Jonathan Masland is director of Tuck’s Career Development Office (CDO). Stephen Pidgeon T’07 is an associate director of the CDO and author of the books How to Get a Job in Consulting and Case Interviews for Beginners.
Question: How can you best prepare for your job search?
Jonathan Masland: You have to start with yourself. You have to decide what’s most important for you in terms of the job that you’re searching for.
Stephen Pidgeon: I agree. Knowing yourself is crucial to finding your best professional fit. When you’re job searching, be completely honest with yourself: are you searching for the right job for you?
JM: The key is creating clarity around your priorities. The best way to do this is to have a lot of conversations with people. That includes your classmates,
second-years who may have gone through similar job searches, alumni who have similar backgrounds and motivations, and, of course, recruiters from different companies.
SP: Most companies will tell you quite clearly what competencies they’re looking for, too. You need to really know which describe you and which will be a bad fit. You don’t want to lie your way into a job and then have to lie every day for the next however many years.
JM: Once you’ve settled on your search, the next step is to ground yourself with a strong set of building blocks you’ll need once you begin.
SP: The most basic of these building blocks, I would say, is doing your research. Recruiters come to business schools so frequently that you might lose sight of the importance of research, including into what the jobs you’re searching for actually entail.
JM: You don’t want to be someone who goes into an interview with, say, a consulting company without actually knowing what a consultant is. That has actually happened.
SP: You have to really know the job you’re searching for, and the best way to do that is to talk to alumni, classmates, and us. It seems crazy to even have to add this, but you can also just google to find a ton of resources, too.
JM: Once you have that knowledge, it’s time to build from the ground up. You’ll need to develop a crisp elevator pitch on who you are, your background, and your interests; a resume that fits the story you want to tell when you speak with companies; and the ability to engage people over email, the phone, and in person. Good luck and happy searching!