Sloan Undergrad Career Exploration Advice

Developing an Action Plan for Career Exploration
• Reflect on what you have done (and planned to do but did not) up to this point. Make notes on what you have done and what you have tried, and what you have been hesitant about trying or are not as comfortable with. This is the best way to (re)start being deliberate about career exploration.
• Create a list of:
o Things you would like to (and need to) do
o Skills you hope to learn
o Experiences you would like to gain
o People you want to meet
• Keep track of your progress.
Seek out experiences that will be marketable in your next internship or job search.
Seek out fellow students, alums, and industry professionals who would be helpful to network with.
• Once your schedule is set or you get into a good rhythm, block off time in your schedule to focus on career exploration. Be deliberate with your time.
• Set actionable, measurable goals, ex. I will talk with one alum a week or I will reach out to two people in my company/UROP and set up lunch or an in-person/zoom coffee chat.
 

First Steps
• Schedule an appointment with CAPD through Handshake to discuss ways to explore different careers and resources available to you - .
• Do a self-assessment with CAPD – MyPlan and then either Strengthsquest or CareerLeader: . A self-assessment is a great way to explore what your interests are and what your strengths are so you have more confidence in speaking to these things in interviews.
• Make sure your profile is updated in Handshake and set up internship/job alerts in industries/positions that may be of interest - .
• Have a resume and coverletter. CAPD can help with this. The Sloan Undergrad Office can also help with this -
• Update your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is incredibly useful for exploring careers, reaching out to alums, and finding opportunities. See LinkedIn Advice.
• Set up the voicemail / check the voicemail on your phones. Yes, we have heard stories about companies reaching out to students, leaving messages, and never hearing from the student.
• Make sure to continue to check and use your @mit.edu email address. When reaching out to companies, email from your @mit.edu email address (not gmail or other address). The @mit.edu does not guarantee an email being read, but it does increase the chances. 

Prepare Your Career Narrative
• Many people will ask about your career focus and goals. A clear and concise response makes a great impression. Use these questions to help you create a career narrative:
o Who am I? (e.g. I am a junior at MIT majoring in X, or with interests in X, Y, Z)
o What do I do well? (i.e. your value proposition. be prepared with an example, to show evidence)
o What do I want to do next and why? (ex. “I’m at my best when” or “What motivates me most is”
• Your career narrative should be succinct, to the point, and in the first person – no longer than 30 seconds.
• Practice interview questions and know what your 2 to 3 go to stories/experiences are and practice those. Have a story about teamwork. Have a story about using data to make a better decision. have a story about something you worked on and the impact you had and make that impact quantifiable.
o Schedule a mock interview with CAPD and a mock interview through the MIT Alumni Advisors Hub.
o Do a mock interview with an upperclassperson. Do one with someone you feel comfortable with and then with someone you sort of know, but not super well.
 

Expand Your Network / Have Curiosity-Based Conversations
• Don't think of connecting with alums/others as "networking". Think of it as having curiosity-based conversations. If you are not curious about what someone does or the industry they are in, or the company they work for, then why would you apply for an internship/full-time role in that company/ industry?
o Approach conversations with hoping to learn something interesting about them/their role/ their company. this will lead to a real connection (and a much stronger referral)
o You can't learn everything by reading about it on the internet. Learning about someon'e unique story or unique experiences will teach you things you can't look up; and make for a much more fun and engaging conversation.
• Reach out to alumni through MIT’s Alumni Advisor Hub to set up Informational Interviews/career discussions. These are MIT alums who want to help current MIT undergrads with their career exploration. Use them.
• Connect with local alumni who work at your internship company (if applicable) or companies of interest (if you feel comfortable, do an in person meeting)
o Look up alumni on the MIT Alumni Directory or MySloan People Finder or LinkedIn
• Network with other interns and with others at your company/organization (if applicable) to understand the work they are doing and what they find interesting about it.
• Reach out to friends and ask about their experiences – what are they learning and who are they connecting with? Ask them to help you get connected to recruiters or people who work there.
• Connect with Employee Resource Groups at your internship company (if applicable) to network with those of similar affinity identity or interest.
 

Expand Your Knowledge
• Check out the career resources offered by MIT’s Career Advising and Professional Development Office.
• Industry research resources are available at (this is focused towards the Sloan graduate students but there are resources available and appropriate for you). Particularly useful are:
o Vault Guides – For researching different industries, learning companies in those industries,
interview prep, and case interview prep. Accessible through AlumniAdvisorsHub.
o Wall Street Prep - Online course library the provides technical interview preparation and teaches financial skills to use on the job every day.
o Pitchbook - Web based data and technology provider for the global private equity and venture capital markets.
o RocketBlocks - Helps students prepare for 1) consulting 2) product management 3) product marketing 4) strategy & biz ops interviews.
• Use the MIT Libraries research guides for industry and company specific research.
o Make an appointment to talk with reference librarian Shikha Sharma. If you want to learn how to do company research, she is the best at it.
 

Reflect on Your Summer Experience
• After your summer, consider:
o Is the industry/function/expectations a good fit for you?
o What did you learn about company culture and what is a good match for you?
o Are you on the right path?
• Update your resume before the summer ends. Ask your manager/supervisor if what you out on your resume reflects the work you have done and what you accomplished.
• And know that getting a return offer may be a goal but should not be your only goal. You are smart and talented and will do great this summer. Use the summer to figure out who is worthy to hire you and who you need to meet and talk with to help you along your career journey.
 

Check in with Karyn, Rianna or Scott at any point if you need help with a specific situation or just need help getting started or getting unstuck.