We had a strong summer here at Clarity, and we believe in giving credit where it’s due! Our team was able to get a productivity boost this past season thanks to the help of our fantastic intern, Mary Kate! Before she left us to return to school (it was a sad day!), we had the chance to spend some time hearing more about her experience at Clarity and what she learned. A key takeaway? More college students need to understand how recruiting agencies work, because Clarity will be here waiting in the wings once senior Spring rolls around, ready to support their job searches. It’s never too early to build a professional network! Hear more about Mary Kate’s experience and what she learned about Clarity through her experience with us.
Tell our readers a bit about yourself, Mary Kate! MK: I am a rising sophomore at Dartmouth College from Port Washington, NY. I have always been curious about both the client and candidate side of the job search, especially as I continue to navigate my way through college and strive for a career afterwards. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to have this internship at Clarity to expose myself to the recruiting and job searching process and learn new things along the way ー and now I’m excited to pass along this knowledge to fellow college students interested in the recruiting and hiring process.
The job search can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not set on one career path. Have you spent much time thinking about your path and what the future holds after school? MK: Even early on in my college career, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the inevitable job search that most students face after graduation. I would say that at this stage, not everyone knows exactly what they want to do, but most have an idea of which direction they want to go. At Dartmouth, you declare your major in the winter of your sophomore year. Most people I know are either Government, Economics, or Premed. It feels as though everyone is constantly focused on their career moves even so early on; everyone is very driven, focused, and competitive. Although it’s inspiring to be in this culture at school, it can feel daunting at times because personally, I do not know what I want to study or what I want for a career after I graduate– yet! However, being undeclared has a silver lining because this open mindedness is a good way to explore options and take classes that I wouldn’t do if I had been set on a specific occupation after graduation. Although I am very nervous about finding a job after graduation, I think in a year or two I will feel more direction from the subjects that I have learned to love and create a career with. For me, learning about the job search and recruiting process has shed a lot of light on career paths as well, and this has been very encouraging for me!
Did you know much about recruitment agencies prior to taking on this internship? Tell us about that! Going into my internship with Clarity, I had a straightforward view of the recruitment world. I knew that companies work with agencies like Clarity to help them find the best candidates for their open roles. I also knew that at Clarity, a boutique and woman-owned recruiting agency, the main goal is to take a personalized approach to helping both clients and companies with their job search. Clarity is not a typical agency for this reason. Something that drew me to Clarity especially was their dedication and a genuine desire to help people on both the client and candidate side, and I wanted to learn more about how the process works from the inside. In preparation for my first day, I researched the website, but I kept an open mind, with my main goal being, to learn as much as I could about both Clarity and the recruiting world. I knew very little about the details and the ins and outs of making a hire.
What have you learned about the recruiting industry during your internship that can help other college students as they prepare for post-graduate job searching? It was so helpful to have exposure to a wide variety of jobs, especially entry-level opportunities. It’s hard to know what the “real world” really looks like, because at school, we’re rarely paging through job descriptions. Knowing there are so many different options out there was very eye-opening. I definitely want to pass along the fact that this internship allowed me to understand that there are so many resources that you can use if you need help finding a job! Using Clarity is completely free to a job seeker too, which was something I had wondered about coming into the company – all you need to do is connect directly with a recruiter by applying to a Clarity job listing online, submitting a general application, or connecting directly with a Clarity recruiter. I’ve realized that lots of college students aren’t aware of this amazing service, so I hope I can help get the word out there! Also, doing research on LinkedIN and Bullhorn (their applicant tracking system), allowed me to learn about different industries, and about large companies that have been around for over 50 years or startup companies with less than 10 employees ー it was really interesting to see so many new industries I’d never been exposed to before that seem exciting. I think that as a postgraduate it is important to know that success and satisfaction with a job can be measured in many different ways, and although salary is important, the biggest aspect of finding a job is making sure it is a right fit, and Clarity does such an amazing job at making that their biggest priority. There is truly something special happening at 8 W 38th St, and I wish Clarity nothing but the best in the future! I would recommend to anyone, and plan on telling my friends embarking on the job search about this incredible resource ーespecially if they aim to land in NYC or Atlanta, Clarity’s core business areas.
So true! We hope more students in the later stages of school – like seniors getting ready to graduate – keep this in mind! Anything else you’d like to add about your time at Clarity? While at Clarity, I learned more than I could have imagined about recruiting and of the specific internal style of Clarity. It took me a few days to understand the differences between the temporary division and perm teams – as they both have separate processes. I also learned that temporary placement can be a great way to get your career started, especially if you’re not sure where you see yourself five years from now.
And the last significant takeaway from my time at Clarity was their unique office culture. After sitting in on the Monday morning meetingsー this is where the whole team of recruiters goes through their priority roles and shares status updatesーI realized that although each person has their own clients and candidates, everyone is working together to find the perfect matches. I spend most of my time with the permanent placement team, and it was amazing to see the constructive conversations constantly happening between coworkers, with a lot of crossovers between each project. I also constantly got to listen in on phone calls or be present when candidates meet with the Clarity team, and learn about all the tailored work that goes on in order to help prep each candidate for client interviews. Every phone call and interview is geared toward finding the best match, something that will greatly impact a candidate’s life for the better. This was an inkling that I had noticed at the very start that came to fruition by the end of my internship ー not to mention recruiting is a really great career path in and of itself! I look forward to starting a new semester, and now definitely feel like my exposure to the recruiting industry had prepared me better for what’s to come.
Thank you so much, Mary Kate, we’re so glad you chose us this summer!
Are you a college student approaching graduation and looking to connect with Clarity ahead of your job search? Follow us on Linkedin (<– click the link + follow!), or send an email to serena@claritystaffing.com for more info!
