This is my fourth post for Booth admits, and follows the post on "Focus". Subsequent to the posting of first "Networking 101 for incoming Booth Students", there was a sharp rise in the reader count, and there were many encouraging emails. I will be a tabloid, and cater to what the audience wants. I am glad about it because it is a happy meeting of my urge to write, my opinions on the subject, and the fabulous support from readers. I hope that my posts continue to be useful to you.
Once you get into Booth, the person to your left or to your right, and sometimes above you or below you may be another first year student. You share the transition process with them, and you have the same issues to deal with. It is very natural that many of your best friends and ex's will come from the first year class. However, there is a problem there. The first years do not really have solutions to your problems. They have not been there and have not done that. It is the second years who hold the keys to the city of knowledge, and the paradise of success. In my opinion, the only job I could do really well without a second year's help was studying. Of course you can do everything on your own! Please go ahead and write English in hieroglyphics. All the best! This post is for those who want to do things efficiently so that they can do as much as possible in this $150K+interest circus ride.
I will now talk about what second years can do for you. This post will focus on recruiting.
First and foremost, they can help you get the internship and eventually the job you want. Let me assure you – finding a job is very important. If you are unsure, ask your parents. If they don't have a clue, ask an ex-President. Just don't tell him that you are the manager of a gas-station!
Second years can help you understand the industry you are targeting. If you don't know what you want to target, they can help you make the choice. We have an absolutely fabulous Career Services at Chicago Booth. However, that office doesn't have 550 helpful people in its ranks with hours to spare. Trust me – you need hours of babysitting before you start walking on your own.
They can share with you their own experience of recruiting. They can tell you what worked and what didn't work. They can tell you about companies, and what is required to impress those companies. They can tell you about key recruiting decision makers in a company, without impressing whom you won't get anywhere. They can tell you how to juggle between conflicting recruiting events, and what to write in emails to recruiters. They can put you in touch with the right people – without whose help success would be a draw of luck.
They can review your resumes. If you think your resume is fantastic – think again. A good friend of mine, and a fellow Boothie, almost always found so many valid issues with a first year's years resume that first year tears were a natural consequence. God forbid if the first year uttered, "I think it is pretty ready." My friend would go berserk, and the first year would need a lot of napkins. Reviews of cover letters are no less important. For a recruiter who cannot interpret your GPA, or cannot measure you, it is critically important that your cover letter is pertinent, expressive and impressive.
They will help you prepare for networking sessions, and interviews. They can tell you how to put your feet into your mouth one at a time, or never. Some people have the tendency of sticking all the limbs into their mouth without realizing it. Also, you'd be surprised about how many people have grooming problems. Better to receive a gift of mint from second year than no warning from a careful first year, and the boot from your beloved company. They will tell you what is important for a specific interview, and what is not.
They can recommend you! It is not uncommon for companies to reach out to returning interns and ask for their opinion about first years. Ideally you should be their favorite first year. Therefore, it doesn't work to not to know them. Since, people have that emerging loyalty to their future employers, and a sense of fairness, they will not mess with your life if you are a good candidate. However, they should be convinced that you are a good candidate. In some industries ability to form personal relationships is extremely critical. Some people actually count the number of times a first year said hello to them. They pick the winner!
Once you have the offer, you need help in understanding and navigating through your workplace. You need to know who to cuddle up to, who to suck up to, and who to be extra careful with. They will tell you what is important to know. They will put you in touch with people who can guide you in hands on manner. Without their help, you will be like an untrained soldier walking upright into a dense minefield with interlocking fire. Maybe you will live!
This is pretty much I have to say about recruiting and second years – for now. I will continue to write about second years. Keep coming back…
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