The Library
Explore
5 Signs You May Need to Take Mental Health Leave
The question of whether to take a mental health leave from work is very complex, and the particulars can vary from person to person. We recently spoke about the different types of mental health...
Editor's Picks
Vault Celebrates Top Employers for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
How to Talk to Your Employer About Mental Health Leave
5 Great Information Technology Companies to Work for in 2022
Q&A with Raelyn Davis, Head of Friedman’s Women’s Development Network
Interviewing
16 Behavioral Interview Questions Big 4 Firms Ask—and How to Answer Them
This past winter, we surveyed approximately 11,400 accounting professionals, asking them to tell us what it’s like to work for their firms. We asked about culture, compensation, hours, training, work/life balance, diversity, and business outlook.
8 Mind Tricks That Will Set You Up for Interview Success
Often, what determines the outcome of your interviews has little to do with the questions you’re asked and if you know all the answers. Instead, the outcome is often dependent on your interview mindset—how you think about interviews and how you approach them.
The Big Post-Covid Interview Question and How to Answer It
For many people, the past year has been among the most difficult of their lives. But for others, including branding and marketing expert Vince Thompson, it’s been the exact opposite.
Why You're Getting Interviews but No Job Offers—and How to Change That
If you’ve been on a ton of interviews and haven't received any job offers, don’t worry. In this post, I’ll cover the two reasons why this is happening and what you can do about it.
How to Ace Even the Trickiest Guesstimate Interview Questions
Guesstimates are interview questions that ask candidates to come up with a figure, usually the size of a market or the number of objects in an area. The most important thing to remember about guesstimates is that they are designed to let your interviewer see how your mind works, rather than designed to see if you can get the right answer.
3 Pieces of Interview Feedback Hiring Managers Will Never Give You
In conversations with hiring managers over the years, I’ve heard repeatedly that although there are a lot of great candidates out there, many don’t know how to interview effectively. I’ve also heard that there are a few common interview mistakes—like the three below—that can be fixed rather easily.
How to Be Small Talk Savvy During the Job Search
If there’s one activity that occurs at nearly every stage of the job search, it’s small talk. And unlike other aspects of the job search, small talk usually happens without warning.
4 Tips for Building Lasting Career Relationships Through Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are treasure troves of information. What you collect from these types of networking meetings—in which you build relationships with people at the organizations you want to join—can provide you with insights that can help you improve your resume, cover letters, and interview answers.
Worst Answers to ‘What’s Your Greatest Weakness?’ and Other Common Interview Questions
Even within all advancements and changes to the job search process, some parts of the interview process remain unchanged. For example, hiring managers still use certain common interview questions to judge how well candidates will fit with their firms.
3 Tips for Fighting Interview Fear
Interview fear is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s natural, stemming from the human desire to seek approval and validation.
How to Be More Interesting in Interviews
Although not explicitly, hiring managers judge interviewees on how interesting they are. In this case, interesting means “engaging,” “knowledgeable,” “confident,” and “enjoyable to talk to.
How to Demonstrate Passion in Your Resume and Interviews
To make the next step in your career, you need to do everything you can to stand out from the competition. One way to do this is to make sure you’re demonstrating your passion—for the position you’re applying for and the career you’re pursuing.
See All
Resumes & Cover Letters
What's My Personal Brand and Why Do I Need One?
When a complete stranger searches your name, do the results provide a realistic snapshot of who you are and everything you have to offer? The goal of personal branding is to understand your unique qualities—ideally those that will boost your career—and make sure you're putting that image forward.
How to Create a Powerful LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has more 55 million registered companies, and some 86 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to help them find qualified candidates. This means if you're looking to grow your career, using the networking platform is a necessity.
4 Writing Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making
Most jobs require strong writing skills now that email and Slack are the primary ways to communicate with clients and colleagues. And even before you begin a job, you need to write well.
Are Job Boards a Waste of Time?
As a professional resume writer and job-landing consultant, I commonly receive this question from job seekers: “What changes can I make to my resume to beat applicant tracking systems and get interviews? ” Typically, instead of answering the question, I follow up with two questions.
5 Ways to Immediately Improve Your Resume
Your resume is your first opportunity to sell yourself to recruiters and hiring managers. It can also be your last if your resume is outdated or too thin.
How to Write a Cover Letter Like Hemingway
The first episode of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick documentary Hemingway reveals where Ernest Hemingway’s famous writing style originated. Before the Nobel Prize-Winner wrote short stories and novels, he worked as a Kansas City Star reporter.
6 Traits You Need to State on Your Resume When Applying for Remote Jobs
In the past year, many companies have transitioned to permanent or semi-permanent work-from-home arrangements. As a result, hiring managers have adjusted their expectations, needs, and requirements when it comes to looking for new hires.
Tips for Crafting a Post-Interview Thank-You Note
One of the most important pieces of interview advice is to remember your manners—and by that I mean, write thank-you notes. Sending your interviewer a quick thank-you note is an easy way to make a great impression and show your interest in the position.
4 Resume Lies That Could Get You Busted (and What to Do Instead)
Is it okay to include a few white lies and exaggerations on your resume? No!
How to Answer Questions About Your Resume Gap
If you have a gap on your resume, there's a good chance that you'll be asked about it in a job interview—which means that nailing down your answer before you show up is a good idea. While there are lots of reasons why you might have a gap on your resume, they tend to fall into three main buckets: you quit or were laid off and couldn't find a new job right away;you were taking time out for personal and/or family reasons; or you were off doing something like traveling or working on a passion project.
7 Tips for Writing a Cover Letter with No Experience
Applying for a job when you have no, or limited, experience is daunting. Here we look at a crucial part of your application—the cover letter.
6 Resume Trends to Follow If You Want to Land an Interview
In order for your resume to stand out, it needs to be flawless as well as current. Here are six resume trends to follow that will increase your chances of getting an interview.
See All
Networking
How to Network Internally—and Why It's the People You Already Know Who Matter Most
When you think of networking, you might envision a room full of people who don’t know each other, making small talk, sipping cocktails, exchanging business cards, hoping to eventually making long-lasting connections. But networking can be much more than that.
How to Find a Mentor and Why You Need One
On your career path, you’re going to need a lot of resources, and a mentor should be at the top of your list. A mentor is someone who can give you all sorts of professional advantages, from sharing life wisdom to connecting you with other subject matter experts.
6 IRL Networking Tips for Introverts
The country is reopening, with more and more in-person events being held each day. This means that in-real-life networking will soon return.
Firsthand’s Diversity & Inclusion Internship Virtual Career Fair
On October 27th, Firsthand will host a Diversity & Inclusion Internship Virtual Career Fair. This unique fair offers the rare opportunity to increase your internship prospects and connect with top employers.
4 Tips for Building Lasting Career Relationships Through Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are treasure troves of information. What you collect from these types of networking meetings—in which you build relationships with people at the organizations you want to join—can provide you with insights that can help you improve your resume, cover letters, and interview answers.
15 Tips for Using LinkedIn and Facebook to Find a New Job
Today, recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly using social networks to find talent. This is why it’s essential to have a professional social media presence if you’re in the market for a new job (and important to manage the privacy settings on your social accounts you don’t want recruiters and hiring managers to see).
4 Types of Networking Emails—and How to Write Them
The more time that passes after you meet people for the first time—either in person or virtually—the harder it is to remember them. This is why, when you're job searching, it's important to take notes after meeting someone new.
Keep Calm and Network On: The Introvert’s Guide to Legal Networking
From oral arguments in front of your classmates to the Socratic method most professors still use, law school can be a nerve-wrecking period for introverted students. One practice that may spark panic is networking.
How to Improve Your Networking Skills in 6 Short Steps
If you’re not networking, you’re not growing your career. It’s that simple.
6 Networking Tips When You Don’t Have a Big Network
One of the biggest challenges job seekers face today is not having strong relationships at their target companies. These relationships are important because they provide information, resources, and opportunities for your job search and career.
How to Use LinkedIn’s Alumni Tool for Networking
It’s widely known that LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool that can help you broaden your contact list, set up informational interviews, search for job openings, and apply for new positions. But within LinkedIn, there’s a specific tool that’s not well known, and so many people aren’t taking advantage of it.
This Trick Will Change the Way You Network
Networking is hard. It's hard to meet new people, and it's hard to connect with new people once you meet them.
See All
Job Search
Fintech Disruptors Poised to Thrive (and Hire) Post-Covid
After four full quarters of Covid-19, some sectors have withered, while others have expanded. One sector that was growing before Covid and is still expanding is fintech.
9 Companies That Let Your Creative Side Run Wild
If you’re looking to join a company that lets you be yourself and cultivates creativity, here are nine great organizations you need to check out. They all prioritize the free flow of ideas and allow your creative side to run wild.
4 Tips for Finding a Great Job After a Pandemic Gap
Landing a job after a long employment gap can be daunting. And the pandemic left many people unemployed—as well as overwhelmed and wondering what comes next.
Should You Work with a Legal Recruiter? And How to Choose One
A knowledgeable legal recruiter can be a great asset during your job search, but you must keep in mind the recruiter’s motivations and access to employers—and whether you are in a situation to benefit from their assistance. Most legal recruiters are paid only for successful placements—at the end of the day the recruiter wants you to move in order to get paid.
8 Ways to Land Your Dream Job in Tech
The U.S. gained 307,000 technology jobs from 2018 to 2019, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association.
How to Demonstrate Passion in Your Resume and Interviews
To make the next step in your career, you need to do everything you can to stand out from the competition. One way to do this is to make sure you’re demonstrating your passion—for the position you’re applying for and the career you’re pursuing.
Vault's 2021 Rankings of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For
Today, we're thrilled to announce the release of our annual rankings of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in North America for 2021! Vault's Consulting Rankings highlight the best firms in 42 categories and include the overall Top 50, the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms, the Best Boutique Consulting Firms, the Best Consulting Firms in Each Practice Area, and the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in key employment factors including compensation, work/life balance, corporate culture, and more.
Top Questions to Ask to Determine If a Law Firm Is the Best Fit
There is no doubt that OCI can feel like an intimidating process. But, it is also a very exciting and important process for many looking to transition from law school into practice at a firm.
How to Tell If a Company Truly Values Diversity and Inclusion (or Is Just All Talk)
Employers talk a lot about diversity and inclusion. In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a company that doesn’t say they’re diverse and inclusive.
How to Clean Up Your Social Media Footprint Before Your Job Search
When researching candidates, recruiters look at a lot more than resumes and cover letters. They also look at social media—to find out how you present yourself, how others perceive you, and how well you might fit with their culture.
Hiring Managers’ 4 Biggest Concerns and How to Proactively Address Them
To continue to move along in the recruiting process and eventually get the job you want, you need to address the main concerns of hiring managers. So, what follows are what hiring managers are most concerned with regarding your candidacy—along with how to address these concerns in your interviews and applications.
4 Salary Negotiation Tips (Including Sample Scripts)
Negotiating your salary can be one of the most stressful parts of the job search process—but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re well prepared to negotiate, you’ll relieve yourself of nearly all your negotiation stress.
See All
Grad School
This Year, McKinsey Aims to Welcome More New Colleagues Than Ever Before
This post is sponsored by McKinsey & Company, No. 1 in Vault's Best Consulting Firms to Work For rankings in 2021.
5 Essential Networking Steps for Undergrads and Grad Students
Ten years ago, when I entered business school, many professionals told me that the journey ahead required significant investment in professional networking. So I followed their advice, and soon my calendar was filled with various networking events and meetings all over town.
6 Options for International Students Who Didn’t Win the H-1B Lottery
Another H-1B lottery season has come to an end. This year, the number of applications far exceeded the 85,000 allotted H-1Bs, the visas international students typically need to work in the U.S.
The Most-Read Business Books at Colleges Across the Country
The books that we read in college provide the foundation for our educations and, in turn, to our professional lives. They are touchstones, something that many of us have in common regardless of where we attended college—whether that manifests as a mutual love for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or a mutual disdain for Strunk & White's The Elements of Style.
4 Tips for Building Lasting Career Relationships Through Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are treasure troves of information. What you collect from these types of networking meetings—in which you build relationships with people at the organizations you want to join—can provide you with insights that can help you improve your resume, cover letters, and interview answers.
How to Clean Up Your Social Media Footprint Before Your Job Search
When researching candidates, recruiters look at a lot more than resumes and cover letters. They also look at social media—to find out how you present yourself, how others perceive you, and how well you might fit with their culture.
100 Best Internships for 2021
Today, we’re excited to release our 2021 Internship Rankings. This year, our Internship Rankings highlight the top programs in 29 categories, including the Most Prestigious Internships, Best Overall Internships, Best Internships by Industry, Best Internships for Diversity, Best Internships by Employment Factor, and, new this year, Best Internships by Role, including computer science, data analytics, engineering, IT, sales and marketing, software development, and software engineering.
How to Be Small Talk Savvy During the Job Search
If there’s one activity that occurs at nearly every stage of the job search, it’s small talk. And unlike other aspects of the job search, small talk usually happens without warning.
6 Underutilized Campus Resources You Should Be Using
A college campus is more like a town than a school—there are 1,001 buildings, with everything from bedrooms to dining rooms to classrooms to gyms to lounges. But there are also a ton of offices and departments that, unlike the dining hall, people can forget are there.
3 Essential Job-Search Strategies for International Students in 2021
To say the least, the Trump administration didn’t extend a warm welcome to international students at U.S. colleges and universities.
10 Jobs That Let You Work from Home
With most non-essential offices closed around the globe, working from home is no longer a benefit or perk but the norm. So if you’re looking for a new job or side gig, here are 10 jobs you can do from home (and as a side benefit, when we get through this difficult time, performing these jobs now can boost your resume later).
How Will a Biden Presidency Affect International Students' Job Search?
After Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States, we spoke with international student career expert Marcelo Barros to get a sense of how a Biden presidency is going to affect international students and their U.S. job search.
See All
Internships
Our 2022 Internship Rankings Are Here!
Today, we're very excited to release our complete 2022 Internship Rankings. This year, our Internship Rankings highlight the top programs in more than 30 categories.
100 Best Internships for 2022
Today, we’re excited to release our 100 Best Internship Program Rankings for 2022. The rankings are based on a survey of more than 11,400 current and former interns from more than 100 internship programs.
50 Most Prestigious Internships for 2022
Today, we’re excited to release our 50 Most Prestigious Internships for 2022. This ranking is based on our recent survey of more than 11,400 interns from 140 internship programs.
30 Best Internships for Diversity
Today, we’re pleased to release our new ranking of the 30 Best Internship Programs for Overall Diversity. The ranking is based on a survey of more than 11,400 current and former interns from more than 100 internship programs.
Best Advice for Future Interns
Last summer, Firsthand surveyed more than 11,400 interns from 140 internship programs. The survey, from which we derived our 100 Best Internships ranking, asked interns to rate their internship experiences in a variety of areas, including career development, compensation, full-time employment prospects, interview process, quality of life, quality of assignments, and diversity.
How to Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Job
Internships are an excellent option for any college student or new graduate. They're especially useful for those looking to break into a particularly competitive field or industry.
Women in STEM Career Fair: Fireside Chat with Society for Science CEO Maya Ajmera
Maya Ajmera is president and CEO of Society for Science and publisher of its award-winning magazine, Science News. She’s also the recipient of the 2020 National Science Board Public Service Award, recognized for her tremendous contribution to increasing the public’s understanding of science and engineering.
Interns' Best Advice for Management
This past summer, Firsthand surveyed more than 11,400 current and former interns from 140 internship programs—a survey from which we derived our 100 Best Internships ranking. During the survey, we asked interns to rate their internship experiences in a variety of areas, including career development, compensation, full-time employment prospects, interview process, quality of life, quality of assignments, and diversity.
5 Essential Networking Steps for Undergrads and Grad Students
Ten years ago, when I entered business school, many professionals told me that the journey ahead required significant investment in professional networking. So I followed their advice, and soon my calendar was filled with various networking events and meetings all over town.
How to Create a Powerful LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has more 55 million registered companies, and some 86 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to help them find qualified candidates. This means if you're looking to grow your career, using the networking platform is a necessity.
How to Be Small Talk Savvy During the Job Search
If there’s one activity that occurs at nearly every stage of the job search, it’s small talk. And unlike other aspects of the job search, small talk usually happens without warning.
8 Ways to Land Your Dream Job in Tech
The U.S. gained 307,000 technology jobs from 2018 to 2019, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association.
See All
Industries
Why Fintech Is Growing So Fast and How to Break Into This White-Hot Industry
Brian Hamilton is the founder and CEO of One, a fintech startup that provides digital banking services to the shrinking U.S. middle class.
How to Identify the Great-Fit Management Consulting Firm for You
The first job after you graduate can set the course for your future, so how do you make sure it's the right one? Typical groupthink says to look for things like cultural fit, compensation, or brand.
How AI Is Transforming Fintech—Plus, Where to Find the Great AI Roles
In the past few years, the most significant changes in the tech industry have occurred in fintech. Initially, fintech aimed to improve and automate banking services.
25 Best Investment Banks to Work for in 2021
Today, we're thrilled to release our 2021 Banking 25, a ranking of the best investment banking firms to work for in North America. The ranking is based on a survey of more than 3,000 banking professionals.
Practice Perspectives: Everything You Need to Know About Legal Practice Areas
The most frequent question we receive from law students and fledgling attorneys is how to differentiate among legal practice areas. Launching your legal career with confidence can be difficult if you're not sure what each practice area entails and what kinds of tasks you'd tackle in certain areas.
A Guide to Graduate Careers in Engineering
If you have just graduated and are hoping to follow a career in engineering, then you might be feeling a little lost as to where to start. Engineering is constantly evolving, and working environments are ever-changing.
3 Fast-Growing Healthcare Career Paths That Don’t Require Medical Training
If you’re interested in working in healthcare but don’t think a clinical job is right for you, the good news is there are several excellent healthcare careers that don’t require rigorous medical training. Here are three of the fastest growing alternative career paths in healthcare—in part thanks to the increasingly prominent roles they’re playing in impacting patient care.
6 Best Digital Marketing Jobs (Including Skill Requirements and Salary Ranges)
Since the onset of the global pandemic, remote work has been surging. Meanwhile, digital marketing has also been surging, as many industries continue to embrace e-commerce and digitization.
Everything You Need to Know About Pursuing a Career in Media
After spending my entire career in media, in companies as varied as MTV, Condé Nast, SundanceTV, and Discovery, I am often asked to give advice on how to get into the media business. It usually comes from a passionate, wide-eyed person who is looking to start their career, or shift gears midstream.
10 Marketing Jobs That Let You Work from Home
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives—perhaps forever. Companies in all industries have been forced to respond and adapt, with many moving into the digital space and even more needing remote employees in order to follow the rules of social distancing.
5 Rewarding Careers That Let You Be Your Own Boss
Being your own boss often means working from wherever you want, setting your own hours, taking random days off, and making all the decisions without needing permission from a higher-up. But while self-employment might be the dream for many people, very few are living it.
See All
Sign up for free