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Welcome back to another semester, falcons! The Pulsifer Undergraduate Career Development Center is so excited to help you grow professionally and work to get many more of you employed for Summer 2021! If you currently don’t have an internship or full-time job for this upcoming summer but want one, there are three important steps that you can take to get that coveted offer.
- Crank out those applications.
Many companies are hiring at this point of the year and even though some recruitment seasons did come to an end, every individual company is on a different schedule, has varying priorities, and is looking for unique applicants that stand out. If you’ve prepared over winter break and have a solid resume and cover letter templates, submitting a lot of applications won’t be too difficult. If you need to, take syllabus week to prepare your materials and get ready, but before the first midterm season, get as many QUALITY applications as you can in. The more you can get your name out there, the more likely it is that you will get an interview or an offer, and by getting your name in as soon as possible, you’re less likely to lose out to another candidate who may have applied earlier. Take advantage of the lull in classwork, because when tests start happening and stress starts rising, there’s just not going to be as much time to apply.
- Keep an eye on Bentley’s recruitment events.
Networking events have three huge advantages, and we’re hoping to have plenty of them this semester. The first is that you can build up your professional network, often being able to hold conversations with accomplished alumni or other representatives, which is great for your personal LinkedIn or networking experience. Secondly, you get to learn more about companies that you are interested in, giving you a space to evaluate whether the position and organization align with your goals, while also showing interest. It’s the best of both worlds. Finally, it might just get you a job. Hiring managers that look through your resumes after your initial application submission may just see your name and recognize it from a question you asked during one of these events, giving you a better chance to move onto the next round. In especially competitive industries and roles, networking is nothing less than crucial. Continue checking Handshake for open positions and other opportunities that companies post on there, especially because recruiters and representatives will be messaging Bentley students left and right this upcoming semester. Regularly check on the CareerEdge’s events page (it gets updated frequently!) to not miss out.
- Push the boundaries of your personal network.
This is the time to be reaching out to anybody and everybody you know for mentorship or to get an idea of what alumni and other graduates are doing in the real world. Look at your network and identify individuals who you look up to or who you can see providing some good insight. It’s a good idea to casually ask for a phone call to discuss the daily tasks that an individual goes through and maybe there is going to be a work opportunity with that company down the road for you – just don’t ask for a job right away. By having these beneficial conversations early on, you’ll be able to tell employers exactly why you want to work in a specific role, because you’ll have talked to someone and learned some of the in’s and out’s of that particular position.
Career development isn’t easy and sometimes it’s the last thing any of us want to do, with school and so many other responsibilities to juggle. However, the sooner that you receive and accept an offer, the sooner you can relax a little more and have the peace of mind that you’ll have a valuable working experience set up for the upcoming summer.
