Welcome to the fall 2001 edition of Access – the RC’s guidebook to a smooth and sane journey through the recruiting process. In addition to the myriad of resources available to HBS students, company presentations, a comprehensive website done by the career services group, and a weekly update inserted in the Harbus, the Access serves a special purpose – it aims to show you that your concerns about recruiting are shared by many others. That yours was NOT the worst interview humanly possible. That missing out on an internship three times in a row does not break the spirit of a true HBSer (read “a summer internship saga”). Access provides you with informative articles on the current state of recruiting both at HBS and across a variety of industries. The authors are your peers, people who have gone through the experience and enjoyed it enough to want to inspire other “fence sitters” to give it some consideration. Access also provides tips on making the recruiting process more bearable, including tips on utilizing the HBS network and successful schmoozing. Access is not a career guide. It is a recruiting guide, to help you through the process that begins now and concludes only when all members of the HBS community have secured their jobs of choice.
The Access would not be possible without the many contributions from students who shared their experiences and knowledge. I would like to extend a special thank you to Ines Cobbee, who has been an outstanding publication manager, organizing all the materials and coordinating the production of Access, to Karen Hendrickson and Jessica Brilli, for their hard work and creativity in designing the layout, and especially to James Mutugi, the Editor in chief of the fall 2000 Access, for his direction and guidance. We hope you enjoy the process, and that looking back, the recruiting phase will be among your positive and personally defining experiences at school. All the best to everyone.
