The Way Ahead

by Khanh

When choosing a graduate program, it is hard, if not impossible, to take the career aspect out of the equation. Unlike undergraduate students, graduate counterparts may carry with them tremendous responsibilities to their families, and figuring out where they would end up after enrolling in a PhD, MBA, MSF or MSA program is a top priority. Fortunately, the Carroll School provides students with a solid preparation not only in terms of the knowledge they acquire, but also necessary skills with which an effective job seeker should be equipped through the dedicated staff in the Career Strategies Office. One-on-one advising, interview preparation, workshops and networking events are constantly available to students.

The arduous process is also supported by the School’s prominent reputation. Every semester, numerous Wall Street bulge brackets, middle-market and top-tier consulting, accounting, and technology firms flock to campus to look for their next batches of bright employees. Credit Suisse, Barclay’s, UBS, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and State Street are just a few names among the firms that make their annual pilgrimage to Boston College. In fact, in a recent Wall Street Journal article, BC was ranked as a top 10 feeder school to the Asset Management industry.

Delving deeper into my particular story, I was grateful to all the help I received from the Career Strategies team and the vast network of BC alumni. I was able to meet and connect with my future employer at one of the countless information sessions organized and held in the Carroll School. After an initial phone conversation and four back-to-back “Superday-typed” interviews, I finally received an offer from Analysis Group, a Boston-based economic consulting firm, where I will have an opportunity to work with Fortune 500 and top law firms in various litigation cases.

During my preparation for the interviews, I also received tremendous guidance from my career adviser through various resume, cover letter and mock interview sessions. Certainly, the relative small size of the Carroll Graduate School helps with the amount of care the career advisers put into the process. Looking back, I believe the practical knowledge I gained in the MSF Program and the exposure to the dedicated BC alumni network are the decisive factors that helped me through the entire employment process.

The Internship Search

By Lauren

"Congratulations, we would like to offer you a position as a Summer Associate....."

Those are the words every First-Year MBA student is waiting to hear. After a TON of time and effort, I can happily say that I finally heard those words, and my internship search is over! The internship search is daunting, time consuming, and a lot of work. But it's also exciting- you get to explore new companies and career paths. Through the process, I learned a lot about myself and envisioned myself in a number of different companies and career paths.

While everyone's internship search is different, here is my advice on going about the internship search.

Lauren's Keys to Successfully Finding an Internship

1. Start Early!
2. Network, Network, Network!
3. Attend Information Services
4. Use Career Services

Start Early: Beginning in September, I met with my Career Services Advisor to identify an internship search strategy that involved networking, attending information sessions, and exploring companies I was interested in. She helped me realize that any work I did in the beginning of the year would help me later on and that the sooner I started, the more companies I could explore, the more connections I could make, and the more I'd learn about what I really want to do.

Network: I set up a number of informational interviews throughout the first semester that positioned me well to secure an internship at the beginning of my second semester. I held two informational interviews with two employees and networked with several other people at the company I am interning for this summer. Those conversations not only helped me learn about the company, but were incredibly helpful during my interviews because I had prior insight into the company, demonstrated interest in the company, and a good explanation for why I wanted to intern there.

Attend Information Sessions:  BC brings top-ranked companies to campus for Information Sessions such as John Hancock, Liberty Mutual, Hasbro, CVS Caremark, EMC, and Oceanspray, to name a few. I attended as many information sessions as possible to learn about companies and industries I was interested in as well as ones I wanted to learn more about. Every information session is a learning opportunity as well as a great way to network with company representatives and establish relationships for the future. I made connections with several representatives at information sessions and made a point to introduce myself to the representatives of the company I'm interning for!

Use Career Services:  My career advisor was amazing. She was willing to meet with me as often as I needed to help guide me through the process. At first, I met with her every two weeks to prepare for informational interviews, brainstorm new companies to target and connections at those companies. She provided helpful advice on some of my cover letters. The day before one of my interviews, I had a freak out moment, and frantically emailed her asking for advice on how to prepare. She met with me for an hour, simulating an interview, helping me build my impact stories, and providing insight on the types of questions they would ask and pointed me towards facts I should know about the company. She also pumped me up and gave me an extra boost of confidence for the interviews.

The Interviews

So, what are internship interviews actually like?

First Round Interviews: Most of the companies I interviewed with started with a 30-45 minute behavioral interview where they asked basic questions like:

• Why an MBA?
• Why do you want to work for this company?
• What is your least favorite class?
• Tell me about a time when you had to use data to make a decision
• Tell me about a time when you navigated a difficult situation
• Tell me about a leadership experience

Most of my behavioral interviews were very relaxed- the interviewer was trying to get a feel for who I am as a person and if I would fit into the company culture.  

Second Round Interviews: Most of my second round interviews involved a 30-45 minutes case and a 30-60 minute behavioral interview. The cases I did were not as bad as I imagined they would be, but I would say they definitely require preparation! During the case, my best piece of advice is to take a minute to organize how you are going to present your analysis so that you come across organized and make a more compelling analysis.  

"Super Day" Interviews: Some companies host "Super Day" interviews, where they bring lots of candidates to the company's office in for a series of interview (mix of case and behavioral). During these days, they not only evaluate you on how well you perform in the interviews, but also on how you interact with others while you're waiting for your interview. They may have a room reserved for candidates, where they converse with each other and current employees. This is a great opportunity to show that you can play well with others and fit in with the company culture. Not surprisingly, the interviews during Super Days vary- for example, one company I interviewed with had four separate 30-minute, back-to-back interviews, while another had a very relaxed pace. I came an hour early for my interview to mingle in the candidate lounge and stayed afterwards to eat lunch with candidates.

That has been my experience so far!  Hopefully these tips are helpful!

Keep Calm and Interview On

by Jaclyn

At around this time last year, I was scheduling my first round of interviews, figuring out which of my suits still fit and how I could prepare for something that seemed so daunting. Since I had never interviewed for a graduate program before (shocking!), I did what anyone would do, I Googled it. But seeing tens of thousands of results only psyched me out and sent enough mixed messages to leave me more confused than when I started. Such stress! But wait, consider this...

You are both the interviewee and the interviewer. I know, I know, it's easy for me to say as I sit comfortably in a Boston College seat, but I still think this is key to a successful two years. Visiting schools, speaking to students, inquiring about the curriculum, getting a feel for the environment...you are essentially judging the program and the program wants to impress you. Don't take this to the extreme, I'm not saying don't prepare, but reflect more on how to effectively show your true self to the admissions team than trying to fit into a mold.

Now that I've hopefully lightened the weight on your shoulders slightly, everyone loves lists, so here are a few of my own interview tips:

1. Know the School. It sounds so simple, but being able to reference a professor you've heard about or an elective course or student club you've read about will go a long way. Again, be yourself and use specifics about the school that attracted you in the first place. Don't hide your enthusiasm.
2. Don't Forget Examples. Almost every school I interviewed with asked behavioral questions. You know the ones, "Tell me about a time when..." Have examples prepared from your professional experience, previous school projects, club sports, etc. so you're comfortable with your talking points.
3. Communicate Your "Fit." You have a reason for getting your MBA and for applying to a particular school, right? There's something you plan on taking away from this experience. Well, there are also skills and experiences you bring to the table. Make sure to communicate both and connect the two. The interviewer will have a much easier time picturing you in a seat of an MBA class actively contributing to the the conversation.
4. Ask Questions. If there is time allotted at the end of your interview, know what you want to know. Asking questions regarding aspects of the program or what the interviewer believes are the strengths of the school, can show genuine interest and separate you from others.
5. Take a Deep Breath.

Good luck!