Customize Your Weekly Pathways Content Employers hold various types of sessions to help students connect with them, and to share information about the company and the roles they hire for.
Some of these sessions are in-person on campus, and some are virtual. All of them are important, and especially if you are particularly interested in working for a particular company. Employers take attendance, and your participation shows initiative and adds points in your recruiting process.
An info session is a presentation led by a small group of recruiters where they discuss the company, the culture, and the positions, and answer questions from the crowd. Often, at UMass, these info sessions take place in Isenberg, because they have good space to accommodate large audiences. They are generally open to all students, unless the posting says it is for Isenberg students only. Business casual attire is recommended, but not required.
Coffee Chats are an opportunity to meet 1:1 with a recruiter, or perhaps a young alum working for the firm. This is not an interview, but an opportunity for you to learn more about a role, and to ask questions. Although it is not an interview, you should arrive prepared with questions, and dressed in business casual attire. These require pre-registration. For an example of a coffee chat, check out the AlphaSights Coffee Chats on Oct. 1. NOTE: DO NOT sign up for these if you cannot commit to attending. This reflects extremely poorly on you, and recruiters talk to each other. It’s easy to get blacklisted.
Office Hours are similar to coffee chats, but less formal, and often on more of a drop-in basis. Come prepared with questions, with your resume, and be ready to make a good first impression.
Tabling is similar to office hours, and an opportunity for you to swing by to introduce yourself to a recruiter between classes. This is the least formal of these sessions, but you still need to remember that first impressions matter, so dress accordingly that day. Bring a resume. These are basically the same interactions as a career fair, but without the fair!
There will be lots of these in September and early October, and you won’t be able to attend all of them and stay sane, so be strategic and set your priorities. If your top choice employer holds multiple types of events, you can, and probably should try to attend the various options. Many of these are already scheduled in Handshake, and more will be added in the coming weeks. Get them on your calendar now so you don’t lose track once you get back to campus.
Your SBS career team is here to help you strategize, and to make sure your resume is ready to go. Schedule with us via your Handshake account.
