Programs and Services

Advising Appointments

Our advising appointments are tailored to your needs. We examine your particular situation and use the 15 minute appointment to help you in your career development or work search. All course and program planning questions, for both prospective and current students, must be directed to the appropriate faculty/department advisor

We offer four types of advising appointments

1. Career Advising: Using an action-based model of career management, Works can help you understand how transitions and unplanned events impact your career, suggest methods to discover and test your career options, and help you make sense of career information so you can formulate career decisions. If you are searching for work, Works can help you identify and overcome obstacles, learn new work search strategies, and sharpen your existing work search skills. Although we cannot tell you the specific career or occupation that's best for you, we can suggest actions and resources that will move you towards your preferred future.
2. LinkedIn and Platform Profile Critique: Works will provide feedback on your LinkedIn and Platform profiles, suggest ways you can improve them, and show you features and tools of both that can improve your career research and work search.
3. Mock Interviews: Works will develop and simulate a targeted interview, then provide you with valuable feedback on how to improve your interview skills. Students entering college will be provided mock interviews upon request.
4. Letter of Introduction, Cover Letter, Resume, Application Critiques: Our advisors will provide advice on how to make your existing resumé, CV, cover letter, or application more effective, focusing on content, wording, format, and presentation. We also offer critiques of personal statements for college applications.

Appointment availability differs depending on the time of year and the type of advisor you need to see.

Drop In Advising

Talk to Works virtually on Wednesdays. Drop-ins include answering quick questions, recommending resources, or help in identifying the next steps in career management.

Drop-in advising is offered on the following dates in Fall 2023

• Wednesday August 30, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday September 6, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday September 13, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday October 4, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday October 18, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday November 8, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday November 15, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday November 29, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm
• Wednesday December 13, 2023: 8 am - 6 pm

Prepare for your Appointment

Depending on the type of advising appointment you book, you will need to provide us with specific materials at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment. Email your materials to kfrance@hw.com.

• Career Advising - your resume
• LinkedIn/Platform Profile Critique - a link to your LinkedIn/Platform profile
• Mock Interview - your resume/CV, cover letter, and a description of the job or type of work for which you are being interviewed
• Resume, CV, Cover Letter, and Application Form Critiques - a copy of the document(s) we will be reviewing

Scheduling and Requesting an Appointment

To schedule an advising appointment please contact Works via email kfrance@hw.com or visit us in-person at the Advancement House in the Upper School or Beyer Boardroom in the Middle School. If you’re unable to make it to our office or call during business hours, email works@hw.com for an appointment and we will follow up with you.

Questions?

Contact us at 818-487-6510 or email works@hw.com

Career Coaching

Navigating your career can sometimes leave you feeling lost, blocked, frustrated, and in need of some help moving forward. Career coaching is a working alliance between you and your coach. It will help you identify and understand challenges and obstacles, recognize their impact, and develop personalized strategies in addressing them. A series of career coaching appointments can help you to:

• Develop a deeper self-awareness and self-concept
• Clarify your career-related goals
• Break through various limitations and barriers
• Build motivation while working towards immediate and future goals
• Strengthen your approach to lifelong learning and self-discovery

Book Appointment

1. Go to the Works Platform and log into your account
2. Go to build relationships and connect with an alum

For any questions related to how to use the Works Platform, email works@hw.com or check out this quick tutorial (will make video)

Questions

For questions about career coaching, contact works@hw.com

Works In Progress Program: At any point during coaching, you can transfer into the Works In Progress (WIP) program

Career Mentoring Program

The HW Works Career Mentoring Program matches students, alumni and Partner Employment Program clients with mentors who are community-based professionals with relevant experience and interests. Through mentoring relationships, students and alumni develop and enhance the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and connections they need to transition into the world of work.

The program allows current students, alumni in college, college and recent college graduates, and Spousal/Partner Employment Program clients to:

• get experience that compliments and gives context to academic pursuits,
• practice industry-specific, transferable, and self-management skills to improve chances of landing a job,
• increase self-awareness and understanding of how to contribute to the work world,
• expand career options by learning job search strategies, and
• exchange knowledge, insights, and experience with a mentor.

Mentee applications for the Winter 2024 term will open in September.

Mentees

Current Harvard-Westlake students, alumni in college, and college and recent graduates are eligible to apply for mentorship. Clients in the Spousal/Partner Employment Program are also eligible to apply for mentorship.

Attributes of Good Mentees

A good mentee:

• Has reached a point in their career exploration, through activities such as career advising and job shadowing, that has set them up to explore deeper career questions.
• Knows the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and connections they want to learn or develop.
• Is a self-directed learner and takes initiative.
• Solicits and accepts constructive feedback.
• Wants to explore their interests, values, strengths, and career desires.
• Can describe their ideal mentor with specific parameters.

Benefits of Being a Mentee

At the end of the program, mentees will have:

• Gained information, advice, and guidance from someone with professional experience.
• Received nonjudgmental feedback on and practice in developing workplace skills.
• Discovered new contacts and community connections.
• Realistic, first-hand information about career paths, jobs, industries, and work settings.
• Insight and clarity about academic goals and future plans.
• Self-confidence and experience in professional settings.
• The ability to recognize unexpected opportunities.

Expectations of a Mentee

After being matched with a mentor, mentees are expected to:

• Own the learning process; practice self-awareness through reflection to understand personal vision (i.e. interests, values, strengths, career desires, etc.).
• Admit errors and mistakes, recognize procrastination, and take responsibility for actions.
• Initiate consistent and timely communication with the mentor.
• Solicit feedback from the mentor regularly.
• Give feedback to the mentor and demonstrate appreciation for their suggestion.
• Set and describe goals and discuss them with their mentor.
• Evaluate progress by setting performance criteria and tracking achievements.
• Be open-minded and show interest in new perspectives.
• Be an active listener (i.e. in meetings, on the phone, in email responses).
• Use tact in communicating differences of opinion.

Mentors

Career mentors are trusted guides that act as an informal coach, role model, and connector, offering encouragement and advice. Mentors do not apply to the Career Mentoring Program and are, instead, identified and approached after the unique mentoring needs of each mentee are understood.

Attributes of Good Mentors

A good mentor:

• Is recognized as a mentor by their peers.
• Has the desire to help less experienced people.
• Sees solutions and opportunities that help mentees make sense of their goals and challenges.
• Can stimulate a mentee's thinking and reflection.
• Actively listens with an open mind and without judgment.
• Is empathetic to the experiences of a mentee.
• Sees being a mentor as a way to personally grow and learn.

Benefits of Being a Mentor

At the end of the program, mentors will have:

• Gained satisfaction in building up the self-worth of a new professional.
• Diversified professional networks by exploring new connections on behalf of their mentee.
• Practiced leadership and interpersonal skills through coaching, communication, and active listening.
• Helped a new professional leverage unplanned events in their life and career.
• Contributed to the long-term growth of their industry.
• Gained a fresh perspective on work-related practices.
• Experienced career rejuvenation.

Expectations of a Mentor

Mentors are expected to:

• Draw on personal experience, successes, failures, and insights to assist their mentee.
• Improve skills as a mentor.
• Be available for the time and frequency agreed upon in the Mentoring Agreement.
• Be open to giving and receiving feedback with their mentee.
• Be interested in learning from someone with a different background and experiences.

The Career Mentoring Program is offered twice a year:

• Fall Semester Program length: 4 months, September to December
  • Applications open in March
• Winter Semester Program length: 4 months, January to April 
  • Applications open in September

Program format: Virtual

Time commitment: minimum 20 hours over 4 months

Participants accepted into the Career Mentoring Program are expected to attend an intake meeting, orientation session, launch event, workshop, and a program graduation. Mentors and mentees will also schedule bi-monthly meetings.

Questions
Please contact works@hw.com

Experience in the workplace can help you test out career options, apply academic knowledge, build transferable skills, and make professional connections.

The program supports spouses and partners of college and recent graduate alumni as well as newly hired academic staff on continuing appointments to achieve their employment goals upon relocating to Los Angeles.

Request Works to present career and work-related topics to your class or group, on- or off-campus.