RECRUITING 101: DO’S & DON’TS

By Tyler Bradford, The Dartmouth Staff

Published on Friday, July 27, 2012

• Print
• Report an Error
• Share

DO: Secure a tap for a secret society

Everyone knows that the most important reason to be in a secret society — besides further contributing to Dartmouth’s already high levels of social competitiveness — is to help land a sick post-graduation job. Knowing that your Morgan Stanley interviewer is a fellow Sphinx makes the whole ordeal a tad more benign.

Bring your notepad

Don’t forget to bring your notepad to those information sessions! Representatives present you with invaluable information that can’t be found anywhere online. You see it once, then it’s gone forever, so scribe away! Bonus points: Nothing screams “corporate” like a leather-bound padfolio.

Lead a Greek house

Your interviewer will be happy to learn that you are leading the effort to keep Greek traditions alive. This one has the added benefit of both looking good on your resume as a leadership position and ensuring that you and your recruiter will have something to bond over.

DON’T: Wear charcoal

Guys, charcoal is out. If you want the job, you’re going to have to bring the look — and that means your classic black suit. First impressions matter, and this has never been truer than in your interview. Think of it as getting dressed for the first day of school, only with higher stakes.

Come to Collis straight from your interview

Don’t try to pretend that your business attire is at all comfortable. The facetime you’re getting in that outfit really isn’t helpful, either. Do yourself and everyone trying to enjoy their lunch a favor and go home to change before hitting up DDS.

Be too competitive

Be careful not to strike down too many of your alleged competitors. Some companies prefer to interview in a group setting (hey, Bridgewater!). Don’t make too many enemies too quickly — it may come back to bite you in the end!

Forget to “search & replace” on cover letters

Don’t be that confident in your typing skills — everyone makes mistakes. You really don’t want to tell Goldman Sachs how perfect you think you would be for the capital markets internship at Mogran Stanely.