Timeline

Preparation Timing

Each industry times its recruitment differently. There are three main types of timeframes that characterize the various recruitment cycles: Accelerated, Standard, and Just-in-Time (Spring Recruiting). An Accelerated recruitment cycle involves heavy recruitment activity (including interviews) in September and October, via national diversity career conferences, so preparation during the summer is vital. The Standard timeline is used by employers to recruit a pipeline of BA students in the conventional cycle of September informational presentations, early October full-time interviews, November/December internship applications, and January/February internship interviews. Just-in-time (Spring Recruiting) hiring is more ad hoc in nature, with recruitment beginning 30 to 90 days from the desired start date. This applies to internships and full-time positions and is most common from February through May. It is important to understand the recruitment timeframe associated with each industry so you can plan your job search preparation accordingly.

Consulting positions typically follow a Standard recruiting timeline.

Undergraduate Timeline

Seniors

Application deadlines are in mid-July through early to mid-September, depending on the firm. First-round interviews take place mid-August through early October, and final round interviews will take place sometime in September through November (possibly even December).

Juniors

The seniors come first, so application deadlines generally occur mid-September to early October; first-round interviews follow afterwards from throughout October, and final round interviews take place later in October, November, and December. Although some firms conduct both internship and full-time recruiting together, so be sure to pay attention to individual firm websites.

Sophomores

Leadership conferences/programs targeted towards underrepresented communities generally take place spring semester; there’s not much during Fall semester.
Update your career action plan with your career advisor
Practice interviewing skills by doing mock interviews

Freshmen

Develop relationships with TAs, professors, and upperclassmen
Meet with a career advisor
Sign up for career communities and newsletters
Create and update a resume
Log into and explore Handshake and Hoya Gateway

Specialty Master's Programs Timeline

Summer Term

Complete a First Conversation appointment with a Career Advisor
Develop TMAY (Tell Me About Yourself)
Develop an authentic answer to “Why consulting?”
Gather information on employers

Fall Semester through February

Stay focused primarily on getting off to a strong academic start
Join career-focused clubs
Engage with a Career Advisor throughout the recruiting period, and make appointments to develop a target company list and networking strategies, as well as for assistance with application and interview preparations
Attend employer presentations, office hours, and other events to gather information on employers and to identify networking contacts
Be application ready by late November (Resume, Cover Letters, LinkedIn)
Be interview ready by mid-January (Behavioral and Case Interviews)