Interviewing: Partnership (Fit)
Finding the fit between you and an environment is integral to building a satisfying and successful career. With that in mind, you must first evaluate your professional and personal needs that you would like to fulfill through your next opportunity. In addition, you also must assess what the organization’s needs are and how you would contribute to its mission and goals. This will allow you to determine the extent of your fit with an organization. What are your deal breakers? What are your preferences? Does this opportunity make sense when looking at your short-term and long-term...
Applying to Graduate School
"Do I want to apply now?" There is no simple way to answer this question because the reasoning is different for each person. This resource will help you to consider if this is the best time for you to apply for graduate school.
Negotiation & Identity
Your social context for negotiation will depend upon a variety of factors. This is where you may ask yourself where you are at this stage in your career journey. How do your identities, values, interests, skills, and other aspects of your background intersect with the negotiation process? All of these components are worth considering because they will inform your approach to the process. Depending on your personal situation, some components may pose more questions for you than others.
Interviewing Checklist: Reminders for Before, During, and After an Interview
This quick reference guide breaks down the essentials of the interview process.
Test Preparation Book Loan Program
Wellesley Career Education has LSAT, GRE, MCAT and DAT test prep books to lend to current students planning to take one of these exams in the near term.
Introduction to Graduate School
Graduate school is an opportunity to examine a field of your choice with more specificity and direction. It gives you the tools you need to succeed in the industry of your choice. Preparation for grad school can begin as early as your first year of college as you begin conversations with your College Career Mentor about how your values, interests, and strengths align with potential fields of study.
Writing a Personal Statement
A personal statement is a narrative essay that connects your background, experiences, and goals to the mission, requirements, and desired outcomes of the specific opportunity you are seeking. It is a critical component in the selection process, whether the essay is for a competitive internship, a graduate fellowship, or admittance to a graduate school program. It gives the selection committee the best opportunity to get to know you, how you think and make decisions, ways in which past experiences have been significant or formative, and how you envision your future.
Interviewing Proficiency
Much of an interviewing process is variable. It can vary based on the interviewer, the role, the organization, the needs of the program, admissions requirements, and the industry. For example, this can include how formal the interview process is, the attire recommended for the interview, or the method of interviewing used by an interviewer. Of the four pillars discussed in this guide, the one pillar that is core to the interviewing process, and that does not vary in its importance is proficiency.
Interviewing Preparation
As you begin to prepare for an interview, remember that it is essentially a conversation between two people to determine mutual fit. At the end of the conversation the interviewer should be able to determine whether or not you are able to perform the responsibilities required for the job, internship, fellowship or program and you will be able to determine whether or not the organization and role are the right next steps for your talents, taking into consideration your interests, academics and career aspirations.
Application Timelines for Graduate School
This resource provides a date-free timeline, to give you an idea of the order of events in an application process. Specific dates and timeframes/timelines can vary greatly by academic program and area of interest.
CV (curriculum vitae) Guidelines
Your CV or curriculum vitae is similar to your resume. It clearly represents your current and past experiences and accomplishments so that your reader can understand the unique value that you bring to a job/internship/academic program. A few important differences to keep in mind about your CV are outlined in this document, along with helpful tips for format and content.
How to Write Effective Resume Bullets
Writing resume bullets is often the most challenging aspect of writing a resume. Yes, settling on the best design and format and determining the most relevant experiences to highlight on your resume can take time; however, effectively describing your experience is the most important task. In many ways, this is because your bullets provide the majority of the content and context for your resume, and it is the content of a resume (i.e. the resume bullets) that will distinguish an average resume from a competitive one.
Standardized Tests for Graduate School Resource
Many, if not most, graduate school programs will require standardized test scores as part of the application for admission. Which test you will need to take will vary based on the institution and degree program. This resource will help you to research the programs to which you intend on applying to determine which test(s) will be required.
Interviewing Presentation
Presenting yourself professionally will come more naturally if you have done your due diligence to prepare for the interview. After you thoroughly research the employer, the role, and yourself, you will be ready to focus on how your presentation skills. These skills are essential to demonstrate from the time you respond to an invitation for an interview to the time you send thank you notes to the interviewers. Aim to be your most genuine, positive, polite self.
The Role of the Essay in a Graduate School Application
The application essay is a critical component in the selection process, whether the essay is for a competitive internship, a graduate fellowship, or admittance to a graduate school program.
The essay or personal statement gives a selection committee its best opportunity to get to know you, how you think and make decisions, ways in which past experiences have been significant or formative, and how you envision your future.
Requesting Faculty References
This resource provides best practices for letters of reference — both for those requesting them and those writing them. Review the resources below to make sure your letters will be effective and on time, and that the process will run smoothly for all involved.