Life as a graduate student is busy; you have academic, recruitment, and personal commitments, and it can feel impossible to stay on top of everything. It is especially hard when you are unfamiliar with the industry you want to recruit into, and that is where HTA can help. For as long as this club has been active, our members have successfully recruited into tech, with or without prior industry experience.
Our mentorship program offers members a chance to develop a personal relationship with someone who has "done it before." In arranged sessions, mentees are encouraged to ask mentors questions about anything that worries them about the recruiting process, advice on any upcoming interviews, and general career guidance. As a mentee, you are responsible for driving this relationship so we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity!
One of the first things that students going through the recruitment process need to do is develop their "personal brand." Your mentor is always there to help if you are having trouble developing your story or need to ask them for their opinion on any ideas that you have.
Recruiting is split into two challenges: being invited for an interview and executing a great interview. Being invited for an interview can be difficult, and oftentimes it is a messaging problem. Your mentor can review your resume & cover letter and identify areas where they think the two documents can be optimized, all with the goal of getting you that call back from recruiters.
The technology industry is not a monolith. After all, there are many roles such as product management (PM), product marketing management (PMM), customer success, finance, etc. If you are not quite sure where you belong yet, your HTA mentor can help. Even if they do not have direct experience or knowledge of the function you are interested in, they can connect you with other qualified students or alumni that can answer any questions you may have. This will only help bolster your network!
In a majority of tech interviews, especially for product-related roles, there are two types of interviews: behavioral and casing. Behavioral interviews comprise of questions that are situational and heavily focused on you; these are the common questions that are asked in every single job interview. Casing interviews comprise of questions that assess a candidate's problem-solving and, occasionally, analytical skills. While HTA provides interview practice for both types, students generally have encountered less casing interviews throughout their career, which is why we provide a casing program called Super Saturdays. At a certain point near the beginning-to-middle of the first semester, there will be a series of Saturdays deemed as Super Saturdays, which will pair students up with experienced students or alumni to practice casing interviews. Once these practice interviews are completed, students will receive written feedback from their interviewers, which will serve as constructive points of reference to guide students towards improvement. But remember, if you want to do your best, continue to practice interviewing outside of these specific events too!