Career Coaching

Make an appointment!

Career Coaching is an opportunity for you to meet virtually (via Zoom) with a Career Coach and discuss your career-related questions. These could include what you might want to do next in your career, transitioning well to other work areas, developing your job search materials, strategizing your career path and/or developing professionally. There are many other topics you might want to discuss and we are here to help you navigate your transition.

To schedule an appointment with a Career Coach, please go to Handshake and select a coaching appointment time. (Directions to set up alumni access to Handshake.)

Another focus within career coaching is career assessments.  Please see the assessment options listed below.

Assessments Options

Meaningful Work Kit

The Meaningful Work Kit empowers you to identify and prioritize what is essential to you at your core, work cultures that are a fit for you, and skills you enjoy using. The Kit is a practical tool that gives you concrete and valuable insights. You can make a 45-minute appointment with your career coach to do this card sort activity virtually during the appointment, you can take the assessment on your own and meet with a coach to make the most of your results and plan next steps, or you can complete the assessment with other alumni and students in a workshop setting.

CliftonStrengths 

The CliftonStrengths assessment generates a list of your top five talent themes, along with action items for development and suggestions about how you can use your talents to achieve academic, career, and personal satisfaction.

Directions to Schedule an Appointment to take an assessment

• Schedule an appointment with a career coach through Handshake.
• If you select the Meaningful Work Kit, you can do the card sort activity virtually during the appointment, or if you've already completed part or all of the assessment on your own, you can talk with the coach about next steps using the assessment in your career development.
• If you are interested in CliftonStrengths, first meet with a coach and then you will receive an email with instructions and a code to access the assessment.  After completing the assessment you will want to schedule a 45 minute assessment appointment to review your results and discuss how to utilize the information in your next steps.

Additional Stanford Advising for Alumni

In addition to career coaches at Stanford Career Education, PlusFive alumni can make appointments with a Cardinal Careers advisor from the Haas Center for Public Service. 

Each of the Stanford professional schools offers career services for their alumni. Connect with your school’s career center to learn more: Schools of Business, Education, Law, and Medicine.

Stanford Academic Advising offers resources and advising for alumni from Stanford undergraduate programs regarding applying to graduate and professional schools.
Guide on Getting into Grad School from the Stanford School of Humanities & Sciences.
Mind Over Money offers financial coaching and resources for alumni.

Meet the PlusFive Career Coaches

Directions to Access Handshake for PlusFive Alumni

Are you a recent graduate and you still have access to your original student Handshake account? Please update your email so you will have access to appointment details and reminders, etc. 

1. Log in to Handshake using your student email (SUNet ID @stanford.edu) and password
2. Go to Settings (under your initials in upper corner for web version, in the app it’s under Profile)
3. Update your primary email address*

Did you graduate a while ago or you no longer have access to your old student Handshake account?

1. Please complete this form
2. We will update your email address on the back end so you will be able to log in

*More detailed directions for updating your email in Handshake are here.