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You Asked, We Answered.

The Career Center addresses most frequently asked questions from a recent parent survey.

Thank you to the hundreds of parents who have already responded to the Career Center’s survey. As we continue to collect your responses, we also wanted to begin to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions. 

Overall, how does the Boston College experience help students prepare for their lives beyond BC?

Preparing students to lead meaningful lives is woven into the BC experience from the moment they arrive. Through student organization involvement, classroom projects, research, internships, clinical or teaching placements, study abroad, retreats, and more, a Boston College education helps students develop the knowledge and skills they need while considering who they are, what matters to them, and how they want to contribute to the world. The Career Center partners with faculty, staff, alumni, and employers to connect this learning across the University, including bringing career development and vocational discernment into the classroom. This integrated approach helps students make sense of their experiences, recognize their gifts and talents, and connect their education to work that aligns with their strengths, values, and aspirations.

Broadly speaking, how do students explore career paths? 

Career exploration at Boston College integrates self-reflection, external discovery, and active experimentation. It takes time and intention to find work that will be meaningful, so students should not expect to have it all figured out on a particular timeline. We encourage students to begin by assessing their personal interests, values, and skills using self-paced digital platforms like Focus 2 Career or by completing “Designing Your Career” (either as a 1-credit course or an asynchronous badge program), which uses design-thinking mindsets to help students prototype potential career paths. Beyond the classroom, students can take advantage of any or all of the following experiential opportunities to continue their exploration:

These diverse offerings ensure that each student, regardless of major or class year, has the opportunity to explore options reflectively, learn about diverse fields, and map out a purposeful path forward. 

What resources and services does the Career Center provide to students? Are there resources, career fairs, and opportunities for students interested in careers outside of business?

No student has to walk through their career exploration and preparation without dedicated support. Our framework intentionally supports students across three core stages—Explore, Prepare, and Act (learn more about each stage here). Whether a student is utilizing individual coaching appointments for personalized discernment, participating in cohort-based group programs like Endeavor, or accessing digital platforms such as Focus2, Handshake, and Big Interview on their own schedule, there are resources for them across all class years, all majors, and all career interests. 

The Boston College Career Center is structured to support every career interest and every field of study. To provide targeted advice and programming, our team is organized into specialized Career Path Clusters to ensure that we are able to develop knowledge about hiring and opportunities across industries, and we offer a range of programming and resources. This also allows students to connect with career coaches based on their interests rather than their major. Carroll School of Management students work with their designated career advisors. 

Among our many programs and resources, we host at least one recruiting-focused major program for each career path cluster per academic year to connect students with alumni and employers of interest. Each career cluster also hosts educational panels, workshops, and other programming and has a designated staff member available for individualized support.

Though the different hiring practices by industry can make it appear that there are more offerings for some industries than others, we have customized offerings and resources for all interests. 

What support do you provide students who are looking for an internship or job?

Most students have never searched for a professional internship or job, so we have services that assume no prior experience with this process. We provide guidance on preparing strong application materials (e.g. resumes and cover letters), strategizing their search, and connecting with employers, alumni, and specific opportunities. Students can meet with a career coach individually to strategize their own search or in a group format such as a workshop or group advising session where they also get to hear the questions their peers are asking. 

We provide a wide range of internship and job search resources including:

  • Handshake is a centralized recruiting hub featuring over 400,000 employer profiles spanning technology, healthcare, education, non-profits, and government alongside corporate fields. 
  • Eagle Exchange is a BC-only mentorship platform connecting students with alumni for mentoring and networking. 
  • Summer Experience Dashboard shows what students have done in past summers to gain experience, including the timing of finalizing their plans. Students can filter by class year, major, etc., to inform their own search strategy. Summer Experiences Database allows students to reach out directly to their peers to learn about past internship experiences.
  • Interstride provides guidance on international experiences and provides international students with specialized visa and global employment support.
  • Our ‘Using AI Tools’ resource page provides guidance on how to use (and how not to use) AI in the search process.

It’s important to keep in mind that the search process will look different for every student depending on their specific interests, needs, past experiences, etc. Students should resist the urge to compare their process to that of their friends and peers. 

How do students access the alumni network, connect with employers, and participate in on-campus interviewing, info sessions, and career fairs?

We facilitate robust, accessible opportunities for students to connect with alumni and employers. Students can tap directly into our global alumni network using Eagle Exchange, an exclusive mentoring and networking platform designed for warm outreach, informational interviews, and career guidance. Juniors and seniors can be matched with an alumni mentor through our MentorMatch program or any student can reach out to the many thousands of alumni who have volunteered via the platform. 

Throughout the year, we host major recruiting programs such as career fairs and networking events across industries, as well as hundreds of events such as alumni panels,employer information sessions, and on campus interviews. Many employers host informal coffee chats, giving students direct access to knowledgeable company representatives and alumni recruiters in low-pressure, small-group or 1:1 environments. 

All of these direct employer engagement opportunities are available to students via Handshake, which serves as the central hub for students to discover upcoming campus events, apply for position openings, and apply to participate in employer-hosted  on-campus or virtual interviews. 

How can you use this information to support your student? 

  • Review the list of career services and resources available and ask your student which ones they think will be helpful right now. (Their needs will continuously change!)
  • Encourage them to set a goal to use at least one new career resource this semester. 
  • If your student is a sophomore or junior who is exploring their interests, encourage them to sign up for Endeavor. 
  • Encourage them to reach out to alumni in specific career fields via Eagle Exchange for guidance, mentorship, and informational conversations.
  • If your student has interest in specific industries and roles, encourage them to use Handshake to identify employers that are posting jobs and hosting on-campus and virtual events for BC students.
  • Encourage your student to follow the Career Center on Instagram for updates on our offerings and to subscribe to our newsletters based on their career interests in Handshake.
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