If your goal is to get an internship or summer job, you have several opportunities at your reach. First off, students and teachers! Having older college students in your class who are already working but still taking classes to improve their skills is very common in the US. Through group projects or just by making friends, it’s easy to ask them in what field they are working or if they have a spot for a student in their firm, office, or organization.
Teachers are also here to help. Most of the time, they are professionals still in business or retired and they have an interesting network. To give you an example, my “American Institutions” teacher was a former Dean, my “International Marketing” teacher works between the US and Asia and my “Advertising” teacher used to be a valuable employee at Procter & Gamble, working on different commercials. It never hurts to network. You never know until you actually ask for help. It’s not seen as weird and needy - on the contrary, it shows that you are interested in the class, your future, and your professional career.
Finally, Boston University regularly organizes job fairs and meetings where people can socialize and grow their network. I attended a Career Fair back in February, and even though it was mostly for American students, there were a few firms interested in international students. Also, it’s a great way to train on how to introduce yourself to professionals and see if your resume is applicable to them. All kinds of businesses were present, from start-ups to huge companies like Macy’s. Even the FBI was looking for interns! I know it can be intimidating and a bit overwhelming to face so many people in one day, but once it’s done, you won’t have any regrets and a business could call you back!
Here is a sneak peek into what you could expect at a job fair at Boston University:
- Devin McCourty (two-time Super Bowl champion for the New England Patriots)
- Dave Dombrowski (President of Baseball operations at Boston Red Sox)
- Jemele Hill (Sports Journalist at ESPN)
- Kevin Merida (Senior Vice President at ESPN)
- Ezra Edelman (2016 Oscar Winner for his documentary “OJ: Made in America”)
Next September, I will start my Master in Marketing and business strategies through a work-and-study program. I would advise you to use your experience at MET International at BU because I think your resume will stand out from others. As I said at the very beginning of this post, not everybody had a studying experience abroad and you should not be afraid to use this to your advantage.