From:
Date: May 27, 2020
Subject: Career Services Notes for MSTM Students - May 27, 2020


Career Services Notes for MSTM Students 

Wednesday, May 27, 2020  

 

Good Evening!  Congratulations on completing Spring Semester courses, and making progress on your job search.  Although classes are not in session, Career Services remains open!  Please do not hesitate to contact me by email if you have questions, or use your Gies Groups account to make an appointment with an advisor regarding your job search.  We’re planning events for YOU this summer so please read Career Services Notes for information – and mention these events to your classmates! 

Remember that in this newsletter I try to NOT repeat information from past issues of Career Services Notes.  So:  if you did not read earlier editions thoroughly, now would be a good time to review past issues to make sure you are aware of all resources – and utilizing them to your advantage, in your job search.  You can find every edition of Career Services Notes in Gies Groups, on the MSTM page (not the Gies Graduate Career and Student Services page).  Click on “Newsletters”, and you will find them posted in reverse chronological order!  

Here’s the “news you can use” as of today: 
 

Practice Case Interviews:  Meet the Case Leaders Session -- Next Week 
AT&T Summer Learning Academy 
Deloitte China Career Webinar – Friday Evening, June 5 
International Students:  Apply for OPT 
Company Information Sessions 
Job Boards 
Handshake Job Board 

 

Practice Case Interviews:  Meet the Case Leaders Session Next Week 
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 
3:00pm – 4:00pm 
Via Zoom 
RSVP on Gies Groups to get Zoom Link 
 
Throughout the summer Gies Career Services will offer one-on-one practice case interview sessions.  The interviewers will be Gies Business students who are trained case interviewers, who have successfully mastered case interviews. To prepare for the Practice Case Interview, use the extensive resources available on the Management Consulted website – which you can access from the “Useful Links” on Gies Groups.  In this event you will meet the Case Interviewers, and learn more about how the program will run this summer. 

Request a Practice Case Interview on Gies Groups, right next to where you would schedule a career advising appointment. When filling out the form simply indicate the days and times that work for your schedule and a case leaders will contact you to schedule an appointment time. 
 

AT&T Summer Learning Academy 
Here’s an opportunity for those looking for a self-paced online learning program in business acumen and personal development.  Career Services recently received this message from AT&T, a corporation whose employee training programs are highly regarded.  As I review the curriculum, it strikes me as an excellent opportunity to gain the information typically presented in new employee onboarding training.  For international students, participating will give you a unique cultural opportunity, acquiring this knowledge through an American lens.  Here’s the information I received:  

 
When AT&T read the news stories and saw that almost half of all college students lost their summer internship… one AT&T Value came to mind: Be there. Having already honored their commitment to this summer’s AT&T interns – AT&T realized many more students were still in need. And we knew they could help.  

Leaning on our AT&T University’s award-winning curriculum, AT&T is launching the AT&T Summer Learning Academy. It’s a free, self-paced online learning “externship” certificate program, designed to support college students looking for something to fill the void. 

Below are the key details about the Externship Certificate Program: 

  • Open to all college students 

  • Virtual, on-demand 24x7 

  • Registration is open now through June 12 

  • Runs from June 22 – July 20 and totals 80 hours 

Please click here to view a flyer containing details about the program including a registration link. We look forward to welcoming all college students to the AT&T Summer Learning Academy. 

Note that participants who complete the program will receive a certificate of externship from AT&T University. 
 

Deloitte China Career Webinar  
Friday, June 5, 8:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Central Time 
 (Saturday, June 6, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Beijing Time)  

In collaboration with American Universities’ China Association (AUCA), Deloitte China is hosting an online career workshop that will explain their recruiting plans and provide an overview of the consulting industry in China. It will be conducted in Mandarin. In order to get a Zoom link, please sign up here.    

 

International Students: Apply for OPT! 
If you are in the US with F-1 student immigration status, and plan to stay in the US to pursue employment opportunities following graduation, you MUST apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) to receive employment authorization based on your F-1 status.  Complete information on applying for OPT is on the ISSS website.  Attend the online OPT workshop for specific instructions on how to apply for OPT.   
 
As stated on the ISSS website, you may apply for OPT up to 90 days before the program end date on your I-20. This means that students graduating in August can apply for OPT starting NOW.  (Likewise, this means that if you extend your academic program until December you can apply for OPT starting in mid-September.)  The deadline to apply for OPT is 60 days after your program end date on your I-20.  The “start date” you enter on your OPT application must be within the 60 days of your program end date.   This means that students who graduated in May, who have not yet applied for OPT and plan to stay in the US more than 60 days after graduation for the purpose of gaining practical training (employment) in the US are strongly advised to apply for OPT -- immediately.  Since the processing time of OPT applications is usually around 90 days, the result of delaying the submission of the OPT application is that the student loses potential OPT employment days. 

Yes, this can be confusing.  I am happy to help you figure out what your questions are so that you can contact ISSS to get complete information appropriate for your situation! 
 

Company Information Sessions  
Please remember to check the Handshake “Events” list, where you will find events arranged by companies.  Companies post these events as they are scheduled, so check frequently for updates! Handshake is a national platform, and many companies are hosting virtual information sessions for any and all interested students.  Attending these presentations will help you gain an understanding of a wide variety of companies, and industries.  Whether or not this leads to an interview in the near future, your job search and career advancement will benefit from developing your knowledge base. 

A few upcoming information sessions that may interest you include: 

Tata Consulting Services – Life at TCS and our Manufacturing Group 
Tata Consulting Services Data Analytics & Insights – Data Brew and Data Jam Session 2 
Tata Conslting Services – Life at TEC and our Hi Tech Group                   

 
Job Boards 
Handshake is the job board where you’ll find opportunities for University of Illinois students.  Keep in mind that the majority of University of Illinois students are undergrad students; the positions posted on Handshake are primarily entry-level positions.  Since you have work experience prior to entering the MSTM program, most companies would expect you to be applying for “Experienced Hire” positions – positions that require prior work experience.  While there are some “Experienced Hire” positions on Handshake (and sourcing entry-level positions on Handshake helps you identify potential employers whose websites you can visit to find “Experienced Hire” openings), you are strongly encouraged to visit other job boards to find “Experienced Hire” position announcements.  Frequently used job boards for MSTM students include LinkedIn, indeed.com, monster.com, and boards on professional associations, such as the ITA job board.   

When reviewing jobs posted on Job Boards, pay close attention to who the contact person is.  Many positions on independent job boards are posted by third party recruiters (headhunters); these recruiters can play a valuable role in your job search.  However, you need to be aware of who you are communicating with, and that person’s role in the recruiting process.  This is especially true if you are contacted by a recruiter in a situation where you did not apply for a position.  Note that there are “bad actors” on the internet, and you need to protect yourself from becoming involved in employment-related scams.  If you have any question about the legitimacy of a recruiter who contacts you, do some research!  Please let me know if you would like help researching the situation, as I would be happy to help. 
 

Handshake Job Board 
Employers continue to post positions on Handshake! Here are a few of the opportunities that caught my eye, as I thought they would interest MSTM students: 

TransUnion, LLC -  Consultants - Chicago, IL 
Lumenci, Inc. - Associate Consultant – Technology Consulting and IP Strategy – Austin, TX 
Coalition Technologies – Digital Producer / Account Manager / Project Manager Trainee – Los Angeles 
Formlabs – Product Marketing Fall Internship – Sommerville, MA 
Formlabs – Global Sourcing Internship – Sommerville, MA 
Eze Software Group – Associate Engagement Manager – Chicago, IL 

These are just a few of the new positions posted....and some of these employers have multiple positions on handshake. So -- make sure to logon to Handshake, and see what opportunities you find in your target industry or functional area! 
 
That’s it for this week.  Please let me know how I can help your job search!  I’m only an email message away!  
 

Dede  

Dede Kern Brown  
YOUR Career Advisor