Newsroom

In the fourth and final video of the “Video Viewpoints: Preparing Millennials for Work” series, we’ve compiled insights from university presidents, college seniors, and a CEO on what students can do during their university experience to prepare for the working world and set themselves up for success.

Watch the video, then scroll down for additional advice.
 


Here’s what they had to say:

  1. Experiment During Freshman Year
    According to the president of Bentley University, Gloria Larson, incoming freshmen typically don’t know what they want to major in—even if they think they do. She advises new students to spend time exploring co-curricular activities outside the classroom; the results may open you up to new majors and career options.
     
  2. Take a Trip to the Career Services Office
    Career Services is there for a reason. Make sure you take advantage of it. Daniel Lang, a senior, found Bentley’s Career Services office to be extremely useful, saying “They help you work on your resume, talk with you about different career paths that are available and what you might be interested in, and put together programs that help you visit companies and see what a day-to-day experience would really be like.”
     
  3. Enroll in Courses that Work on Real Issues
    Many colleges and universities now offer classes where business executives visit the classroom and work with students on actual case studies and company challenges. Look for these types of opportunities that allow you to apply your knowledge to real-life situations.

    Hill Holliday CEO Karen Kaplan, who has taught throughout her career, notes that by participating in college classes, she has not only been able to offer a glimpse of her company’s culture and business and what it’s like for students post-graduation, but also she can get a sneak peek at her future employees.
     
  4. Participate in Several Internships
    The Wall Street Journal calls internships the new entry-level jobs, and Clark University’s president, David Angel, agrees: “We are seeing lots of students graduating from colleges who are well-educated, but not all of them know how to put that education to work and add value to an organization.”

    Bentley student Maria Marcano knows first-hand how valuable an internship is for students. “I’ve done several internships since freshman year to prepare myself and explore different areas,” she says. “This past summer I worked in wealth management in the Latin American Group at Deutsche Banke in New York City. It was an amazing experience and I got a full-time job offer after I finished.”

    “For students, internship experience allows them to go into that first job excited and knowing what to expect,” shares Larson. “Employers benefit because they are getting seasoned young employees who’ve already tested the marketplace and bring that, along with the book learning, into their first job.”
     

Watch the Series

View all of the videos in the Video Viewpoints Series: