You're lucky: The corporate recruiting process is surprisingly standardized, especially among the larger firms that are accustomed to hiring college seniors and recent graduates for their entry-level positions. Each corporation may have its idiosyncrasies, but most companies follow the same general procedure when it comes to determining which applicants become employees. This makes your job hunting much easier, as a single strategy can spell success at a number of different firms.
You will quickly learn that the recruiting process at most of these corporations runs as follows: resume review, first-round "screen" interview, second-round "callback" interview, and final decision. At some firms, a third-round interview is necessary for them to reach a decision. (This is usually company policy and does not reflect badly on you.) That's the system.
There are, of course, less orthodox approaches to getting a job, but they are generally not effective in landing this type of job. Those approaches utilize such strategies as relying entirely on contacts and casting the resume aside (in which case you need quick feet to dodge resume requests). That might be fine for working your way into a small company with no formal recruiting procedure, but it won't get you very far in the big leagues. At my firm, it was as simple as: "No resume, no job." Contacts could earn you an interview, but you have to earn the offer yourself.
This is about getting a job, not deciding what job to get. You have probably already made your decision. But, for those of you who are still looking for advice: It's true that working for some big-name firms can have its disadvantages, most notably, a lack of responsibility and upward mobility in some cases. But, first of all, these are simply generalizations. I could not have handled any more responsibility and career-advancement opportunity than I was able to--as provided by my entry-level investment banking job. Secondly, even with the possibility of those disadvantages in mind, there are a number of compelling reasons supporting our decision to aim for the sort of fast-track job you are considering.
Your first job is most important in that it gets you your second job. If your first job is with a well-known, respected company, you will find yourself in a truly advantageous position when it comes time to look elsewhere. When your resume is read, when your candidacy is discussed, even when you are introduced, your job becomes a part of you, almost an appendix to your name, like "Ph. D."Your second job—typically the job in which people join the field where they will spend their careers—will be that much easier to get if your first job has the advantage of quick, positive name recognition.
And the benefit doesn't stop there; the big-name firm stays on your resume forever. Even twenty years down the road, it will still be there to lend credibility to your candidacy.
You may be thinking: "Why do it now? Why not join a name recognition firm in a few years? Either way, it will be on my resume. The fact is, however, that there may never be an easier time than now to do so. Most elitist companies, for their entry-level positions, won't hire people who are over twenty-five or who have spent more than two years working for some unknown private business. It's one thing to have taught English in a private school or worked as a park ranger, but "inferior" corporate experience can make you undesirable to the big names who are looking for fresh, unspoiled talent.
And let's not forget that there are, should you want them, quite lucrative long-term careers available with these companies. The best way to start a career with Citicorp is to get a job with Citicorp. But that's enough on that subject; the choice is yours.
See the following articles for more information:
- Ways Job Posting Has Changed in the Last 10 Years
- Some Truths about Hiring Practices Today
- 8 Commonly Misunderstood Aspects of Work-Life Balance
- Support Your Employees and Help Them Discover Their Potentials
