DISCLAIMER: I am no career advisor nor do I believe this to be the end all tell all of career advice. You may have scored your dream job offer already. If so, the following suggestions will be entertaining at best and you can disregard everything I am about to say.
By no means is this article intended to discount your intelligence. There is a good chance you earned an excellent score on the math section of the SAT. Maybe you did exceptionally well on the Illiad Assessment for BMGT364. For some of you, however, you haven’t quite made it. Internship application deadlines are quickly approaching, and come graduation, if your resume states that you’ve been a lifeguard at the town pool from 2002-present, you may not be the frontrunner for the job. Here are a few tidbits that helped me to secure a great internship and job offer. Maybe you will find them useful too.
- Social Intelligence is greater than most anything you’ve learned in the classroom – You know how to depreciate an intangible asset. Can you hold a conversation with an upper-level manager at the corporation where you’re clamoring for an internship? Better yet, can you maneuver through the conversation and gain valuable insight and maybe even a possible company contact? Initiating small talk is not like pulling teeth. While perusing the Wall Street Journal may make you a more worldly and wise business student, it will not add to the conversation as much as one would think. These people spend their entire day stressing about the recession and current financial market, do you think they’re eagerly awaiting your opinion on energy stocks at the next ABA meeting? Obviously, attempting to understand the inner workings of the company and how it plays into your career goals, but these representatives are really judging your personality. Hopefully you were smart enough to maintain a favorable GPA; thus, you’ve already passed the first part of the test. Recruiters and employers are well aware that you are clearly capable of handling a career at their company. Now, it’s time to determine if they want to spend the next 60 hours a week and many years to come working with you. People love to talk about themselves; therefore, talk to the manager about his or her dog, alma mater, or a recent vacation. Parents also love to dote on their children. If you are lucky enough to engage in conversation with a parent about his or her child, take it and run.
- Put down the book and/or turn off Family Guy – Hello? Are you awake? The faculty of the business school genuinely wants you to succeed. They’re planning career fairs, seminars, and club events all to benefit you. Don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Please make an effort to attend them. Stay awake in class and listen for professor announcements, read the kiosks, bookmark the undergraduate portal on your computer! It is very noble of you to review that case for Business Law. I also highly recommend tailgating for as many football games as possible. However, you are not going to meet a recruiter in the library or in Lot Eleven. A successful stint in the business school is judged in and out of the classroom and prepares you for a lucrative career. When you make loads of cash you can donate some to the Smith School. Take advantage of the immense opportunities offered to you. After all, you paid for them.
- Dress like you’re life depended on it – I often walk into the business school and notice a sea of students meandering about in ill-fitting black suits. This is you’re shining moment, and you enter the interview with too-short pants and scuffed shoes. You don’t have to be a style maven to recognize what is and isn’t acceptable business professional attire. A quality suit is a worthwhile investment, as is a good tailor. In fact, when you put on that suit, you should have a nice Paris Hilton moment in the mirror. If you are feeling extra bold, throw in a little color and simple accessories and you’ll stand out even more.
Finally, Francis Bacon sums up the best career mannerisms: “The best composition and temperature is to have openness in fame and opinion; secrecy in habit; dissimulation in seasonable use; and a power to feign, if there be no remedy.” It is important to be open and honest with yourself and your possible employer. This being said, put yourself out on a limb. Circumvent the system. According to the Career Center, my resume failed the format test. I also wore a sheath dress (gasp!) to the Career Fair. Hasn’t seemed to hurt me yet. Break the written rules, my rules, and many others along the way to achieve your career goals. Please, just don’t do anything illegal, immoral, or incredibly stupid.