Picture this: You’ve got a non-traditional background. Maybe you were a teacher, a non-profit operator, a PR associate. You’re about to start your first year at Booth with the goal of transitioning into a different career such as consulting, tech, or banking. How do you translate your skills to these new fields and present yourself in the best light? How do you manage the networking crop circles? How do you write a rock star resume?
Recruiting for your future career at Booth can certainly be an intimidating task. But Booth has a program in place that is easily accessible for every first year student no matter their background: Career Advisers. CAs, like me and David (see pic above), are second years who have volunteered to serve as career-oriented resources.
What do we specifically help with? The answer is just about every part of the recruiting process. We begin by helping you craft your resume and develop your career story to concisely be able to show employers why you deserve a spot at their firm. Then we help you navigate the networking process and write your cover letters when you’re ready to apply.
Career Advisers are usually specialized in an industry. So if you’re looking to move into private equity or investment management or any other type of role, there are specific CAs who have successfully navigated that recruitment process ready to help.
Why did I become a CA? Well, I can say from personal experience that recruiting can be a highly time consuming and challenging process. You’re going to have questions and concerns about a variety of different topics ranging from understanding a firm’s specialty to how to successfully cold call a company. Having navigated this process once and being part of a community that wants to pay it forward, I knew that I wanted to pass on my knowledge to first years.
I can say the same is true of all my fellow CAs. We’re motivated by a deep sense of giving back to the Booth community. We also know that we wouldn’t be where we are were it not for the CAs that helped us through the process.
For me personally, being a CA has been one of my best experiences at Booth. It’s fulfilling and a great way to meet new students. So if you’re ever worried about recruiting, don’t worry. CAs have your back.
