Job search strategery

Today is the first day of Mod II. The beginning of every Mod is always hectic because I don’t know what classes I want and will spend the first week sampling different classes and getting onto the wait lists of various sections before the Friday noon drop/add deadline when the computer finalizes everyone’s schedule. So far it looks like I will have Monday and Wednesday mornings free, classes on Monday and Wednesday that stretch from the afternoons into the early evenings, and may even have Tuesdays and Thursdays off.

 

I won’t be taking too many classes this Mod (the minimum at Kenan-Flagler for full time status is three classes and 4.5 credits) because I want to concentrate my efforts on the job search. Since the job fair in Atlanta, I have been looking at web sites of different companies and have found myself mentally categorizing them into two categories, “top tier” companies that I would gladly give my right arm to work for, and “other ” companies that would make me happy but not as much. I have decided that since we are still pretty early in the job search process, at this stage I am only going to hunt after opportunities in the “top tier” category. This is important especially since accepting an offer will keep me from looking at other opportunities and at this stage I cannot imagine myself removing myself from the job search process unless I get something that will put a big smile on my face.

 

In other news, tomorrow is my interview with the world’s largest software company. I will be spending tonight catching up on a couple of industry blogs that I have bookmarked. I also found out last week that I made the closed list of three companies, all interviewing for general management rotational programs. The first is a telephone company whose close list I had expected to be able to get ondue to my technology background. The other two companies were more unexpected, the only thing they have in common is that they both make products you use with your car, one is an oil company and the other is a major manufacturer of car tires. So far this year, the rate of return on my cover letters is substantially higher than the one I had last year and the we are still early in the recruiting season.