Congratulations, you're ready to launch your post-graduation job search! Jobs come in many forms and your search will be unique to you and your goals. The Career Center is here to support you at every step, with strategies, hiring timelines, and tips for evaluating an offer.
Find a Job
Develop a Search Plan
Develop a plan that includes your target career field, ideal geographic location(s), ideal start date, what type of organization you are seeking in terms of size and culture. In addition, we encourage you to set goals for yourself as well as dates for achieving those goals. If you would like help with this process, we encourage you to make an appointment to discuss your goals with a career coach.
Research Target Employers
Most job openings aren’t advertised broadly. They’re usually posted on the organization’s website. Identify promising employers by checking Handshake, working your contacts, checking sites like Vault and LinkedIn, and reading trade websites and magazines. Then go to those employers’ websites to browse job openings.
Track Your Progress
Because you will likely be at different stages of the application process with various organizations at a given time, developing a process to keep track of all the details is key. Keep a spreadsheet that lists the organization, position title, links to the organization’s website and job description, date you submitted your application, date of follow up, date of interview(s), and other pertinent notes or details.
Students also have free access to a job search platform called Huntr. The platform easily keeps track of positions in which you are interested and where you are in the application cycle. Click the button below to register and learn more.
Handshake
From searching jobs and internships to making an appointment with a career coach, Handshake is your go-to tool for all things career at Boston College.
External Job Boards
While it is highly recommended that you use Handshake as your primary platform to search for a job, there are a variety of other online job boards that may also serve as helpful resources. Below are a few general job boards to start with. You can find industry-specific resources on our career cluster pages.
| WayUp | wayup.com | A platform for early career professionals to explore opportunities, receive advice, and get discovered by employers |
| linkedin.com | Explore job listings on the world's largest professional network | |
| Indeed | indeed.com | Job postings from across the U.S. |
| Simply Hired | simplyhired.com | Aggregated job listings from thousands of websites and job boards |
| Monster | monster.com | A full array of job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management products and services |
| Glassdoor | glassdoor.com | Job postings with company reviews, salary reports, and more |
| College Recruiter | collegerecruiter.com | Job search for current college students and recent graduates |
| AfterCollege.com | AfterCollege.com | The largest career network for college students and recent graduates |
| CollegeGrad.com | CollegeGrad.com | A job board designed for an entry-level job search |
| Idealist | idealist.org | A job board for a nonprofit/government job search |
| Pro Fellow | profellow.com | A job board for a professional and academic fellowship search |
| Jop Well | jopwell.com | A career advancement platform for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals |
| LinkUp | linkup.com | An index of global job listings |
| B-Work | bwork.com | B Work connects purpose driven jobseekers with meaningful work at companies that are using business as a force for good |
| GoinGlobal | goinglobal.com | GoinGlobal helps new and experienced job seekers find opportunities both at home and abroad |
| BuiltIn | builtin.com | Built In is the online community for startups and tech companies. Find startup jobs, tech news and events. |
Understand Hiring Timelines
Every career field follows unique recruiting cycles and general hiring timelines. To succeed in your job search, you need to be aware of the recruiting cycles for your industry of choice. Below we provide information that can serve as a guideline for your own unique job search based on when BC graduates have been hired in the past.
Hiring Timelines By Career Cluster
Hiring timelines are based on aggregate outcome data from the Classes of 2017–2020 and reference full-time job offers.
| Career Cluster | Before Senior Year | Fall Semester Senior Year | Spring Semester Senior Year | After Graduation |
| All Clusters | 21% | 22% | 36% | 21% |
| Business, Consulting, and Finance | 36% | 29% | 24% | 11% |
| Communication, Arts, and Media | 2% | 14% | 42% | 44% |
| Education, Nonprofit, and Social Service | 4% | 14% | 52% | 29% |
| Government, Law, and Public Policy | 3% | 4% | 56% | 37% |
| Healthcare and Nursing | 4% | 8% | 48% | 39% |
| Science, Technology, and Engineering | 6% | 29% | 47% | 19% |
Protect Yourself from Scams
We know that you’re working hard to find that perfect internship or job. However, it is important to be aware that what appears to be the perfect job may not be so perfect. Not every job posting is legitimate; scammers may post fraudulent jobs to get your personal information for identity theft or to get money from you. These fraudulent jobs can be difficult to spot, but it is important for you to be aware of some tips on what red flags to look for and how to protect yourself if you think you may have applied to a fraudulent job.
The Boston College Career Center makes every effort to verify the legitimacy of employers and job postings listed on Handshake. However, the ultimate responsibility for researching a potential employer and its opportunities lies with the applicant. Keep these tips in mind for any job opportunity you receive by email, find on a job board, or find on Handshake. If you feel uncomfortable about any job opportunity, do not click on any links and do not provide any personal information. Contact us with any questions you have about the legitimacy of an employer or an opportunity.
- It requires that you provide your credit card, bank account numbers, or other personal financial documentation. Do not give out any financial information at any point during your job search and hiring process.
- It requires an initial investment, such as a payment by wire service or courier.
- You are asked to provide your social security and driver’s license information in the initial application. Personal information should never be asked during the initial application process.
- The posting has many spelling and grammatical errors.
- The position is listed as any of the following: Bookkeeper, Envelope Stuffers, Home-based Assembly Jobs, Office Administrator, or Online Surveys.
- It promises a large amount of money for very little work, or the description focuses on the amount of money to be made, and neglects to mention what the responsibilities of the job actually are.
- The contact email address contains the domain @live.com, @hotmail, @yahoo, @gmail, etc.
- Be cognizant of unsolicited e-mails that are not specifically directed to you. Many employers have access to resumes via career centers. Therefore, reach out to the Career Center should you have any concerns or questions.
- Be leery of non-approved employment flyers on campus and in other establishments.
- The employer responds to you immediately after you submit your resume (Note: this does not include an auto-response you may receive from the employer once you have sent your resume).
- The employer contacts you by phone, however, there is no way to call them back.
- The interview is conducted online, via text or chat and an offer is given almost immediately.
- You receive an unexpectedly large check.
- You are asked to provide a photo of yourself.
- When meeting an employer in person, it should always be in a public place (their office, coffee shop, etc.). Be wary of anyone asking to meet you at their home or offering transportation.
- Does the company’s website look legitimate? Scammers often create quick, basic web pages that seem legit at first glance, but it often doesn’t contain information beyond the job opportunity. You can also use sites like the Better Business Bureauand Hoovers to verify organizations. Use social media to research each employer, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn. Research the company on websites such as Glassdoor.com for feedback and complaints.
- Does the domain in the contact's email address match the domain used on the company website? Often scammers will try to appear as a legitimate company, but will change characters in their email domain that don’t match the real company email address.
- Research company websites thoroughly: Does the company have a website? Does the website match up with the posting? Does the website look legitimate? Look for “stock photos,” grammatical errors, and poor use of English language.
- Is it hard to find contact information? If it is difficult to find an address, actual contact, company name, etc., you should proceed with caution.
- Can you find scam reports online for this company? You can Google the company name and the word "scam" (i.e. “X” Company Scam).
- You should immediately contact the Boston College Police Department.
- If it is a situation where you sent money to a fraud employer, you should contact your bank or credit card organization immediately to close the account and dispute the charges.
- If the incident occurred completely over the Internet, the student should file an incident or call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at: 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).
- Please contact the Career Center, too, as we want to be informed of illegal activity related to postings so that there will not be other victims.
We would like to remind students that if they accept a job with a political campaign, they should not be using BC student groups/resources, etc. in their job, or hosting campaign events on campus.
If you're interested in learning more about political campaigns, we invite you to explore our Government, Law, and Public Policy career cluster which offers a wide range of opportunities to lead, serve the public interest, and ensure fundamental rights and social justice.
- The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information Site on Job Scams
- FBI Public Service Announcement warning of internet based employment scams on college students.
- Fraudulent Employers: Tips for Career Centers and Students and Protecting Yourself from Fraudulent Employers blog posts.
Resources to help you find & apply
