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As school starts up again, many Bentley students refocus their attention to the job (or internship) search. For students with a clear cut plan of what they want to do for their career, this is an easy task. However for those of us who have absolutely no idea what they want to do or who might have just a vague outline of a plan, getting started with a job (or internship) search isn’t easy. Career decisions are rarely cut and dry, and sometimes it can be difficult to turn your interests into a desired position, especially when you aren’t sure what positions even exist in the real world. That’s where online tools such as Nextio Career Insights can help!
Nextio is a relatively new startup website that was created by two former employees of Microsoft. It was originally started as a professional messaging service, but their inclusion of a Career Insights feature seems to be a hidden gem. As the Career Colleagues have played around with the various features, we have found that Nextio contains a lot of interesting and relevant information. I know that I will be using it in the future to help me refine my job search. In fact, I have already found some really interesting information about some of the positions I am interested in. The most helpful feature by far is how it gives you company names because finding companies to look into and apply to seems to be one of the biggest obstacles in the job search.
This innovative website can help students, and even alumni, make better career decisions by supplying them with an inside look at various positions in a desired field. And the best part is, it’s free! By using this link, you can peruse lists of jobs that real Bentley Alumni currently have, or have had. To get started all you have to do is enter your major and you will be given access to lists of jobs that Bentley Alumni with that major accepted after graduation.
These lists include information about the employer, such as:
- Company size and location
- Job description
- Salary estimates
- Whether or not there are positions available at the company
To create a more tailored list, you can filter these lists by using more specific parameters such as:
- Salary range
- Company size
- How common a position is
- Industry type
- Career type
- Years after graduation
Like previously stated, access to this information is free and doesn’t even require the creation of an account. However if you are interested in more information or would like to find out your compatibility for a certain position, you can create a free account and upload your resume to the website. In just 15 seconds you can see how your skills and experience measure up to the positions you are looking into. By creating an account you’ll also be given access to a “personalized landscape of career opportunities” based on their analysis of career transitions and professional backgrounds of more than 100 million professionals.
Nextio gathers its information using data from over 100 million resumes, making its insight completely unique. With a relatively simple but engaging interface, you’ll quickly learn the ropes of how to navigate the site. Among it’s tools for job and internship searches, Nextio can provide you with insight to find out what it takes to land your dream job, or even discover your dream job!
The following is a more in-depth look at the resources Nextio has to offer and how to use them. By taking advantage of their five different features you can complete the following:
- Find background skills needed for any positions using the Position Overview feature. To access this information, simply choose a company and some job titles to generate a list of information including position overviews, typical locations, career pathways, job listings, and experience or skills frequently used in the position. It will even connect you with current position-holders via LinkedIn. You can also opt to join Nextio with a free account to get your position compatibility report, which is a result of a comparison of your resume to the typical position qualifications. The photo below is an example of the information generated for a Buyer position at TJX.
- Explore companies that hire alumni in a specific city using the Alumni Next Steps by Location feature. To access a list of companies that also indicates how many Bentley alumni work there and company size, you just input your school, major, degree level, and location. The following photo depicts positions Bentley Alumni in the Boston Area are currently working in or worked in as Computer Science Majors.
- Learn where people go next after leaving a job using the Next Steps feature. Simply input the company name and job title(s) and Nextio will generate a list of possible next steps you can take based on what people in those positions have moved on to. The list includes company, position title, frequency, company size, and salary. This is particularly helpful for current position holders looking to make a change, as well as students because it can help with long-range planning. Below is an example of companies that TJX buyers moved on to, as well as positions they were promoted to within TJX.
- Discover which companies hire for a job title in any city using the Next Steps by Location feature. After filling out the job title(s) and location you are considering, you will be given a list of companies in that certain location who have those positions. It will also indicate if that position is currently available at that company. This feature is quite helpful for location-specific job queries, and it’s most useful once you’ve decided on a specific position. The following photo depicts positions in the Greater Boston Area for a Tax Auditor position.
- See where people from Bentley go after graduation using Alumni Next Steps and either fill in your school, major, and degree. Nextio will then generate a list of companies and positions Bentley graduates have held after completing their degree. An added bonus is that you can filter this list with salary range, years after graduation, career type, company size, frequency and industry to receive more specific search results. The years after graduation feature is particularly helpful as it provides you with some perspective about how long it may take to find a job in your field or career advancements you can make in a certain number of years. The photo below shows information related to positions that Bentley Alumni have in the marketing field.
Nextio is a very versatile career tool that seems to have a variety of applications. Students with decided majors can test out different major combinations or position descriptions and use the generated lists to help you get a better idea of what you’re looking for. Meanwhile, students with undecided majors can use Nextio to aid the decision process by inputting different majors and seeing if any of the positions and descriptions seem interesting. Even alumni can use it to help with career decisions by looking at the Next Steps feature and following the outlined career paths or searching for available positions at different companies!
Overall, Nextio seems like a really useful tool, especially for juniors and seniors who are working towards securing jobs. For students that are more internship-focused, you can refine the parameters to internships rather than jobs and conduct searches that way. For more information about this online career tool, visit their website and get started on your job or internship search today!
