Professional Development Advice
Getting your résumé ready:
Your resume is both the physical manifestation of your personal brand and the primary tool you have for communicating your value proposition to firms before you meet firm members in person. Consequently, you should devote considerable time to deliberating on the messages you wish to convey in the limited space of this valuable medium. Remember, your résumé should not be simply a list of your previous responsibilities and job titles. Instead, the best resumes use each bullet point to communicate the personal IMPACT an individual has made on projects and within organizations/communities.
To aid you in your resume prep, we will pair you up with SYs buddies who'll provide you feedback and guidance to help to ensure your resume is in fighting shape in time for the diversity conferences held in September. You can expect to be connected with your SY buddy in mid-late August.
In the meantime, begin working on your résumé today. The time spent developing your résumé messaging will also fuel the construction of your "30 second story" - the verbal translation of your value proposition.
Preparing for corporate events:
Corporate events will begin as early as late September and often represent the first opportunity you will have for face-to-face interaction with the many firms that recruit on campus. Each event is typically comprised of an introduction to the firm, followed by Q&A and then a 30/45 minute networking session.
Successful preparation for corporate events involves both researching the firm to formulate the questions you would like to have answered and firming up your 30 second story to summarize your experiences and how they support your career aspirations. Failure to complete these small preparatory tasks will likely lead you to waste time at events, or worse, provide an opportunity for you to make a foolish statement to a firm member.
Successful execution at corporate events requires business best attire, a positive attitude, and faithfulness in following up with firm members with whom you have had meaningful conversations. Remember, your goal at each event should be two-fold: get your questions answered so that you can decide whether the firm is a good fit for you, and make a positive impression on at least one member of the firm.
Attending office hours:
In the week that firms visit campus, they will often hold office hours in which you will have the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with a firm member. If you are truly interested in a firm, you should try your best to attend the office hours as they are an excellent medium for making a strong positive impression.
But remember, office hours demand preparation. Further, though firms claim these events are not evaluative, you should assume that you are ALWAYS being evaluated. So research the firm, prepare thoughtful questions, and be ready to explain why you are interested in the given firm and industry. Last, avoid tardiness and late cancellations at all costs.
Reaching out to SYs and Alumni:
SYs are a critical resource that you should rely on to prepare yourself to interface with firms of interest. SYs remember the painful experience of recruiting and have a vested interest in ensuring Fuqua continues to grow its presence in the business world. Consequently, they are eager to help you weather the storms of anxiety and uncertainty so that you can achieve the career success that you seek.
You should be reaching out to SYs (via email or in person) by mid-September in the attempt to secure 20-30 minutes of their time to inquire about their summer internship experiences and to collect tips on surviving the core curriculum at Fuqua (please see my note on "Surviving the Core" for further discussion on this topic).
SY chats represent the perfect opportunity to ask the questions that you feel are too risky to ask firm members. Therefore, ask whatever questions you genuinely feel will help you to understand a given firm or experience better. However, please remember that it's always in your interest to put your best foot forward when interacting with others on behalf of your career. Thus, avoid unpreparedness, tardiness, and late cancellations at all costs.
In addition to SYs, Alumni are a great resource for learning about firms and for building a network within firms. Fortunately, the Fuqua alumni network is amazing and you will find that Alumni are equally eager to get to know you and provide valuable insights to aid you in the recruiting process. You will be able to access this valuable network via Fuquaworld which will provide you a search database for finding relevant contact information such as email addresses, phone numbers etc.
To ensure student/Alumni interaction is a beneficial experience for all, the career management center (CMC) will host a session on Alumni network etiquette in the fall. However, until then, operate under the following general guidelines:
1. Emails are best for establishing contact.
2. Thoroughly proofread any and all correspondence
3. Keep your emails short & sweet so that Alumni can quickly ascertain how they can help you.
Please see the link on contacting alumni for an example of an email you might send when trying to reach out to an Alum. {make sure this link exists}
Recruiting off campus:
Fuqua will present you with an overwhelming plethora of on-campus recruiting opportunities. However, you may find that you still have interest in recruiting for off campus positions. To this end, the CMC will provide general guidance, largely via Steve Dalton, to aid you in the achievement of a successful search. Steve has written a book on the off campus search process and pioneered techniques such as the "Lamp List" to help students distill their work/firm preferences into actionable frameworks designed to maximize search productivity. Further, you can schedule one-on-one meetings with Steve to get more personalized guidance as you see fit.
The CMC reports that X% of Fuquans secure their jobs through off campus search each year, so the goal is definitely attainable. However, be advised that the off campus search may require an even higher level of self-motivation and hustle to uncover opportunities and ultimately land the offer.
Mock Interviews:
As you move into late October, you will have hopefully honed in on your primary recruiting targets which means it will be a great time to begin the mock interview process. For major career tracks such as consulting, marketing, banking and general management, you will find that the relevant campus clubs will setup mock interviews with SYs to help you get your feet wet. In addition, you will also find that many firms will send representatives to provide on campus mock interviews as application deadlines approach.
The above mock interview opportunities are not to be missed as they are low risk opportunities for you to get a sense of what the real interviews will be like at a given firm. In other words, a firm will not expect exceptional performance from you in a mock interview, as they mostly want to get to know you and give you feedback to enhance your performance on the true interview day.
Further, the mere fact that you are showing up for a mock interview demonstrates that you are very interested in the firm, which is a major plus when considering expressed interest level is typically a significant factor in how firms decide who to include in the closed list.
All that said, you are always representing the Fuqua brand and it’s imperative that you do whatever you can to prepare. Read up on the firm, read vault guides to understand the industry and typical interview questions, talk to a SY or two, and make sure that your answers for "Why you?" and "Why company X?" are rock solid.
Applying for jobs:
Career Compass will serve as your portal for all on-campus job applications. This tool makes it simple to search for job opportunities, keep up with application deadlines, and create a profile with your Resumes (plural, as you may have customized resumes by industry) and cover letters. Further, Career Compass provides recruiter contact info, application requirements, and closed list release dates for your reference. It's all rather straight forward and you'll quickly realize that applying for the jobs is the easy part.
Closed Lists:
After all applications are received, a firm will release its closed list to the CMC to let them know which students the firm will interview. You will not be privy to the entire list, however if you have been invited to interview, you will receive a congratulatory email from the firm that will provide you with information on the next steps in the interview process.
Firms take a number of factors into consideration when deciding which candidates to interview, so there is no way to guarantee that you will make a desired list. However, following the advice from the topics above will greatly enhance your chances and take your candidacy to the next level.
Your resume is both the physical manifestation of your personal brand and the primary tool you have for communicating your value proposition to firms before you meet firm members in person. Consequently, you should devote considerable time to deliberating on the messages you wish to convey in the limited space of this valuable medium. Remember, your résumé should not be simply a list of your previous responsibilities and job titles. Instead, the best resumes use each bullet point to communicate the personal IMPACT an individual has made on projects and within organizations/communities.
To aid you in your resume prep, we will pair you up with SYs buddies who'll provide you feedback and guidance to help to ensure your resume is in fighting shape in time for the diversity conferences held in September. You can expect to be connected with your SY buddy in mid-late August.
In the meantime, begin working on your résumé today. The time spent developing your résumé messaging will also fuel the construction of your "30 second story" - the verbal translation of your value proposition.
Preparing for corporate events:
Corporate events will begin as early as late September and often represent the first opportunity you will have for face-to-face interaction with the many firms that recruit on campus. Each event is typically comprised of an introduction to the firm, followed by Q&A and then a 30/45 minute networking session.
Successful preparation for corporate events involves both researching the firm to formulate the questions you would like to have answered and firming up your 30 second story to summarize your experiences and how they support your career aspirations. Failure to complete these small preparatory tasks will likely lead you to waste time at events, or worse, provide an opportunity for you to make a foolish statement to a firm member.
Successful execution at corporate events requires business best attire, a positive attitude, and faithfulness in following up with firm members with whom you have had meaningful conversations. Remember, your goal at each event should be two-fold: get your questions answered so that you can decide whether the firm is a good fit for you, and make a positive impression on at least one member of the firm.
Attending office hours:
In the week that firms visit campus, they will often hold office hours in which you will have the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with a firm member. If you are truly interested in a firm, you should try your best to attend the office hours as they are an excellent medium for making a strong positive impression.
But remember, office hours demand preparation. Further, though firms claim these events are not evaluative, you should assume that you are ALWAYS being evaluated. So research the firm, prepare thoughtful questions, and be ready to explain why you are interested in the given firm and industry. Last, avoid tardiness and late cancellations at all costs.
Reaching out to SYs and Alumni:
SYs are a critical resource that you should rely on to prepare yourself to interface with firms of interest. SYs remember the painful experience of recruiting and have a vested interest in ensuring Fuqua continues to grow its presence in the business world. Consequently, they are eager to help you weather the storms of anxiety and uncertainty so that you can achieve the career success that you seek.
You should be reaching out to SYs (via email or in person) by mid-September in the attempt to secure 20-30 minutes of their time to inquire about their summer internship experiences and to collect tips on surviving the core curriculum at Fuqua (please see my note on "Surviving the Core" for further discussion on this topic).
SY chats represent the perfect opportunity to ask the questions that you feel are too risky to ask firm members. Therefore, ask whatever questions you genuinely feel will help you to understand a given firm or experience better. However, please remember that it's always in your interest to put your best foot forward when interacting with others on behalf of your career. Thus, avoid unpreparedness, tardiness, and late cancellations at all costs.
In addition to SYs, Alumni are a great resource for learning about firms and for building a network within firms. Fortunately, the Fuqua alumni network is amazing and you will find that Alumni are equally eager to get to know you and provide valuable insights to aid you in the recruiting process. You will be able to access this valuable network via Fuquaworld which will provide you a search database for finding relevant contact information such as email addresses, phone numbers etc.
To ensure student/Alumni interaction is a beneficial experience for all, the career management center (CMC) will host a session on Alumni network etiquette in the fall. However, until then, operate under the following general guidelines:
1. Emails are best for establishing contact.
2. Thoroughly proofread any and all correspondence
3. Keep your emails short & sweet so that Alumni can quickly ascertain how they can help you.
Please see the link on contacting alumni for an example of an email you might send when trying to reach out to an Alum. {make sure this link exists}
Recruiting off campus:
Fuqua will present you with an overwhelming plethora of on-campus recruiting opportunities. However, you may find that you still have interest in recruiting for off campus positions. To this end, the CMC will provide general guidance, largely via Steve Dalton, to aid you in the achievement of a successful search. Steve has written a book on the off campus search process and pioneered techniques such as the "Lamp List" to help students distill their work/firm preferences into actionable frameworks designed to maximize search productivity. Further, you can schedule one-on-one meetings with Steve to get more personalized guidance as you see fit.
The CMC reports that X% of Fuquans secure their jobs through off campus search each year, so the goal is definitely attainable. However, be advised that the off campus search may require an even higher level of self-motivation and hustle to uncover opportunities and ultimately land the offer.
Mock Interviews:
As you move into late October, you will have hopefully honed in on your primary recruiting targets which means it will be a great time to begin the mock interview process. For major career tracks such as consulting, marketing, banking and general management, you will find that the relevant campus clubs will setup mock interviews with SYs to help you get your feet wet. In addition, you will also find that many firms will send representatives to provide on campus mock interviews as application deadlines approach.
The above mock interview opportunities are not to be missed as they are low risk opportunities for you to get a sense of what the real interviews will be like at a given firm. In other words, a firm will not expect exceptional performance from you in a mock interview, as they mostly want to get to know you and give you feedback to enhance your performance on the true interview day.
Further, the mere fact that you are showing up for a mock interview demonstrates that you are very interested in the firm, which is a major plus when considering expressed interest level is typically a significant factor in how firms decide who to include in the closed list.
All that said, you are always representing the Fuqua brand and it’s imperative that you do whatever you can to prepare. Read up on the firm, read vault guides to understand the industry and typical interview questions, talk to a SY or two, and make sure that your answers for "Why you?" and "Why company X?" are rock solid.
Applying for jobs:
Career Compass will serve as your portal for all on-campus job applications. This tool makes it simple to search for job opportunities, keep up with application deadlines, and create a profile with your Resumes (plural, as you may have customized resumes by industry) and cover letters. Further, Career Compass provides recruiter contact info, application requirements, and closed list release dates for your reference. It's all rather straight forward and you'll quickly realize that applying for the jobs is the easy part.
Closed Lists:
After all applications are received, a firm will release its closed list to the CMC to let them know which students the firm will interview. You will not be privy to the entire list, however if you have been invited to interview, you will receive a congratulatory email from the firm that will provide you with information on the next steps in the interview process.
Firms take a number of factors into consideration when deciding which candidates to interview, so there is no way to guarantee that you will make a desired list. However, following the advice from the topics above will greatly enhance your chances and take your candidacy to the next level.