaz Leadership Labs in Pakistan
World Trade Organization in Switzerland
NYPD Intelligence Division in USA
Innovations for Poverty Action in Zambia
Search for Common Ground in Zanzibar
Fletcher maintains an Intranet site exclusively for current students. Fletcher Career Central is an online tool used to manage your career search process used by students and job searching alumni. Both of these sites are password protected to ensure access is only available to Fletcher students and alumni. Fletcher's Intranet and Fletcher Career Central contain the following:
Internship Database
Jobs Database
Employer Contacts
Resume Books
Professional Networking Tool
Calendar of OCS events and workshops
Peer Search (resumes of classmates)
Links to job listservs
Workshop, event and coaching registration
Weekly Communications from OCS
Feedback Surveys
Fellowship Opportunities
Employment Website links
Alumni Database Requests
Business Cards
The Career Field Guides provide current students a description of the field, career paths, salary expectations, demand, necessary qualifications and related Fletcher coursework. Each guide has additional resources and websites with field and sector specific information.
Asian Development Bank
Banking/Financial Services
Business/Entrepreneurship
Capitol Hill
Conflict Resolution
Corporate Social Responsibility
Governance and Civil Society
International Education and Cultural Exchange
Energy
Environmental Policy/Program Management
European Union
Foundations
Government Relations/Public Affairs/Lobbying
Health and Nutrition
Human resources Training and Development
Human Rights
Humanitarian Assistance
International Development
International Law
Journalism/Media
Management/Strategic Consulting
Marketing/Sales
Microfinance
Non-Profit Management
Public Policy Research/Think Tanks
Public Relations
Refugee and Migration Affairs
Risk Management and Analysis
Science/Technology/Telecommunications
Security and Defense
Trade Policy and Promotion
US Federal Government
A library with both hard copy and web subscription services to help students learn about careers, industries and employers. Some sample resources include:
Vault Gold (premier website with access to detailed employer profiles and business-specific career guides)
Devex (premier website for international development jobs)
Industry specific guides (e.g. Federal Resumes, Life Inside an Embassy, EU Information Guide)
Subscriptions (Wall Street Journal, Boston Business Journal, Environmental Careers)
Fletcher’s 8,000 plus living alumni are active players on the global stage who are ready and willing to share their experiences and contacts in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors with current students. Fletcher graduates are innovative problem solvers in business, government, and non-governmental organizations worldwide. Connections made at Fletcher impact your professional life for a lifetime.
Examples of how alumni are involved with OCS:
Panel Speakers
Networking Events
Information Sessions
Career Guidance for OCS and Students
Offering Internships and Jobs
Hosting Site Visits
You will continue to develop your career after you graduate from Fletcher. Many of the career resources available to current students are available to alumni for life, including one-on-one coaching and access to electronic resources.