OCS Recruiting Revs Up

For many seniors and juniors, this is a very special time of year: Dressed in their best and with polished resumés in hand, upperclassmen flock in droves to recruiting events to schmooze, learn about prospective careers, and hopefully pick up a few business cards along the way.

Around 1,100 students are currently participating in the on-campus recruiting program, according to Director of the Office of Career Services [OCS] William Wright-Swadel. Before the end of the year, that number is likely to swell to 1,600 or more as curious sophomores and freshmen, in search of internships and information, jump into the mix, he added.

“It’s seductive,” Wright-Swadel said of OCS’s on-campus recruiting program, explaining that the comprehensive system streamlines the process of the job search by essentially doing a good percentage of the work for students.

Instead of seeking out companies directly, students submit their resumes and schedule interviews online with participating companies and have the option to attend the numerous information sessions offered.

This past week, more than fifteen companies—ranging from the Boston Consulting Group and Goldman Sachs to the CIA, Google, Inc. and General Mills—have invited students to hear their presentations and meet with current employees and recruiters.

“The recruiting program is much more diverse than just the consulting firms and investment banks,” Wright-Swadel said. “The numbers are just weighted that way due to interest on the part of the students and of the companies.”

Some students, however, said these events can be intimidating.

“[The recruiter] is telling you why you should join the company, and they say they’re taking 20 people from Harvard, but then there’s like 150 people in the room with you,” said Daniel P. Malinowski ’07.

Others explained that the process of exploring all the possibilities is time consuming.

“I have no life right now,” said Colleston A. Morgan, Jr. ’07, who has attended nearly 10 events so far. “I wish the process could be a little less intense when we get back on campus. At least give people shopping week to get their bearings and get their academics together before you start having three or four events a night, having people running back and forth from the Charles [Hotel] to the Faculty Club.”

But Malinowski said he appreciates the timing of the process.

”The good thing is that most of these events are happening now instead of a few weeks from now, when there are midterms and things.”

Wright-Swadel said he recognizes that student’s schedules can become cramped during this time of year.

“The whole job search is like a fifth class,” he said. But, he was quick to offer advice to those in the thick of recruiting season. “Manage it, don’t be managed by it,” he said. “Focus. Know the industries. Invest the most time in the companies that are most interesting to you.”

—Staff writer Ashton R. Lattimore can be reached at arlattim@fas.harvard.edu.