2. Table of Contents
Tips
1. Use a Variety of Methods
2. Build Your Network
3. Research
4. Be Proactive
5. Develop Promotional and Marketing Tools
6. Focus your Search
7. Conduct Informational Interviews
8. Participate in Campus Recruiting Programs
9. Consider Temporary Work, Interning, or Volunteering
10. Plan Strategically for Your Next Opportunity
11. Get Organized
12. Follow-Up
Questions?
3. Tips
Set specific and manageable goals
Unrealistic and broad goal: for the week to get a great job
Realistic: for the week to make 3 new contacts in your target
industry, spend an hour doing web research on your target
companies, attend 2 employer information sessions, check BU
CareerLink 3 times
Set aside time in your schedule devoted to it
Create a weekly to-do list
Including what you will accomplish for the week
How much time you will devote to each action
Tasks with ongoing basis
Checking BU CareerLink (Undergrad or MBA) for
resumé submission deadlines, job postings, and upcoming
events
4. 1. Use a Variety of Methods
Common strategy: apply to advertised jobs
Responding to job postings in newspaper, Internet websites, and
professional publications
BUT: only 20% of job openings are posted
Research target organizations
Consult with the Pardee Library to identify company names and research
resources
Use BU CareerLink (Undergrad or MBA) and other web resources to
research your field and identify potential jobs
Networking and directly marketing your skills
Avoid using large web-based Internet sites
Success rates for this tactic are extremely low
Work in groups to brainstorm ideas
Some knowledge may be irrelevant to your search but vital to others’
5. 2. Build Your Network
“What if I don‟t„ know any professionals in my field or at
my target company?
Begin with who you do know or with personal referrals including
alumni, faculty, family and peers
Put the word out that you are looking for a job in a
particular field
Follow up promptly on any leads you receive
Take part in campus and SMG events
Student organization-sponsored panels, alumni events, career fairs,
and employer information sessions
Use the Career Advisory Network
Always be sure to follow up informational interviews with
thank you notes
Keep these contacts updated on your progress
6. 3. Research
Research on your target industry, firms and positions
Before you send your resumé or your cover letter
Learn about those companies
Can ask informed questions
Demonstrate your accomplishments effectively
Articulate your match to the company’s culture and mission
Identify those that match your values and interest
Determine websites, professional journals, and
newspapers that will be useful to you in your job search
Check them regularly
Check out websites of relevant organizations
Many offer discounts on student memberships and trade
conferences
Great way to meet people in the industry
7. 4. Be Proactive
Contact the manager of the department or
division where you want to work for each target
company
If you couldn‟t establish a personal contact
within the company
Visit the company’s website
Check some of the electronic research resources
Simply phone the company to get the name of the
appropriate manager
Requires preparation, research, practice, and
persistence
8. 5. Develop Promotional and Marketing Tools
You are the product
Your resumé and cover letter are the tools
Your potential market is your target company
Be specific
Your interests
Relevant skills and experiences
How you will contributes to the organization
Tailor each cover letter and resumé to the
position, hiring contact, and company
9. 6. Focus Your Search
Avoid both the restrictively narrow and the unreasonably broad
search
Narrow it to be effective and specific
Broaden it to include traditional firms in addition to those on the cutting edge
Look at smaller firms, related industries, and competitors
Employers can identify a generic and unfocused resumé and
cover letter
It reflects ill-prepared attempts to find ANY job
Develop a list of target companies based on your industry and
geographic preferences
Aim for a long list so you can edit down as you learn more about company
Use contacts from trade organizations, student groups, and other
networking contacts to build the list
Provide a brief description of each company on the list
Keep the list by the phone in case an employer calls
10. 7. Conduct Informational Interviews
Set up one by following up with contacts
Those you may meet at career fairs, information sessions,
or networking events
Utilize the Career Advisory Network
Identify alumni interested in providing career advice
Obtain “market-based” advice
About job opportunities and career paths in a specific field,
industry, or organization
Learn what it takes to do well
Purpose: obtain information
Not to ask for a job!!
11. 8. Participate in Campus Recruiting Programs
Check BU CareerLink (Undergrad or MBA)
regularly
For recruiting deadlines, dates of information sessions,
career fairs, and career-related events
Attend information sessions
Crucial to attend one of every employer for whom you plan
on submitting a resumé
If you have to miss an information session
Try to come in a few minutes before to introduce yourself
to the recruiters
Let them know you value their time and you are truly
interested in what they have to say
12. 9. Consider Temporary work, Interning or
Volunteering
Get an insider‟s advantage
Especially when it comes time for the company to fill a
full-time opening
Develop skills that pertain directly to the
department or position you seek
Growing trend of “Temp to Perm” positions
Employer gets an opportunity to assess a new
employee before making a position permanent
13. 10. Plan Strategically for Your Next
Opportunity
On average, over a lifetime, an individual
will...
Change careers 5 times
Change jobs anywhere between 15-18 times
Each position you take
Should strategically prepare you for the next step in
your career
Each networking contact
Should bring you closer to your goal of connecting
with the hiring manager
14. 11. Get Organized
Create a spreadsheet filing system
Keep track of names, addresses, titles, contacts, e-
mails, resumés sent, and responses received
Should not be organized around post-it
notes
Can use a daily planner or simple database
Whatever system that works for you
You never know when you‟re going to get a
call from an employer
Better not to get caught off-guard
15. 12. Follow-up
Most Important: what you do with the names
and contacts you have gathered
Timing and follow-through may be
particularly important in securing your job
Follow-up on
All contacts you make
All resumés and cover letters you send
All interviews you have
16. Questions?
To find out more information and resources:
Continue browsing the Virtual Career Center
Visit the Feld Career Center and consult with one of
our counselors!
Our office is located on the first floor, left of the stairs in the far
left corner.
Email us at: careers@bu.edu
Office Hours
Monday - Friday: 9AM - 5PM