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We are so close to classes starting up again and the Bentley Undergraduate Career Development Center hopes that your break from Bentley was restful. However, the spring recruitment season is about to pick up and between employer events and your own individual interviews, it might get hard to juggle everything. So, make a plan. Hopefully, at this point, your spring schedule is mostly solidified and you can anticipate what free time you will have to attend events, interview, and truly focus on getting a job.
Remember that employers typically conduct interviews on weekdays during working business hours. See what times you are free to interview or attend events between 8AM and 6PM (sometimes 9AM to 5PM), and if employers end up not being available at those times while you’re discussing your schedule, communicate with professors in advance to see if you can miss class for an important job interview or, better yet, ask about that scenario occurring right at the beginning of the semester so you know which professors accept this as a valid excuse. Additionally, remember etiquette and try to schedule interviews in such a way that you’re not consistently missing the same class for interviews, if you have to miss classes. In hopes of scheduling many interviews over the semester, block out free blocks of time you have during the semester to apply to jobs and network with alumni over LinkedIn.
Employer recruitment events vary in days and times when they happen, but a lot of employer event traffic has historically fallen on Tuesday and Wednesday, either during the activity period or at night (4PM to 8PM). However, there are also recruitment events on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, so make sure to keep an eye out on Handshake and make it a priority to attend.
Don’t forget about preparation time that fits into interviewing. Researching a company or becoming prepared to do a case interview, if required of you, takes several hours. Taking that into account with a rigorous course schedule and a large number of interviews for different positions, it’s no wonder that students report often feeling overwhelmed. Make a plan to slow down with other aspects of your life (clubs, social activities, etc.) during the semester when interviews and jobs require more of your time. Remember to leave some space because you may get extremely busy.
Finally, some general tips! Look into BigInterview, the Bentley resource that can help you prepare for interviews. You may need to use it over the course of the semester, and getting familiar with the platform early on makes you more likely to use it later in your college career. Make sure you bring back or will have professional clothes, padfolio, or anything else you may need for interviews for when you come back if you’re switching locations for the semester. Overall, remember that a virtual recruiting season is still very busy and involved, so don’t underestimate how much time you should be spending on getting that job! As long as you make a little bit of a plan, you can avoid unnecessary stress when the semester does start.
