Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Babson Career Boot Camp- Hello, Real World! – Anna Ivashko, Clarkston Consulting

Alumni Guest Blog post from Anna Ivashko, Consultant, Clarkston Consulting. Her educational background includes extensive coursework in management, strategic analysis, applied mathematics, and economics at Babson College. Anna’s professional experience includes business process analysis, training, and validation roles in the life sciences industry. She is dedicated to understanding her clients’ business needs, translating business process to various technologies and maximizing her effectiveness on any project team.

Babson Career Boot Camp – Hello, Real World!

Over the last month, I have had the pleasure of meeting and sharing experiences with outstanding Babson freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors preparing to enter the job-force. Is there a secret to achieving a stress-free recruiting season? I do not believe so. But if you stay true to yourself, you will come out the other side understanding your goals a little better with job opportunities which truly match your ambitions. A few tips to get you started…

1. Come Off the Page
Cover your resume and think about the first thing you love to discuss at an interview. If it’s not at the top of your resume, move it. Work your resume to capture the areas you are passionate about. You have a personality – don’t be afraid to show it through your resume and your interests section if it is not reflected in another part of your resume.

2. Know What You Want
Take time at the start of your recruiting process to identify what you want. It sounds simple, but truly knowing the skills you want to develop makes it easier to speak genuinely about your passion and knowing whether the place you are interviewing will help you grow.

3. Know What They Want
You’d be surprised by how many interviewees lead with, “so what do you want to do?”. Use your prep time to read up on the company, decide if you want to work there, and how previous experiences have prepared you for a future with the company.

4. Build Relationships
You are in control of the business cards you collect. Use them well and build the relationship with the ones you meet. They will help you 1, 5, and 10 years out- when you least expect them!