Strategizing Your Career Search

by Siobhan

With competing assignments for class, participating in extracurricular activities, and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life, it’s easy to forget the real reason that 99.9% of us return to business school – to get a great job. Fortunately, BC has a phenomenal Career Strategies department that actively engages me and my classmates in preparing – and going through – the internship and job search process. The reputation of BC’s Career Strategies department was definitely a selling point for me when making my decision about b-school. After talking to students at several of the other schools I applied to, BC students had an incredibly high regard for the work that the Career Strategies team puts into its students and the entire internship and job search process.

Now, after being in school for nearly a semester and trying to find as much time to dedicate to the summer internship search, the active engagement and support of the Career Strategies department is even more evident. For those prospective students wondering what career development opportunities BC offers for its MBA students, here are just a few of the highlights:

1 – Crack the Case Workshop: BC students are fortunate to have this program as part of our orientation, along with a follow-up session later in the semester. With so many internship and job interviews containing a case component, Career Strategies recognized how critical it is to prepare students for this aspect of the interview process. Led by a trained instructor, David Ohrvall, this two-day session provided me with the nuts and bolts of “cracking” the case in an interview. With access to online practice cases, I can continue to fine tune my skills as a I prepare for any upcoming interviews.

2 – On-Campus Information Session Hosting: Obviously many b-schools host companies on-campus for info sessions, but Career Strategies asks students to serve as “hosts” for each of these info sessions. I had the opportunity to serve as the student host for a previous company that was on campus, and not only was it a great leadership opportunity for me to work on my public speaking skills, it gave me one-on-one time with the recruiters and other senior leadership present. I contacted them before the session to confirm details, met with them before the session and introduced the company, and followed up with them after the session.

3 – BC Alum Small Information Sessions: The BC Alumni Network is massive and any BC alum in any company, in any part of the world, is always excited and eager to meet and connect with BC students and other BC alum – no matter what school they represent. I had the opportunity to participate in a small group information session, with about 10 other students, and a BC alum in a senior leadership position to hear about her career experience, time at BC, and her current role. This was a great way to network in an intimate setting with not only someone in senior leadership, but someone with a BC connection who is eager to help and answer any questions they can.

4 – Pre-School Career Assessment & Resume Support: Although you will want to cherish your free time over the summer before school starts, Career Strategies does an amazing job of helping you prepare over the summer for the internship process. Over the summer, I completed a Career Assessment, which evaluated my strengths and weaknesses and general areas of career interest. I also submitted my resume for feedback from my Career Advisor, who provided me with some great tips on tweaking my resume – which had been written with a slant towards my nonprofit experience – to make it more business savvy. Within the first few weeks of school, I met with my Career Advisor and reviewed both my resume and my Career Assessment, which helped her really get to know me and tailor her advice towards the path I hope to take with my career.

5 – Interview Prep: When the time comes for an interview or an informational interview, the Career Strategies team is ready to provide as much – or as little – support as you might want. I met with my Career Advisor to discuss how to run an informational interview and what types of questions to ask and just met with her to prepare for an interview. I know that I am even more prepared than I ever could have imagined with just gaining her insight on ways to tackle specific questions and what types of questions to ask my interviewer about the position.