When Employers Come A-Knocking!

By Angela Sun 

As the wind howled in my ear and threatened to knock me off my feet, I hiked decidedly up the mountain we at Tufts call 'the Hill'. Why? Because a company of interest, Brunswick group, was holding an employer information session in Dowling!

It's one thing to read about a company on a website, it's a completely different thing to be able to meet someone from the firm and hear him or her talk about the company's work. As my understanding of Brunswick grew exponentially as a result of the event, I am here to share a recap of the event for those of you who missed it, as well as give a general introduction to employer information sessions.

I spoke with Kristin Casasanto, Assistant Director and Employer Outreach at Tufts Career Center, to get some professional insights into employer information sessions.

"It's all in the name. Employers from a range of sectors, from Engineering to Computer Science, Finance to Non-Profit, will contact the Career Center and request to do an information session. A session usually corresponds to a job or internship posting in Jumbo Jobs, and so is typically part of a greater recruitment effort. Often, there will be a Tufts alum at the company, or even at the information session as well. And for sure, there will more than likely be HR representatives and recruiters present. Information sessions can take on a variety of formats, from going over the firm's interview process and format, to multimedia presentations, panels, and Q&As."

Surely enough, Brunswick Group, an international corporate communications partnership, visited Tufts with two opportunities posted in Jumbo Jobs: a full-time internship for college juniors and seniors, and an entry-level Account Researcher position. The information session was presented by a Human Resources professional, and a senior and junior employee.

At the event, Brunswick Group provided a case study of a real M&A the company had worked on. The Brunswick representatives created an interactive presentation in which students were taken through a typical workflow from stakeholder mapping to strategic rationale, media strategy, and roll-out timeline. Throughout Brunswick's presentation, students were encouraged to participate in answering questions each step of the way. For example, during stakeholder mapping, students brainstormed relevant stakeholders that would be affected by the M&A, and thus be a relevant target audience for Brunswick's media strategy. "Consumers", "Investors", "Employees", "Governments", and "Suppliers", students contributed during the lively activity.

"Such events help the students conceptualize the exact nature of what Brunswick does," said a Brunswick representative.

I greatly benefited from the experience because it gave me a qualitative exposure to Brunswick and its culture. From meeting its people, I could truly appreciate how international, professional, and intellectually-stimulating Brunswick is. Right after I got back from the information session, I went back into Jumbo Jobs and re-tailored my cover letter because now I had an even more nuanced argument for why my background and personality is a good fit for Brunswick. Furthermore, seizing the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the presentation allowed me to demonstrate that I am interested and proactive beyond the two-dimensional cover letter and resume. And finally, there were about 20 other students at the information session. It never hurts to get a sense of what other students that are applying, what their background is and what kind of an application they are putting forth. The more information you can gather, the more you have to work with to create a unique and compelling personal brand.

"Employer information sessions are extremely valuable because if an employer comes to campus, you bet they are interested in Tufts students, maybe even be specific major or demographic at Tufts," said Ms. Casasanto. I asked her to provide some advice on how to prepare for and optimize the experience. I have summarized her input into a checklist:

Dress to impress, that means the same business attire you would wear to an interview.
Check Jumbo Jobs and the company's website beforehand for the basics about their operations and job openings.
Take notes at the session! Documenting information sessions are just as important as documenting lectures—the morning after you’re not going to remember quite as much. And details can help you boost your cover letter and interview.
Ask and answer questions. Take every opportunity to demonstrate your interest and intellect through engagement.
Turn off your phone and keep it off! It is poor etiquette to text during a presentation and you could miss out on some really key information.
Sit up front, sometimes there could be ambient noise making it hard to hear the presentation.
Observe to see if the employer is collecting resumes as offering your resume is often ill-advised. Instead, ask for a business card and you can always send your resume over in later conversations.
Don’t limit yourself. Often students will become really interested in a company after getting more insight from the event. The more info sessions you go to, the more you will broaden your horizon.

So what employer information sessions are coming up each semester, in time for you to snag that perfect internship or job? Read your weekly Career E-News newsletter or check the upcoming schedule in our calendar! The deadline for Brunswick Group applications are coming up March 1st!