For many students working at Deloitte, EY, PwC or KPMG also known as The Big 4 is their dream. For others working at companies like Google, Goldman Sachs or VMWare. These are global companies that are among the best ones to work for and can help you advance your career to a whole new level. Hence, they receive lots of applicants every year but only accept a few. I was fortunate to get an internship and then a full time job at two of them so want to share how you can get there as well.
Classes related to the position and 3.5+ GPA
If you do not have much work experience, recruiters want to see that you at least are taking or have taken classes related to the position you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for an IT consulting position, you should have taken Systems Analysis & Design, Databases, Information Security or Programming classes.
Shoot for A’s on those specific classes related to the position so you can show the recruiters that you really know the subjects. At the same time maintain a 3.5+ GPA to increase your chances of getting noticed.
If you have very relevant work experience, projects and a great personality you may be able to get in with 3.0+ GPA but if you have to think, why not think big? Why not study a little bit more to get the A’s? Even though English is my second language I finished both my undergrad and grad school with 3.5+ GPA, and you can do it too, there is no excuses.
Side Projects!
Getting a good GPA is just the basic first step and most people will do it. So how do you differentiate yourself?
By doing side projects and activities that nobody else is doing you will certainly get attention from recruiters. During my free time I worked on several entrepreneurial projects and one of them was an application for students in high schools. Although the project was not a big success, I learned many things and it helped me to showcase my leadership, project management and team-work skills during interviews.
Whether you are going to apply for a tech or finance position, there are many things that you can create to show recruiters that you really love that field and have been actively working on it. Just be creative and hustle.
Activities such as conferences, hackathons, or forums can also make you stand out and give you great experiences to talk about during your interviews. I have been fortunate to participate in outstanding global events that I certainly put on my resume because it shows what I love and also that I can stand out from the rest. Here are some events I attended while doing my Master:
Global Startup Youth and Global Entrepreneur Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (Technology panel) at Harvard University
Clinton Global Initiative University in Arizona State University
World Youth Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka
There are many events around the world for you to stand out, and every Saturday we post some of those in our FB page. So there is no excuses, start hustling and start being different.
Network, Network, Network
So now you have a great GPA, taken important classes, created interesting side projects, and have differentiated yourself from the rest. However, if the recruiters do not know all that, if they do not know that you even exist, they will never hire you. And how do you show up in their radar? Networking.
Start attending information sessions, career fairs, student associations meetings when they bring companies, making good relationships with your advisors, professors and other students, and of course networking in the online world as well.
I applied several times to top companies and never got even a “thank you” response, nothing. However, when I was referred by someone on that company, I got interviews right away! So if you really want to work at a certain company I would recommend finding someone who can refer you there. Your chances of at least getting the first interview will increase significantly, trust me.
Staying active on LinkedIn is definitely an essential part of your networking. Some of your friends may be working for small companies or still in college but in two years they might be at Google or Facebook. You never know what is going to happen, so maintain and keep increasing your network.
I believe that if you work hard on these 3 strategies you will have more chances on getting that internship or job. Additionally, leadership, team-work and hustle are things that recruiters will look for no matter what the industry or job is. So make sure you have great experiences and stories to tell related to those areas. Now go achieve your goals and follow to get more success tips!