So, you recently graduated high school, got into a top school, and now suddenly you are bombarded with talk about internships, clubs, top firms, consulting interviews, and more. It can feel overwhelming at times, especially so as a freshman, but as interview cycles are pushed further up the calendar, and slots become more competitive, thinking about your career early won’t do you any harm.
Here are 5 tips that will put you on the right track to navigating the recruiting process:
1. Explore and ask questions
One benefit of being a freshman is that people expect you to be curious about the different career paths and experiences ahead of you. While industry professionals might second guess the motivations of juniors and sophomores, who may only be looking for internships, for freshmen, they know that there are usually no underlying incentives and that you are genuinely curious about their work. Use this to your advantage!
Find firms and alumni in industries you are interested in through on-campus recruiting events, firm websites, and LinkedIn. Send out messages simply outlining that you are a freshman interested in exploring their industry and try to set up coffee chats with the people you reach out to. Use these chats as an opportunity to genuinely connect and learn more, dig deep into the purpose of their work, their work-life balance, and why they chose the job. With enough chats, you will gain a better idea of the business landscape and start to narrow down some promising potential career paths.
2. Build out your resume
The most important tool at your disposal in the recruitment process is your resume. All the case prep, interview practice, and networking in the world will be for naught if your resume lets you down.
Take some time to list out any leadership experiences you have had, initiatives you have started, jobs you have held, and clubs you have been a part of. Any experience that showcases your personal impact, entrepreneurial drive, leadership ability, teamwork skills, or problem-solving capabilities has a potential place on the resume.
Make sure your formatting is neat and consistent. In describing your experiences, make sure to use action verbs: “developed”, “managed”, “created”. When possible, quantify the effects of your contributions. Instead of, “Raised money for a local charity” say “raised $500 for a local charity allowing them to distribute winter clothing to families in need.” Additionally, make sure you update your resume regularly, as you gain new experiences and new GPAs.
For more guidance on creating a winning resume, can you download our guidebook on the subject. You should also download our resume template, which you can adjust to fit your needs.
3. Stay organized by writing it all down
The recruiting process, especially in the unstructured manner it usually occurs for freshmen and sophomores, can seem like a Gordian knot of networking, coffee chats, resume drops, clubs, cover letters, and more. To keep track of it all, you need to stay organized.
- Create a spreadsheet to detail your networking efforts, including who you have reached out to, their contact information, and the last time you contacted them. You can download our sample spreadsheet here.
- Keep a to-do list to keep track of tasks: sending resumes, drafting cover letters, and sending networking emails.
- Set daily and weekly goals for how many emails or how many resume drops you’d like to send.
- Ensure that any meetings you set up are recorded in your calendar, I would personally recommend using Google Calendar.
4. Gain diverse work experience
As a freshman, any experience you get in the job market is valuable. This is true whether you work at a student job, a small family office, or a boutique consulting firm. You want to show that you are capable of working with others and contributing to an organization. Therefore, when applying for jobs, don’t discriminate! Drop your resume on anything that interests you.
Consider emailing smaller firms that don’t have structured recruiting processes and getting in touch with startups. These are often great places to look for freshmen interested in varied and exciting summer intern work.
Having something meaningful to undertake during your freshman summer is better than having nothing, so don’t limit your applications. You want to make sure you have something to talk about during your future consulting firm interviews. Take on a club assignment, a discovery program, or any other type of work you have room for in your life. You never know where your passions might lie!
5. Take care of yourself
Seeing friends get their first internship offers, upperclassmen going to great firms, and everyone driving ahead, it can be tempting to pour all your time and energy into the recruitment and business club process. However, you must also find time to take care of yourself and do things that you enjoy.
The shoddiest cover letters, the blandest interviews, and the worst-case solutions are given by people who are burnt out. At times, it is good to relax, re-energize, and explore a hobby or a passion. Remember that your undergrad experience is something that you only get once, so it is important to strike a balance between looking ahead to the future and experiencing the present.
Final thoughts
The recruiting process can be challenging and stressful, but there are some simple steps that you can take to put yourself on the right track. Reach out to industry professionals and ask them questions, build a resume based on a professional template, remain organized by writing everything down, and throw yourself into any type of work experience that interests you. Above all, build your own unique character by being yourself, making friends, and pursuing activities that you really enjoy!
Hasan Ali is a first year student at Cornell University, and a member of the Cornell Consulting Club. He hopes to provide insights on some the struggles and questions freshmen and sophomores face in the early stages of the recruiting processes.
Image: Unsplash
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