Career Resources and Alumni Benefits

As students and graduates at Columbia and the LSE, MA/MSc students have access to Career Centers at both universities. We strongly encourages students to take full advantage of these resources while they are enrolled in the program. Alumni maintain access to LSE career services for five years after graduation, and Columbia career services forever. After completing the program, our graduates become members of two extensive global alumni networks. 

Career Resources

The GSAS Compass office is an invaluable resource for career advising at Columbia. Dual Degree alumni have access to the Columbia’s career services for the rest of their lives.

Featured below is a sampling of services offered by GSAS Compass to CU students and Alumni. A full list of services can be found on their office's website. 

Columbia University Online Recruiting System

LionSHARE is a full service on-line recruiting system encompassing job and internship postings, on-campus recruiting opportunities, and events such as employer information sessions and career fairs. The system is for the exclusive use of Columbia students and alumni. 

Career Counselors 

Career counselors are available to meet individually with students and alumni through every step in their career exploration, and internship and job searches. Through partnering with career counselors, students benefit from personalized guidance on setting and maintaining career goals, gaining industry awareness, building career networks, and making informed and fulfilling career choices.

Career Resources for Columbia Alumni
  • Alumni Directory: The university-wide Alumni Directory is open to alumni and helps individuals stay connected with fellow alums from all Columbia schools. The database allows alumni to search by a variety of factors, including class year, city, state, country, field of work, company name, job title, school, major, and degree.
  • Unlimited, premium access to The Career Insider and WetFeet: Free, unrestricted privileges to the largest, most comprehensive career resource, made available to CU graduates through the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) and Vault.com. The Career Insider can be used for finding jobs, careers, top employers and educational programs, job search advice, salary info, job listings, employee message boards, and surveys. WetFeet helps job seekers make smart career decisions through expert career advice, company rankings, top MBA programs information, sample resumes, and other tools.

The LSE Career Centre offers LSE students an outstanding programme of events, internship and voluntary opportunities, careers advice and skills development. Featured below is a sampling of services offered by the LSE. A full list of LSE careers services can be found on the center’s website.

Skills Sessions

LSE career advisers run a core programme of careers skills seminars throughout term time, focusing on the recruitment process and introductory guides to employment sectors. Seminars include, the UK job market, how to write a CV, how to write effective applications, interview skills, assessment centres, group exercises and case study interviews. There are pre-fair seminars before each career fair, and a series of 'An introduction to careers in...' seminars on key industry areas. For more visit the schedule of Careers events.

LSE also offers a number of Employer led skills sessions. These skills sessions are interactive workshops, which focus on a key skill area the company prioritises for during its recruitment process.  Skills sessions are small, normally 30-40 students so they are also useful for networking. Students do not have to be interested in the company hosting the event to attend. 

Exclusive Online Vacancy Board

The My Careers Service portal contains an online vacancy board, exclusive to LSE, where students can search for full-time graduate vacancies, internships, work experience, vacation, part-time or term-time jobs   Students can register your occupational interests to receive targeted careers emails and alerts. My Careers Service becomes available to students after they have registered on campus at LSE. 

Careers Counselors

Individual careers advice underpins all of LSE careers services; students can meet with a careers adviser at any time to discuss anything related to their careers. Each academic department has a dedicated careers adviser who runs careers information sessions specific to students’ discipline. LSE Career Counselors work closely employers and track the graduate labour market in key industry sectors. For more information visit the LSE career center’s International History page.

Opportunities to Work While Studying
  • Part time work on campus is advertised exclusively to LSE students via LSE’s My Careers Serviceonline vacancy board.
  • The Volunteer Centre offers a range of volunteering opportunities for students. They also advise on volunteering in London and internationally and can help students assess how to make the best use of volunteering opportunities.  
  • LSE Internship Schemes are exclusive to LSE students and provide postgraduates with a unique source of opportunities in niche sectors: Parliament, Policy, Public Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Media Policy and Development. Students apply directly to LSE Careers, where applicants are matched to a bank of positions, based on their interests.  If successful, internships will take place for 1.5 days a week during term time.

Many students of international history choose to take advantage of the LSE Parliamentary internships scheme, which matches LSE postgraduate students, with MPs, Peers, UK MEPs and various departments in the Houses of Parliament.

Opportunities to Network and Connect with Employers
  • Careers fairs: LSE Careers runs many careers fairs on campus, including Law, Banking, Consultancy, Internships, Public sector and Policy, Advertising, Marketing and PR.
  • Career Seminars: The LSE Career Forums are an opportunity for students to hear personal experiences from top employers and put their questions to people in the field. 
  • Employer presentations: Hundreds of company presentations take place during Michaelmas term, both on campus and at company premises in London. Presentations give students an opportunity to meet company representatives, learn about their graduate programmes and other vacancies, and gain an insight into a company and its culture. All presentations on campus are for LSE students only, allowing students to have exclusive time with the different organisations.
Careers Center Alumni Services

LSE alumni have access to a variety of careers services for up to two years after their graduation ceremony via the LSE Graduate Advance service.  For a quick run down of services see Information for Alumni and for help with passwords see Alumni passwords.

Alumni Benefits

Graduates continue to receive access to the resources and services of Columbia GSAS Compass office.

Lifetime access to Columbia’s Libraries by applying for a University Alumni Identification Card that grants renewable reading privileges. Alumni may also purchase Columbia Library borrowing privileges at a reduced rate.

Networking opportunities with Columbia Alumni Association clubs throughout the United States and the world. Ability to participate in the Alumni Travel Study Program and Cafés Columbia, a series of informal discussion led by Columbia faculty, focused broadly on the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

Alumni of LSE have the opportunity to get involved with LSE Alumni Groups around the globe. There are currently over 50 officially recognized LSE alumni groups.

LSE alumni have access to a variety of careers services for up to five years after their graduation ceremony via the LSE Careers Center. For a quick run down of services see Information for Alumni

LSE alumni also have access to special events on campus and across the globe. For some of the most popular public events, the LSE Alumni Relations team are given an allocation of tickets to distribute to alumni of the School. For a schedule of events and ticketing information, please see the  Alumni Event Calendar.