From the very start of my master’s program, I looked forward to having career coaching at Hult. From the information I received before coming to campus, I could already tell that the ROAD Map would guide me and take me in a new direction. It was a different approach from what I thought a standard career tool from university would be like.

It’s not just someone working on your CV and cover letters with you. This coaching goes way beyond, helping you find out what brings you joy in a career and what motivates you to be the best version of yourself. It’s a unique approach, and the careers team really cares about the students they mentor and in what direction they develop.

They support us in many ways, so I’ll list just a few of the things that helped me understand more about myself and the job market:

1.Orientation

I met the careers team on my first day on campus. They are closely connected to us students and made sure to prep us properly for what was to come. Jacqueline (from the careers team at Hult’s London graduate campus) told me that this period of the year is what excites her most about her job: “I really enjoy the beginning of the year, seeing everyone fresh and a little bit nervous, just getting to know each other. Seeing their journey from orientation to graduation and how the students develop is an amazing and exciting feeling for me.”

I remember spending days and nights trying to score up my CV on a platform called Vmock, which evaluates the structure and quality of CVs. The first month, my peers and I got to know the basics of personal branding and how to use LinkedIn properly. But this was only the beginning.

2. One-to-one sessions

Students typically book about four sessions with their career coach, starting with evaluating each student’s individual situation and mapping out their personal path. For me, that meant we needed to start at the very basics: What jobs will be right for me? Which kind of work do I enjoy most? Others might already know in which direction they want to go, so they would want to know more about networking and personal branding to achieve the goals they set for themselves. Every student is different, and the first session is basically all about finding out how the team can best possibly support you.

3. Career events

Different events throughout the year are also adapted to the student’s journey, from roundtables with industry experts to networking events that were even possible online. We practiced elevator pitches altogether or went through tips and tricks for application interviews. There was always something going on, even in the time of a pandemic.

4. Mock assessment center

In November, the careers team organized a mock assessment center, which is also something that Jacqueline recommended for me. Through Hult’s conversation with industry experts and connections, the whole event was highly relevant and aligned with what employers are looking for today.

The assessment center was a great success, and students brought their skills to the next level. For me, as someone who has never done something like this before, it was also an excellent experience to see what could be thrown at me when applying for jobs—what case studies could look like and what the relevant factors are in doing group assessment.

5. Interview bootcamp

In the interview bootcamp, the careers team undertakes group interviews with students to make us learn from each other and get us used to the format. “It’s great to see—from the beginning to the end of the session—how students progress with their answers through the advice we give. It’s very interesting to see how the feedback is taken on board and how you can see the development of the answers,” says Jacqueline.

Reflection on my professional journey

Now, with my year at Hult coming to an end, I must say that I’m excited to see what’s next for me. I’m certain that the skills and experiences I gained during my master’s played a significant role in shaping my future—and led me to landing a job. I must say, I think I was one of the annoying students who were booking a lot of career sessions at the very beginning of the degree.

Reflecting on my process now, I can’t believe how much has changed over the past months. From being an insecure, freshly graduated individual moving to London all by myself, I’ve become more confident in my decisions and gained clarity in terms of my professional aspirations.

With Jacquelines help, I mapped out where I would eventually want to work and what positions would fit my personality and skillset best. We did this through individual coaching sessions, multiple career events, and lots of interview prep. Jacqueline was so kind, she even reviewed a website I developed to attach it to my CV. Also, some of my peers already landed their dream jobs even before graduating.

If you want to have a closer look at where they are about to go or just get inspired by some amazing personalities, you can find some success stories on the @hult.london.careers Instagram page.