Approximately 200 members of the Class of 2012 participated in the summer round of corporate recruiting, submitting 1,025 applications for intern positions at firms in a variety of fields, according to Monica Wilson, associate director of employer relations at Career Services. Students were able to apply for 18 positions at 17 different firms, she said. The Class of 2012 experienced a significant increase in students who submitted resumes, compared to the 154 sophomores who submitted a total of 695 resumes in 2009, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Despite this increase, many students involved in the process found the late-night deadline applications had to be submitted by midnight on July 7 difficult to meet, Wilson said.
"A lot of us kind of waited until the last second," Cat Roedel '12 said.
Several students sent e-mails complaining of computer problems to Career Services a few minutes before the applications were due and missed the recruiting deadline, Wilson said. Those students were told to e-mail individual employers to explain their circumstances, she said.
Firms representing a wide range of career options from restaurant management to photo journalism participated in corporate recruiting, Wilson said.
"The types of opportunities we offer are not just in finance, and even financial employers want to meet students with different majors," she said.
The majority of students who participated in corporate recruiting showed diverse interests by applying for multiple positions in different fields, according to Wilson. Most students sent resumes to multiple firms, according to several students interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"I applied for eight opportunities, which seemed pretty average," Roedel said.
Employers recruited for positions in cities across the nation, including New York City, Washington, D.C., Jacksonville, Fla., and Santa Monica, Calif.
Even though Dartmouth participates in corporate recruiting every term, it is impossible to predict how firms will view students' applications, Wilson said.
"A student who shows initiative and writes a compelling cover letter does well," she said. "You have to be able to separate yourself from the masses."
Most of the 17 firms that participated in this round of corporate recruiting will likely interview and hire multiple students, according to Wilson.
"Some companies will interview 10 or 15 students, while others will interview 60 students," she said.
Employers that plan to conduct interviews on campus will contact students by July 15 informing them whether or not they will receive an interview, while firms that will interview students via telephone will notify students by July 29, Wilson said.
"We insisted on that because we didn't want students left hanging," she said.
Career Services hosted two informational sessions about the various aspects of corporate applications, such as cover letters and resume, in the first weeks of Summer term, according to Wilson.
"A lot of people came," Wilson said. "There were 65 [students] in the first session and over 50 in the next."
Faye Keegan '12 said the prospect of many students applying for limited positions made the application process more intimidating.
"The most stressful part, for me, was competing against other students who I know are really qualified," Keegan said.
Wilson said that a student's grade point average is not the only factor that firms consider in evaluating applications.
"A lot of students think they have to have a 3.5 GPA or higher to be qualified, but it's not true," she said. "Most employers are looking for a minimum of 3.0 but even then they will consider a student who is well rounded or has a story to tell."
Although some students took an "intense" approach towards corporate recruiting and slaved over applications for hours in hopes of receiving an internship offer, Roedel said she applied for practical experience.
"I hopefully got better at writing cover letters," she said. "And even though I would love to get a few interviews, it was good practice."
