Career Support

As career changes become more frequent, we are continually looking for ways to serve you. There are plenty of opportunities to stay connected and use the Hope network to bring your career to life.

Boerigter Center for Calling and Career

The Hope College Boerigter Center for Calling and Career provides alumni with services related to career planning, information and tips on gaining relevant experience.

Online Job Postings

Hope uses career development software called Handshake to manage job postings for students and alumni. You can upload a résumé, view positions and volunteer opportunities, or post a position. Get started today.

The Hope College Connection

The Hope College Connection is an innovative online community for calling and career that brings together students, alumni and families for mentoring and experiential learning. You can tap into the power of the Hope network with smart-matching algorithms to identify new connection as you navigate your career.

Career Development and Lifelong Learning Courses

We know that your personal development and career preparation doesn’t stop after graduation. Learn more about alumni career development and lifelong learning courses to participate in online courses that will support you as you continue to discern, prepare and pursue what’s next on your journey. Once you register, you can access nine career development courses covering topics such as developing your personal brand and how to prepare for an interview, and three personal development courses including leadership development, stress management and unconscious bias training. We are happy to provide you with the opportunity to continue to develop these lifelong skills that you can use as you make an impact in our world. This valuable service has been paid for by the Alumni Association in order to provide it to you free of charge. Get started today!

Career Wheel

Alumni from over 90 majors, minors and pre-professional programs are currently in careers in multiple industries. Learn more about majors and occupations. 

DiscoverWork Program

The Hope College DiscoverWork program provides students with a unique opportunity for career exploration. Through an application process students are matched with alumni, parents and friends of the college based on career interest to explore a particular profession and work environment. Different from an internship, DiscoverWork opportunities are short-term, unpaid opportunities to meet with or shadow a professional and gain a first-hand perspective of his or her day-to-day work life.

Typical Activities

• Attend company staff meetings
• Assist with projects or complete office tasks
• Conduct informational interviews of professional staff
• Observe client interactions and the functions and duties of a particular career
• Tour the facilities
• Review organization’s mission/vision statement and organizational charts
• Understand office policies and procedures
• Review current trends in the profession
• Explore potential career paths within the organization and the profession
• Meet with key players of the organization

Timeline

• September: Host Recruitment/Registration ends.
• October: Students submit applications, resumes and letters of interest.
• November: Staff reviews application materials and coordinates review with hosts to rank applicants should more than one student apply for a single opportunity.
• December: Students are notified that they have been matched and confirm participation. Matched students are required to attend a training to receive their host's contact information. All hosts will receive the matched students resume upon selection.
• December–May: Program takes place, to be scheduled individually by the student and host for the amount of time selected by the host.

If you have questions or need additional information, please email discoverwork@hope.edu.

Networking Events

The Alumni Association hosts events to connect members of the Hope community throughout the year. Events and job fairs are organized in partnership with the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career. Other social events are held on campus and around the world. Check out our upcoming alumni events.

Graduate Report

To examine how graduates succeed after college, Hope conducts an annual Graduate Survey within six months of graduation.