Why Participating in Case Competitions Can Be Valuable for Your Job or Internship Search

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

You may have seen or heard about case competitions sponsored by employers or universities. However, the idea of participating in these events may seem daunting and the advantages may be unclear beyond winning the competition and a receiving a prize. With this in mind, I want to highlight some additional benefits of participating in case competitions:

You can build your confidence in solving complex business problems, working in teams and public speaking. All of these skills are in demand by employers. What better way to demonstrate your mastery than to propose a solution and recommendations to a business problem faced by an employer. Depending on the structure of the competition, you also may have the opportunity to present your ideas in front of company representatives, perhaps senior-level executives.

A top finish in a case competition may lead to an interview opportunity. Case competitions can be a great way for employers to identify talent. In some instances, members of teams that perform well may be invited to interview with a firm for employment opportunities.

You can demonstrate your interest in an employer or industry. Some case competitions are sponsored directly by employers. Others are coordinated through universities focused on an industry or sector with employers in attendance. Regardless of who arranges a competition, your participation indicates your willingness to spend time on something not required of you, signaling your interest in a firm or industry.

Your participation in a case competition can serve as a great interview story. Whether you receive a question about a time when you have demonstrated teamwork or worked under a strict deadline, the case competition experience can provide an interesting anecdote that you can share during a job or internship interview.

There are certainly other benefits from participating in case competitions – the possibilities are numerous. So the next time you see case competitions advertised at Penn or through other channels, seriously consider joining a team and participating – you may benefit in more ways than you can imagine.

Did Not Receive a Full-Time Return Offer from Summer Employer – What Should I Do Now?

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

As another Fall semester is well underway, some December 2015, May 2016 and August 2016 graduating students have begun the process of planning for life after Penn. Some may have interned this past summer with hopes of securing a full-time offer by the end of the summer. If you did not receive the return offer you hoped for, do not panic – now is a great time to devise a strategy for how you will approach your job search this year.

Reflect on your summer experience. With the hustle and bustle of the start of the semester, it can be very easy to simply jump back into the recruiting process as you prepare for next year. If you have not already, take some time to think about your experience this past summer. What did you enjoy? What was unpleasant? What did you learn about yourself? The answers to these three questions may help you better target your efforts this year and focus on employment opportunities that are a good fit for you.

Schedule an appointment with a Career Services advisor. Once you have taken the time to reflect and focus on your interests and goals, schedule a meeting with an advisor in Career Services. Talking through your plan with someone may reaffirm that you are taking the necessary steps and advantage of all of the resources available to you. You may come up with some new ideas or decide to adjust your strategy a bit. For those who have not visited Career Services during your tenure, that’s fine – but please do not feel if you have not used our services in the past that you cannot use them this year. Whatever you think would be helpful for you is great – so please utilize Career Services while you are here on campus.

Actively participate in relevant recruiting events. As much as some employers have already actively begun recruiting Penn students on-campus, do not underestimate the importance of demonstrating your interest. Simply applying for positions that you believe you are qualified for may not be enough – if you discover that employers you are interested are recruiting on-campus, make every effort possible to attend recruiting events unless you have a class conflict or other obligations.

Consider all of your options. Consider how the experience you have gained this past summer has opened up new employment opportunities to explore. Try not to focus solely on position title or industry – but also identify transferable skills that you can apply in different positions and sectors. Now that you have additional experience, you may be able to more effectively pivot into new roles. If you prefer to consider opportunities with different employers within the same industry as your summer employer, that’s great – but cast a wide net and try not to narrow your options too soon.

For advice on how to answer questions about why you did not receive a return offer from your summer employer, please read this previous post: https://ulife.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/blog/2014/10/02/tough-interview-questions-why-did-you-not-receive-a-full-time-job-offer-from-your-summer-internship-employer/

Consider the Value of Joining and Participating in LinkedIn Groups

By: David Ross, Associate Director

A very popular tool that some candidates use in their internship and job searches is LinkedIn. Perhaps you have created a personal account or utilized the “Find Alumni” feature. While both are great starting points, consider joining and participating in LinkedIn groups to discover additional advantages of the system.

Identify a network of individuals with a shared interest.
One approach to search for networking contacts with professional experience within an industry is to input search criteria or use filters to generate a list of individuals. Another approach would be joining a group that may have dozens or hundreds of members with a shared interest, educational background or work experience. Depending on what type of individuals you are trying to identify, joining a group may be a faster or more efficient way to identify a network of individuals you are looking for.

Demonstrate your expertise in an area.
Once you have joined a group, you may notice individuals pose questions on occasion in search of feedback from group members. Responding to questions on topics you have insight can signal your expertise. It can also build goodwill and possibly open the lines of communications with others you may not have connected with in the past, expanding your network.

Uncover job and internship leads – before they are posted on job sites.
Sometimes individuals will post job or internship leads within a group with the idea that a targeted forum with individuals that may work within a field can be a source of referrals for strong candidates. Occasionally, these job and internship leads are mentioned in groups before they are published publicly elsewhere. Thus, being a member of a relevant group can lead to insights on additional job and internship leads.

Receive insight, advice or assistance from other professionals.
There may be a topic or question you would like perspective on from other professionals. Or perhaps you are working on an event or program and are searching for volunteers that have a certain background. Leveraging group forums in some instances may be very helpful in these instances.

Ultimately, when you search for Groups in LinkedIn, you may notice an overwhelming number of possibilities. You may want to start by joining a small number of groups first. Try to become actively involved as you never know when your participation can lead to unexpected benefits.

My Summer Internship Search – How to Begin?

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

Each year, I meet with students wondering about their summer internship search. A frequent question that surfaces during many of these conversations is how to begin. While there is no blueprint or magic formula, here are some ideas to consider when you decide to start the process:

Consider the types of internships you want to pursue. Sometimes students will begin looking for internships and applying for opportunities before giving careful thought to what they ideally want to do for the summer.  Beginning your search knowing the industries and functions you want to work in can be very helpful. If you are unsure or open to a few different areas, that’s fine – just take some time to really think about what you are looking for in an internship and what you hope to gain out of the experience before you proceed.

Update your resume. You never know when you will need it to pass along to any contacts you meet or to apply for any early application deadlines. Be sure to include new entries from the Fall semester and, of course, proofread carefully before sending out.

Identify individuals in your personal network you can contact. Creating a list of people that you know beyond individuals working directly at companies of interest to you can be a great starting point. Think about any connections you have developed since your last search and those who you know best and have the strongest relationships with you. These are potential contacts that you may want to reach out to and discuss your interests for next summer, which ultimately may generate leads for your internship search and a group of individuals who may be willing to assist you in some capacity as the process unfolds.

Create your own calendar of recruiting events happening at Penn and off-campus. As a Penn student, you have access to a wonderful array of career-related events on campus throughout the year. Given the vast number of events and programs, it may be helpful to add them to your calendar and keep track of events with representatives from companies that interest you.

Develop an internship search spreadsheet to document your progress. On your spreadsheet, include information on the company name, position title, recruiter name and contact information, application date and application status to keep organized once you start submitting internship applications.

Schedule an appointment or stop by during walk-in hours to meet with a Career Services advisor. We are happy to meet with you to help you create a strategy based on your individual interests.

Tough Interview Questions: Why did you not receive a full-time job offer from your summer internship employer?

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

For students going through the process of recruiting for full-time positions, this question can be very difficult to answer assuming the reason is based on a deficiency in the individual’s performance during the internship. Taking a moment to reflect on your summer experience and delivering a confident response can be helpful to assuage any concerns of recruiters. Here are a few things to consider if you encounter this question during an interview:

Maintain a mature, positive attitude. Avoid delivering a defensive response and completely shifting the blame on everyone else.
Take some responsibility for what happened, but share some positive feedback you received. Provide some general context on the situation (keep this brief and avoid going into too much detail), but also highlight positive feedback you received on your performance during the summer, particularly anything relevant to the position you are interviewing for at this time. Note what you learned from the experience that will improve your performance in the future.  Consider getting some feedback on your answer to this question from an advisor in Career Services prior to your interview.
Be willing to provide one or two former co-workers who can speak on your behalf. Having individuals who are willing to corroborate the things you accomplished during your summer and provide positive feedback on your performance and impact on the organization can be very helpful. Prior to the interview, identify one or two co-workers from your summer internship that can speak on your behalf. Be sure to ask them in advance if they are willing to do so and provide insight into the jobs you are applying for as a next step.  Then be sure to mention that they are willing to speak on your behalf about your performance when you encounter this tough interview question.