Our campus recruitment program brings hundreds of recruiters to Boston College each year to meet with and interview students for full-time jobs and internships. Participating organizations come from across the nation鈥攔epresenting a variety of industries and seeking students of all majors and disciplines. Opportunities are available through Handshake.听
How Campus Recruitment Works
Campus recruiting consists of three types of opportunities to connect with employers鈥攊nformation sessions, coffee chats, and interviews.听By participating in campus recruitment, you will learn to:
- Verbally explain how your experiences, skills, interests, and values relate to opportunities.
- Demonstrate effective networking and/or interviewing skills through communications with alumni and professionals about your industries of interest.
- Demonstrate effectiveness in self-advocating for future opportunities and/or opportunities in the current workplace.
听
Information Sessions
Organizations will host information sessions to meet students and provide information about their organization and the positions for which they will be recruiting. Information sessions are open to any student to attend.听
For information sessions, employers will post events in and will provide a virtual link to RSVP or to join the actual event.
Coffee Chats
Some organizations may offer one-on-one or small group coffee chats to candidates to share details about a department, the interview process, and to connect students with key employees, many of whom are 51茶馆 alums.
Some candidates are pre-selected by employers to participate in coffee chats based on their job or internship application. Other qualified candidates may participate on a first-come-first-served basis.听 Coffee chats are linked to campus interviews.听
- Some employers will use Handshake to pre-select primary and alternate interview candidates.听 Selected students will be able to schedule an interview time slot with those employers via Handshake.听 Students are encouraged to check their emails regularly and verify your are turned on to be alerted of employer outreach.
- Other employers will contact students directly to handle student reservations on their own via email or phone.
- Few employers will permit qualified students to apply for a position and select an interview time slot on a first-come-first-served basis.
- In all cases, the employer will provide instructions and log in credentials for the virtual interview to the selected students.
Interviews
Many organizations will also choose to post positions and interview students for open job and internship opportunities through the campus recruitment program.听 All of these opportunities will be posted on Handshake.
Campus recruitment job and internship opportunities will be posted in .
- Some employers will use Handshake to pre-select primary and alternate interview candidates. Selected students will be able to schedule an interview time slot with those employers via Handshake.听 Students are encouraged to check their emails regularly and verify your are turned on to be alerted of employer outreach.
- Other employers will contact students directly to handle student reservations on their own via email or phone
- Few employers will permit qualified students to apply for a position and select an interview time slot on a first-come-first-served basis
- In all cases, the employer will provide instructions and log in credentials for the virtual interview to the selected students.
It's important to note that many industries and organizations will not have recruiting practices that allow them to interview through a formal campus recruitment program, however they are still very interested in hiring 51茶馆 students. Also, at different times of the year, campus recruiting activity will be heavier for some career fields than others. Check out our Jobs + Internships听pages for more resources.
Policies and Agreements
The Career Center adheres to a set of shared values and holds itself and its employer partners, alumni, and other community partners to the highest level of professional integrity and social responsibility as established by the . In a similar fashion, the Career Center has established a Student Social Responsibility Agreement to ensure that all current students act ethically and professionally during the career development and job/internship process throughout their time at Boston College.
The Career Center has an Employer Recruiting Policy in effect to which employers must adhere in order to participate in recruiting programs. One section in particular relates to the timeline for job offers. Please reference this document to support your decision-making process once you have been extended an internship or employment offer.
The Career Center contracts with Handshake to provide Boston College students and alumni with job listings, the on-campus recruiting system, and resume services. Please refer to the for details. 听
听
Campus Recruitment FAQs
All currently enrolled 51茶馆 undergraduate and graduate students with an active Handshake account can participate in on-campus recruiting. Campus recruitment will not be the best job search resource for our more experienced alumni because most employers are seeking entry-level employees and set graduation date criteria for their postings.
Students studying abroad can participate in campus recruitment. You should indicate clearly on your resume and in your cover letter that you are studying abroad, noting the semester and the exact dates when you will be off-campus. If you are selected for an interview, it will be at the employer鈥檚 discretion as to whether an interview will be conducted during the scheduled on-campus interview date via a virtual platform (Skype, Google Meet, etc.) or if alternative arrangements will be made. If you are invited for an on-campus interview while abroad, it is critical that you contact student.recruiting@bc.edu as soon as possible for help scheduling your virtual interview.
Employers representing diverse industries participate in our campus recruitment program. However, some industries are more represented than others due to how various organizations recruit entry-level talent. Explore our first destination interactive dashboard to learn more about recruiting timelines, including when and how 51茶馆 students received offers across different industries. Employers participating in campus recruiting seek candidates for full-time entry-level roles, internships, and externships/leadership programs.
To find employers and positions that are linked to campus interviews, from the main Handshake home page, Click on Events > On-Campus Interviews
On this page you will be able to:
- Identify which organizations are recruiting at 51茶馆 Read job and organizational descriptions
- Submit application materials (resumes, cover letters, unofficial transcripts) for employers to review
- Find out if you have been selected for particular interviews
- Sign up for a specific interview time, if applicable.
Detailed information on how to obtain and upload your transcript may be found in the Resource Library in Handshake.
Preselect to alternate: This schedule allows employers to preselect primary and alternate interview candidates for their on-campus interview date. If available interview slots are not filled by "primary" candidates, then "alternate" candidates may schedule an interview based on the stated signup date/time. It is not necessary to contact the employer to check on your interview status, students can check their status via Handshake
Room Only Schedules:听Employers will handle student reservations on their own via email or phone.
Open:听This schedule allows qualified students to apply for a position and select an interview time slot on a first-come-first-served basis.
- Primary:听The employer has accepted you as a primary candidate for an interviewPrimary candidates may sign up for an interview in Handshake listed in the schedule details section of each position.
- Alternate:听The employer has accepted you as an alternate candidate for an interview. Alternate candidates may sign up for an interview beginning at 8:00 a.m., 48 hours prior to the interview date, pending available time slots on the interview schedule.
- Pending:听The employer has yet to make a decision on your application.
- Declined:听The employer has declined your application for an interview.
After the application deadline, the employer reviews your application and decides on your interview status.听 Your status (pending, primary, alternate, or declined) will be listed in the 鈥淎pplications鈥� tab in Handshake. Students are encouraged to check emails regularly and verify your Handshake notifications are turned on to be alerted of employer outreach.
- Click on Jobs > Applications
- On this page you will be able to:
- Find out if you have been selected as a primary or alternate candidate for particular interviews
- Sign up for a specific interview time, if applicable, during the interview sign up period
You may sign up for an interview from the 鈥淎pplications鈥� tab in Handshake.听 Pay very close attention to deadlines when signing up for interviews. Primary candidates can begin signing up for interviews on the first day of sign-ups for the particular interview schedule starting at 8:00 am. Simply click on the link and all available times will show up.听 If you鈥檝e been designated as an 鈥淎lternate,鈥� your sign up generally starts 2-3 days after the primary sign-up begins. From the time that alternate sign-up begins, primary candidates and alternates become equal, and alternates are able to sign up for any remaining interview slots. If you are selected as an alternate, but cannot sign up, it indicates that all the interview slots have been filled.
听
You can use the Interview Swap request feature in Handshake to request to swap times with another student already on the schedule. To request an interview swap, just click the appropriate button on the interview sign-up page in Handshake. You will then have the option to select a new time (if another slot is available) or request a swap with a student if the slot you want is taken. Clicking on the link will trigger an email to the student who has the slot, which the student can then accept or decline.听 If the swap is accepted, the trade will automatically take place.
You may not withdraw your application after an employer has invited you for an interview or as an alternate candidate unless you have extenuating circumstances. Cancellations are prohibited without sufficient notice provided to both the affected employer and the 51茶馆 Career Center. If extenuating circumstances require a cancellation, a minimum 48 hour notice is required. Cancellations must be addressed in writing (via email) to the employer contact, addressing the reason for cancelling the interview. You must copy the 51茶馆 Career Center at student.recruiting@bc.edu.听Please see the Student Social Responsibility Agreement for more information.
听
The process stated below will be in effect once the Career Center returns to hosting in-person interviews.
All interviews will take place in the Career Center, Southwell Hall, unless otherwise noted. For interviews at the Career Center, check in at the Recruiting Reception Desk in Room 202 with your 51茶馆 Student ID to confirm the specific room location for your interview.
Alternate interview locations may exist across campus. Please check your confirmation email for your check-in and interview location. If you have any questions, please call 617-552-4769.
When you accept an offer, you are agreeing to work or intern for that specific organization. All previously scheduled interviews must be cancelled and you are no longer eligible to continue to apply for other positions. If you receive an offer and are not ready to accept it, we suggest that you speak with a member of the Career Center staff about how to manage your decisions. To cancel previously scheduled interviews please send an email to the employer contact and copy student.recruiting@bc.edu for our records.听Please see the听Student Social Responsibility Agreement听for more information.
听
To view a list of employers, click on the "Employers" tab to identify and/or follow employers that match your interests. To search for a specific employer, conduct a keyword search.听 Use 鈥淔颈濒迟别谤蝉鈥� to search for employers by location,size, or industry.听 Also, visit the employer鈥檚 website and careers page to learn more about their organization and job/internship opportunities.
The most efficient way for undergraduate and graduate students to request an unofficial transcript, is to go in person to the Office of Student Services in Lyons Hall. Students should scan the document to their 51茶馆 email account or save on a flash drive. Scanners are available in all 51茶馆 libraries and can be used at no charge. After the file is scanned, upload it in the "Documents" section located within your profile.
While you cannot change your resume after an employer has downloaded it, you can bring an updated copy of your resume to the interview and give it to the employer.
Congratulations on receiving an offer! If you feel that you need more time to make a decision on that offer you may request an extension, however, the employer does not have to grant it.
You must have a concrete and appropriate reason for requesting an extension. Expecting to hear soon from another employer with whom you've recently interviewed is a legitimate reason. If you are simply waiting to get more interviews, you do not have a concrete reason for requesting an extension.
Be tactful and diplomatic in your wording. You will need to explain your reason(s) to the employer. For example, if you have a previously scheduled interview with another employer, you may explain that it is important to honor your commitment to the other employer in order to make an informed decision on the offer. To expedite a request for an extension, call the employer directly to discuss the situation and follow-up in writing via email.
These conversations can be challenging, so you can schedule a career coaching appointment to discuss your rationale and approach to requesting an extension on your decision. Also, reference our Employer Recruiting Policy for additional information. If you receive an offer from an employer that seems unreasonable, please notify the Career Center at employer.recruiting@bc.edu
听
It is better not to, as it is possible your first interview may run late or long. Also, be sure to check the length of the interview. Don鈥檛 assume that an interview is a half-hour. Back-to-back interviews are two consecutive interviews with the same organization. Occasionally interviews run 45 or 60 minutes in length. Always make sure you check the interview length and leave an ample amount of time to reach your next interview.
Information Sessions FAQs
Employers offer on-campus, virtual, or Employer On-site sessions and these types of events will be posted in Handshake under "Events".
听
From the main Handshake home page, simply click on the 鈥淓惫别苍迟蝉鈥� tab to see all of the employer events, as well as Career Center events.听 On the "Events" page, you can filter by a variety of options such as this week, this month, virtual, or 鈥淎ll Filters鈥�.
听
Appropriate attire varies by employer and event types.听In most cases business casual attire is recommended. Review the event description for details.
Although attending an information session is not mandatory, it is advantageous to attend as many sessions as possible to learn more about the employer and the positions for which they will be recruiting. At these sessions, students have the opportunity to network with representatives, many of whom are 51茶馆 alums.听听
However, pre-interview information sessions are considered part of the interview process if offered by the employer.
听
Employers who hold on-campus information sessions often leave time at the end of the session for networking. Networking is a key component of your internship/job search and it helps to expand your career network. At the same time, it allows you to highlight your specific career interests, academic background, and networking skills. Networking is a great way to meet one-on-one with a representative, many of whom are 51茶馆 alums, to ask follow-up questions and obtain their business card or contact information.
Immediately following the session, it is customary to send a thank you email to the representative(s) to reiterate your interest and reference a topic of your discussion. Maintaining your contacts is an ongoing process that will help you throughout your career.
Networking is a mutually beneficial process. If you discover a resource or article that you think one of your contacts would appreciate, pass it along to them.