<p>Smith seems to rank pretty high on the Princeton Review "best career service",
but I just want to know really how easy/difficult it is to get a job after graduate from Smith.
I'm intended to major in economics, and I would wish to work for 2 years after graduation then further study at some ivies grad school.
Considering the economic situation and the almost dead Wall Street right now, =/
Is it still possible for an average Smithie to get an okay job??</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!!!</p>
<p>Funny you should mention that. D is working as an Econ research assistant for a non-profit in DC. She applied for an internship for the summer between junior and senior years, was the bridesmaid, at least partly because of timing issues…the candidate they took could start earlier and stay later by a total of two months…but they invited her to apply for an annual RA job for after graduation. She applied during Fall of senior year, got the job acceptance just before Christmas. (great present) </p>
<p>Okay, it wasn’t just Smith…she had some luck. But it was the Smith D.C. internship coordinator that pointed her at this outfit in the first place. She also had a very very good record at Smith plus some good internship experience, both in D.C. and in California, that helped. And it didn’t hurt that he had a very fine record at Smith.</p>
<p>Apropos of which, she has now been on the hiring side of things as far as interns go. Paraphrasing, they don’t seek out applicants from the elite colleges but those applicants in general write the strongest applications. Chicken and egg, I suppose. The outfit is riddled with people from places like Swarthmore, Smith, Harvard, Yale, William and Mary, as well as U/Texas-Austin and U/Wisconsin-Madison. Northeast Central Amalgamated State and the like: none.</p>
<p>Btw, the Smith Econ department is pretty strong and two of the profs are among D’s closest advisors now. (She was a double in Math and Government but took three Econ classes at Smith.)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot! And congraduations to your D!
I understand that it is the ability of a person that really matters at work, I just wasn’t sure if I can even GET a job before any of my ability can show.
Your story is really helpful and very encouraging though!
=)))</p>
<p>As a new grad who had to job hunt pretty recently, I can say that Smith definitely helped position me well to get a job. A smith alum recommended me for my internship when I did the Semester in Washington program and that allowed me to get in on the ground floor of an exciting project in my field, where I built the contacts that made my job search easy and fruitful. </p>
<p>The CDO is small, accessible, and the staff is extremely dedicated. They can give you all the tools you need (the perfect resume, the experience interviewing, even teaching you how to dress for your office situation). One example: I’m a good writer, and I assumed i could write a cover letter and a resume without help, but I was really, really wrong, and so grateful they were there to guide me. Plus, the CDO is a lifetime resource so even though I’m graduated I can still call them for help. </p>
<p>But as you’ve guessed, a lot of it is up to you. I think too many Smithies graduate without going to the CDO or trying to network or doing an internship. Really, intern if you can, as much as you can. Try to do something every summer, even if it’s just part-time. Not only will it increase your contacts, but having experience on your resume is key to making you stand out among all the other econ/finance grads from LACs. What’s great about Smith is because it’s a small school with such a great CDO, it’s so much easier to access the resources that make these things possible.</p>
<p>S&P makes a point that bears repeating: intern as much as you can. D was a bit bummed about her internship prospects for the summer between junior and senior years. Applying from Budapest was <em>not</em> an easy experience (time zones, inadequate e-mail access, and setting up even a telephone interview required a lot of effort) and the timing wasn’t good either.</p>
<p>She initially had only one two-day-a-week internship back home, having struck out with plum opportunities elsewhere, including the org that ultimately hired her. But she was offered a second part-time internship that presented itself via a fluke conversation between TheMom and another woman at our church. The second internship wasn’t glamorous but it when she interviewed for her job they asked her a <em>lot</em> about it and when they checked references they spent a lot of time talking to her boss, not just a perfunctory two-minute phone call. </p>
<p>Fwiw, they weren’t as interested in D’s knowledge or skill-set, which was pretty clear by that time, as much as they were interested in getting a handle on how she worked both collaboratively and independently.</p>
<p>My D is an '09 grad and is starting an RA job at Brown this week. She interviewed with 3 different research groups at Brown and was offered this position. She was a psych major at Smith, which is one of the stronger departments. She had 2 good summer internships as well as research related jobs on campus. All of these I think made her a very strong candidate. So this is one data point.</p>
<p>NJ113, congratulations to your daughter! Sounds like she’s taken all the right steps to arrive where she is now.</p>
<p>Thanks CarolynB. She certainly took all of the right steps, but Smith certainly made a lot of opportunities available to her, between the on campus research jobs and the internships. Taken advantage of all of these opportunities is what will make you attractive in the job market after Smith.</p>