Hey guys! This is Rei, it has been chilly and foggy these days but I hope you are all staying healthy and enjoying the crisp air. In today's blog, I would like to share my experiences in Boston which I went last week for one of the biggest job career events for Japanese-English bilinguals that are looking for their post graduation positions.
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| Exterior of Hynes Convention Center |
The biggest difference from a regular company information session is that you can get a job offer from a well-known company during the event. At Boscari, you will not only hear about the companies at their booths, but you will also have the opportunity to interview with them on the spot. If you successfully appeal to them, you may even receive a job offer during the event. Some companies invite their preferred students to dinner on the night of the event, and some say that if a student is invited to dinner by a company, he or she will almost receive a job offer from them.
After three days of this year's Boscari 2023, I was able to receive full-time offers from two companies! This is a kind of special and exclusive event for Japanese-English bilinguals, but I am sure that there are other events similar to this one. To give you some ideas of one way to find a job, I would like to share a little bit about my three days in Boston!
Day 0: Thursday, November 16th - Arrival at Boston
Most students arrive in Boston the day before the event to prepare for the day. I was one of them, and I checked into my hotel and prepared for my interviews the following days. A few students have already been invited to dinner by the companies and the event has already started one step ahead of other students.
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| Booths in the venue |
Day 1: Friday, November 17th - The day that differentiates the results of the three days
Day 1 is probably the most crowded day of the three-day event. This is possibly due to the fact that two types of students, pre-applications and walk-ins, gather on the first day of the event. Pre-applicants submit resumes, documents, tests, etc. to companies about 2-3 months prior to these three days, and have first- and second-round interviews online in advance. Whereas walk-in students submit their resumes and other documents to company booths on the day of the event and wait for responses from the companies. The quickness of the responses from the company depends on the company. Some students will be contacted by the end of the day, while others will be contacted after the event. Popular companies may close their booths as soon as they receive a certain number of walk-ins, so for walk-in students, the first day is extremely important as it determines whether or not they will receive an offer. I, myself, had applied to several companies in advance, so the first day was the form of second and final interviews throughout the day. I received a phone call that evening from one of the companies where I had a final interview, informing me of the job offer!
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| Food I had at dinner! |
Day 2: Saturday, November 18th - Continued Interviews Day
It is one of those memorable days that I will never forget! In the morning, I had a final interview with my first-choice company. I remember my hands were shaking a little from nerves. The interview went well and I received an offer from the company by phone, a few minutes after the interview! I was actually invited by the company over the phone to dinner that night, along with an offer. The dinner with the company associates was really good and fun! The steak shown in the photo on the right was excellent, and it was great to chat with the associates in a casual setting. One of the unique features of the Boston Career Forum may be this opportunity to enjoy a meal with a company at Boston! After dinner, I reunited with friends who are also studying at universities abroad and we chatted about job applications and everyday life. It was a valuable opportunity to reconnect with students who are also studying abroad around the world, and even to meet new people!
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| View of the Boston |
On the third and final day of the event, there will be fewer students and the corporate booths will be taken down around noon. Some students come to the venue for interviews with companies that are still in the hiring process, or for casual meeting and greetings after passing interviews. I visited the companies' booths that had made offers to me to greet them and to thank them for their offers. After that, I explored the city of Boston until my flight back to Tacoma. After arriving in Boston, my mind was occupied with interviews, but walking around the city after all things done, I was able to enjoy the historical buildings, autumn leaves, and fashionable streetscapes that are a part of Boston. After exploring Boston, I took an afternoon flight back to Tacoma! Looking back before this event, since I had been preparing for this event for about three months and had been working hard with weekly interviews, regular classes, and work, I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment and relief when I returned to my apartment in Tacoma.
This concludes my three-day Boston Career Forum 2023 experience! My biggest takeaway from this event was that "advance preparation and pre-event application leads to a better end result." I actually participated in last year's Boston Career Forum 2022, but did not receive any offers, as I applied on a walk-in basis for all of the companies I applied. I feel that the key to the success of this year's Boscari was that I had started preparing early, taking advantage of that last year's lesson. I think this applies not only to Boscari applicants, but to all students looking for positions after graduation. Choosing a company and finding a position will greatly affect your future. I know that we are all busy with our college life, but it might be a good idea to think a little bit about what you want to do in the future and where you want to work when you have a little time.
I hope this experience will be of some help! I know that it is time for important assignments such as finals and presentations, but take a break from time to time and keep up the good work! Go Lutes!
-Rei
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