Peer Career Consultant Blogs

Introduction: My Personal Experience With Failure

In the first few weeks of a new school year - whether that be your first weeks as a freshman - or even the beginning of your last fall quarter as a senior at Santa Clara, there always exists a level of excitement a person may have regarding their future career plans. This may be a result of pursuing a new path after changing majors or deciding to go all in on their true passion after not feeling fulfilled or satisfied by a previous internship. Moreover, some may even start the new school year with the same burning ambition to continue moving forward with their plans to secure the coveted position they have been working towards for the past few years. 

While everyone has their own unique experience, the introduction that I laid forth is a reflection of my own. Now as a senior and serving as one of the Peer Career Consultants, I also want to bring to light a reality that many people face, especially given the notion of a looming recession which suggests an even more competitive and tougher job market. This reality is the possibility of not being able to secure your dream offer. While many posts on Linkedin may suggest the continuous success your peers and fellows Broncos seem to have. There also exists a silent majority of many students who do not land the offer they have been working towards. I myself have been through and still to an extent am going through this reality. However, I have learned over time that there are many positives that you can take out of a not so ideal situation and use it as fuel to make the most of your recruiting journey throughout your college career and even after you graduate

Beyond my personal experience, this short blog post will highlight several main topics ranging from a short overview of the internship search process to how I would tackle the obstacle of failure and create a backup plan. Lastly, I will conclude by touching on a few pieces of advice that I have received throughout my time at Santa Clara that I firmly believe would’ve helped me when I first started recruiting as a sophomore. 

The Internship Process - A Tough Reality
The process of applying for internships and full-time jobs is not as straightforward as one may think. Each different major, industry, and company are accompanied by their own interview process that can be varied in terms of rigor and length. The uniqueness behind every process, more often than not, is something many students are not made fully aware of early on. I myself came into college deadset in securing coveted positions within the likes of Investment Banking and the world of M&A. However, despite countless preparation and superday interviews, I am not ashamed to admit that I indeed fell short. However, it is important to know that one roadblock is not meant to stop you from reaching your dreams. In fact, it may be considered a blessing in disguise. This past summer, I worked as a Deals Consulting Intern at PwC and I found myself not only making the most of the learning experience, but also finding a sense of joy being around the people I worked with. Moreover, this internship opportunity also allowed me to have some time to reflect on what matters most to me in my life currently and what I want to achieve in my career.

Mindset Change: Understanding Failure and Dealing with It
For one, It is completely normal for someone to find themselves at the end of a recruiting cycle with no offer or having an offer that isn’t up to one’s personal standards. If this is you, then the first thing you should do is avoid having the mindset that you won’t be able to get your dream job, or that it is the end of the world. For those that give up, the journey ends right there. By putting your own disappointment to the side and thinking about the positives, one can still land their dream job in the future. To put it simply, do not let one failure define you.

Backup Plans: You Should Always Have One
Now you find yourself as a senior with a job offer for a full-time position that you are looking forward to, but maybe not passionate about. What do you do? In this situation, one that many students find themselves in, you should always be prepared to have a backup plan. A plan for the future can take varying forms, whether that be deciding to take a Master’s degree right out of college, an MBA after two years of working, or planning to move up an industry by job-hopping every few years. At the end of the day, your back-up plan should be tailored to you and how you want to control the direction of your career. With that being said, it is as important to consider other factors regarding the decisions you will make in your career. You may ask yourself, “How many hours a week am I willing to work?”, “Is a few extra thousand dollars worth more than leaving the people I enjoyed working with?”, or “Am I willing to move across the country to pursue more opportunities?” All these questions in their own right can impact your backup plan or career plans in general. Because of these few factors, I highly recommend putting a lot of thought into your backup plans before committing to one. To an extent, many people even sometimes find out that sticking to what you’ve been doing may in fact be their best plan in actuality. 

Advice I Wish I Knew Earlier
To conclude my short but hopefully helpful blog post, I also want to share with you some pieces of advice I received over the years that I feel can help you bounce back if you did not land that job offer you wanted previously.

1. Network properly and use it as a strategic tool - One aspect of networking that I wish I knew earlier was how to use it to your advantage in the interview process. What I mean by strategic networking isn’t simply having an informational interview with someone and expecting them to drop in your resume for review. Strategic networking involves scheduling coffee chats with multiple people in one team or office. You want to be an applicant that is known by the team you are applying to, which in return can lead to members of this team vouching for you in the future because they genuinely know you. 
2. Find a mentor  - Your time in college will go faster than you think and even more so with the respective recruiting timelines you will be constantly focused on. Finding a mentor to not only educate you on an industry you are interested in, but also serve as someone to prepare you and motivate you can really make a difference in your ability to jumpstart your career. It is easy to think you can do it alone, but it is never a bad idea to seek some guidance along the way
3. Set aside some “me” time and have fun! - Recruiting is stressful and a never ending chore that stays with you throughout the duration of your short college career. However, it is also important to set some time for yourself to rest, relax, and have fun. Whatever it may be, recruiting should never take place for your mental and physical health. Start a new hobby, hangout with friends, or sleep an additional hour or two. Finding that time to recuperate can even be a benefit in your mental preparation for recruiting and interviews in the long run.
4. Your job does not define you as a person - At the end of the day, you may find yourself sometimes feeling envious about the job someone else landed or feeling like you came up short with the current offer you may have. This is completely normal, but you should never diminish your own accomplishments or instill some sort of self doubt. Be proud of yourself always.