Many seniors are scrambling to complete cover letters by Wednesday in time to meet the second and final major resume-drop deadline of the term Thursday morning at 2:59 a.m.
The resume drop is a chance for students at the College to submit materials through InterviewTrak, an online database of employers, in hopes of receiving interviews for entry-level jobs.
The first resume drop deadline occurred on Oct. 3 and was successful for many students. Around 200 students received at least one interview from the first drop, and traditionally dozens of students accept positions through the recruiting program.
Monica Wilson, assistant director of employer relations at Career Services, said she expects similarly high levels of involvement in Thursday's drop.
"We had 450 to 500 seniors participate in the last one, and we expect similar numbers this time," said Monica Wilson, assistant director of employer relations at Career Services.
Seniors are already seeing the results of the last drop as they undergo their first round of interviews, and recruiters participating in Thursday's resume drop will start their interviews Nov. 2.
The recruiting process is an important part of a Dartmouth student's final year and can even begin a few terms before the first resume drop.
"It really started last spring when I interviewed several alums about industries, and they said no matter what you're interested in, go through recruiting," Sheila Maithel '06 said.
"If you're up to it and willing to put up the work, it's a win-win situation."
Maithel has had three interviews so far from the first round and is participating in the second drop as well.
Wilson said the second drop provided students with a greater variety of employers, citing the consulting sector as an example because students will be able to apply to consulting firms targeting specific fields from health care to finance.
Private-equity firms will also participate in this resume drop, Wilson said.
Students often find the recruiting process not only the best way but often the only way for them to find jobs in certain fields.
"I was specifically interested in management consulting, and many of the management consulting firms only recruit through the on-campus recruiting process," Braden Lang '07 said.
Career services is planning a smaller drop for later in the term, with a few employers already lined up for November.
Recruiting will continue throughout the winter and spring.
Wilson stressed that recruitment opportunities were not limited to the resume-drop process.
"There are also employers in other career fields that don't use the recruiting programs, but we have other means for students interested in these fields to find jobs," Wilson said.
Career Services has been using InterviewTrak for three years, and although Wilson is satisfied with the database, she said it could potentially be improved.
"When you are using a vendor-supply system, it's hard to apply it to Dartmouth's specific needs, such as the quarter system," Wilson said.
Students said, however, that they had been impressed by the service.
"I was generally pretty pleased with the process, and for the most part it's been pretty successful," Lang said.
