The Center for Careers and Life After Brown has gone through many changes over the last couple of years, and perhaps the most obvious is its name change — until this year, CareerLAB was called the Career Development Center. Andrew Simmons, director of CareerLAB, said the nominal switch reflects a myriad of program changes CareerLAB has made.
The old name did "not represent to us exactly what we do," Simmons said. The name sounded too narrow, he said, and failed to convey the many services that CareerLAB wants to provide to students. Initially, the Career Development Center was simply "a place to look at job postings," he said, so the name made sense. But the center has been in continual progression, and today, it does not only focus on careers.
The center now has a "broader focus" on initiatives, such as recruiter and employer outreach and internships, Simmons said. Its purpose is no longer just to inform seniors of available jobs nor simply to offer advice. The office wants to take on a greater role in helping students learn all their options, for both the short and long terms, and in providing more complete support through the process of exploring careers. Last year, the center made changes including hiring new staff and focusing more on alumni relations. CareerLAB provides many ways for students to talk with an adviser. For example, they can schedule appointments, go to walk-in hours or attend Coffee and Careers, where they can speak with career advisers over a morning snack.
This summer, CareerLAB restricted access for seniors to its list of on-campus recruiting events until students watched a video on Facebook about the recruiting process and took an online quiz.
The Fall Career Fair will take place this Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m. The fair will feature over 90 employers with stations spread among Sayles Hall, Petteruti Lounge and the Kasper Multipurpose Room in Faunce House.
