Career Services Updates
Julie Morton, Associate Dean
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: GSB Life
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1.The recruiting calendar is full!
On-campus outlook: About this time of year, the question I get asked most frequently from students is "how many companies are coming on campus to recruit?" To date, 180 companies have scheduled interviews versus 174 this time last year. There are 38 new companies coming to campus. Interview "slots" (the number of interviews which will be conducted) is up just over 16% right now. As in past years, that number will change - downward - as companies refine their hiring needs, but it still represents a healthy increase.
New firms: The "new firm" activity is exciting, and I want to be sure it doesn't slip by you! Be sure to look at on-campus activity and job postings. Sanford Bernstein is coming to campus this year for investment management, Apple is giving us a "probationary" try, Time Inc. will post for marketing, Google is coming for finance and marketing, Amazon has posted and is conducting interviews downtown for Chicago and Kellogg students.
Wall Street: One phenomenon that we are experiencing right now is numerous interview cancellations from Wall Street firms. This does not signal a downturn in the market. In my conversations with these firms, they are anticipating hiring similar numbers to last year; however, they extended offers to a larger percent of their intern classes (across all schools) and early indicators are that they will experience increased yield. So their appetite for new fall hires is simply not as great.
Corporate Networking Nights: These are four new events this year, and we think they'll be great venues for you to meet company representatives. We've encouraged firms which are new to campus or firms we think might not attract a crowd to attend these. To date, the list of attendees includes Sears, Oracle, Lane Berry (an investment bank), and Washington Mutual. For further information: http://career.chicagogsb.edu/events/cnn/index.aspx.
Presentations: We continue to receive great feedback from you and recruiters about last year's change to the presentation calendar. Frankly, I'm not sure how we would have fit in the increased number of presentations had we not held events on the 2½ days before classes started. That being said, I realize it meant you returned to HPC and dove into the new recruiting year head-first. And for us, it meant Industry Immersion for first years and 30 presentations for you in that 2½-day period! The great news: we've heard positives from recruiters and from you about these Corporate Conversations. It truly sounds like the dialogue is different this year - conversations between potential business colleagues versus dog-and-pony presentations - which is exactly as it should be!
I have heard from many of you about students not representing themselves - or the GSB - well during these second-year only conversations. I too have witnessed some of this. I have seen inappropriate behavior from returning second years, as well as evening and weekend students, and my team and I will continue to speak directly to individuals who are not acting appropriately. I encourage you to do the same.
The part-time students went through a compressed training program similar to Career Essentials this past spring and summer, and we have sent a similar message to them. However, regardless of who the "infractor" is, I firmly believe that actions improve most quickly when they are confronted directly. Please educate your colleagues and speak to them candidly and politely.
New faces at recruiting events: There are 155 evening/weekend students who will participate in this autumn's invitational interview process. Last year, there were 154 evening/weekend participants. These students went through training this summer; if they have ever received funding from their firm, they had to obtain permission from their firm to participate in recruiting; they are not be permitted to bid for interviews.
This is the third recruiting season in which eligible evening/weekend students have participated. Typically, many students in this group target jobs which are not in high demand among full-time students - jobs whose bid schedules typically close for very few - or even zero - points, indicating that among students in the full-time program, the supply of interviews for these jobs is greater than demand.
There are also 17 new second years. These students transferred from the evening or weekend programs into the full-time program and went through thorough career services training in the spring.
Non-degree seeking exchange students may attend presentations and are eligible to sign up for open interview slots.
2. We are eager to support you in your job search.
This year, there are 39 Career Advisors who are available to work with you to give you feedback on your story, your resume, and cover letters, to conduct mock interviews, and to provide advice about networking or information and ideas on particular functions and industries. You'll find their bios, by function, on our website: http://career.chicagogsb.edu/about/advisors/
If you have received an offer - first, congratulations! Second, if you're feeling undue pressure to accept, please refer to my email of August 19 regarding offer accept deadlines and exploding offers. The GSB does not condone offers which preempt your participation in autumn on-campus interviewing; don't hesitate to come talk to us about the policies and how to respond.
3. And finally, last year's employment numbers are strong.
Many of you have asked how your class fared, in the end, in your search for internships. You fared well. Of those first years who sought an internship, 99% landed one. Ninety-seven percent of the Class of 2006 has received an offer and 94% has accepted an offer. (We have posted detailed employment stats on our website: http://career.chicagogsb.edu/jobsearch/research/resources/company/employment-reports/index.aspx#interim.) Last year's comparable percentages were 96 and 93, respectively; we are on par with our peer institutions.
I hope you are proud of what these numbers represent. Last year's recruiting environment was strong, but finding a job you want and one that will propel your career forward is not easy. Due to your positive attitude and hard work, you and the class before you did well.
I look forward to another great year!
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