Career Center Leads the Way as YU Gains the Attention of Top Tier Firms
As students aspiring for careers in finance and accounting return from their summer vacations, they immediately begin planning for the next summer. Due to the competitive nature of gaining employment in each industry, interested students must begin to navigate the process of summer internships ten months before their desired start date. Although this is a daunting and complex process, many YU students have benefitted from the work of the Career Center, both through its official On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) program and from some of the other services it offers.
OCR officially began for 2015 summer and full-time positions on August 28th with a preparatory event for career fairs and interviewing, which featured a panel of professionals from accounting and finance firms. At this event, students had the opportunity to hear about various strategies they could use to successfully network at a career fair, as well as tips and techniques for mastering interviews.
Shortly after this panel, the Career Center hosted two career fairs: one for accounting and another for finance, actuarial science, consulting, and technology. These fairs prepared students seeking internships and full-time jobs by providing insight about the nuanced differences within each industry. Students were given an opportunity to network with professionals who might eventually interview qualified and interested candidates.
To participate in OCR, students are required to undergo at least one mock interview to ensure that they are comfortable interviewing for the positions for which they applied. For accounting students, most of these interviews are conducted by a member of the Career Center’s staff. Many finance students, however, had the opportunity to participate in a Mock Interview Night. At this event, alumni of YU who are now finance professionals came to the Career Center to conduct mock interviews on both campuses. Each student interviewed with an alumnus in his or her field and was provided feedback and suggestions about how to better position themselves. Sy Syms senior Menachem Segel felt that these mock interviews were instrumental in helping him secure a position at Ernst and Young (EY). “The Career Center is a really great asset that all Yeshiva University students should take advantage of,” Segal said. “Personally, the mock interviews helped prepare me for the real [thing] and gave me confidence in my abilities throughout the interview process.”
The highlight of the OCR year has been firms coming to campus to conduct first-round interviews with YU students. Students who completed all of the OCR requirements had the ability to submit their resumes through the YU CareerLink website, which allows the Career Center to forward resumes and cover letters to interviewers from participating firms. These interviewers, who are mostly alumni from YU, select the most qualified candidates to interview on campus. After these interviews, the alumni invite a select group of students for additional interviews with the firm.
Every year, the Career Center works hard to establish and develop relationships with potential employers while maintaining the ones already in place. More recently, however, the Career Center staff has been able to add a number of notable employers to the list of firms who directly recruit YU’s students. Dean Michael Strauss who, in his capacity as Assistant to the Provost, oversees the Career Center’s operation noted: “Marc Goldman (Executive Director of the Career Center) and his team have done an outstanding job, especially during the last few years, in not only working much closer with students and preparing them for ‘life after YU’, but also in expanding the employer network; the result, many more internship and full time opportunities in a broader spectrum of industries.”
In accounting, several new firms have begun interviewing on campus this year, including Anchin, Block & Anchin and Brand Sonnenschine. Interviews with these firms, combined with the returning accounting firms, have resulted in a growing number of candidates and internship offers. More remarkable, however, has been the growth of opportunities in finance recruitment on campus. According to Jocelyn Coalter, Director of Employer and Alumni Relations in the Career Center, only three firms did any recruitment on campus in 2011: Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Credit Suisse. These events were informational sessions only and firms did not formally collect resumes from YU students. This year, almost 15 firms administered, or are planning to administer, formal on-campus interviews, including the aforementioned firms, as well as Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Houlihan Lokey, Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Morgan Stanley, Voya, Raymond James, and AllianceBernstein.
As a result of the growth of the recruitment activities, YU has become a focus school at Goldman Sachs, making it part of the list of second-tier schools that Goldman Sachs looks at for candidates. Just a few years ago, YU had no formal recruiting status at Goldman Sachs. “Many students have benefitted from the newly expanded OCR program. Four years ago, one student received a summer analyst position as a direct result of working with the Career Center contacts. This past summer it was on the order of 15 students,” Coalter reported. She added, “Those students who found positions on their own also received guidance, support, and resources from the Career Center in the form of résumé, interviewing, and job search assistance.”
Senior Jonathan Kranzler, who received offers from both JP Morgan and EY, said, “The Career Center team has been an incredible resource for me during my OCR for both finance and accounting. Whether it was over a call, email, or a meeting, I conferred with them for guidance through every step of the recruiting process. The preparation I received from the [Career Center] facilitated the wonderful opportunities I’ve had to obtain a positions at JP Morgan and EY."
Marc Goldman commented about the Career Center’s growth over the past seven years: “Since arriving here in 2007, I have seen YU students strive to find success in a very challenging job market. The Career Center employer-relations team, under Jocelyn’s direction for the past 3 years, works tirelessly to increase our students’ access to opportunities across various industries. The Career Center is here to help students achieve their career goals regardless of their field of study or area of interest, so we are always tackling multiple fields in a variety of ways.” Coalter echoed Marc’s comments by pointing out that the Career Center “recently held a Non-Profit Fair as well as a Management Careers Panel, will be holding [its] annual Real Estate Panel and networking forum in December, and will be having the annual Spring Career Fair next semester along with a host of networking and informational programs.”
Summing up the success of the Career Center, Goldman gave credit to current students and alumni, as well. He told The Commentator that “not only is there a partnership between employers and the Career Center, but also there is a crucial partnership between our students and the Career Center. Through working together, we can do our best to ensure YU student success for years to come.” Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the full-time employment and internship opportunities out of YU.
