Business: Building Business Skills as a Non-MSB Student

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November 15, 2021 – Upcoming Events, Opportunities & Resources

Hi Hoyas!
Many College, SFS, and NHS students have asked me:
Can I get a Business internship or job without being in the MSB?
The short answer, though not particularly nuanced, is of course. The vast majority of internships/jobs with for-profit companies are open to Georgetown students regardless of school. 

The more complex question is:
How can I get business skills if I can’t take MSB’s core business-focused classes?

It’s important to know that, in nearly all for-profit sectors (including consulting and finance) your first few years in the workforce, will look pretty similar and center on the same day-to-day functions:Cleaning and analyzing datasets (often in MS Excel; unless you know a  programming language)Researching informationWriting documents summarizing your analysis (often in MS Word)Creating presentations and visualizations (often in MS Powerpoint)Communicating with internal and external stakeholders via email and phoneVerbally presenting information to your team, leadership, and external stakeholdersCollaborating as part of a teamRecruiters in the for-profit sectors are looking for examples of how you’ve learned and already demonstrated these business-relevant skills. Because these skills are relatively broad, there are several major overlapping ways for College, SFS, and NHS students to acquire and demonstrate them:Use your resume to communicate business skills you’ve learned and displayed in non-business internships, advocacy groups, or clubs (e.g., stakeholder engagement, data analysis, team collaboration, project management, financial planning, etc,)Begin teaching yourself one of the high-demand programming languages (e.g., R, Python, Ruby, Java, C#, C++, etc.) using free or low-cost online resources (such as Cousera (new window) or Code Academy (new window))
These often require a lot of outside-of-class reading and practice time but can have a high return in terms of future earning potential. Be wary of high-cost “coding bootcamps”, which are often less effective.Take relevant business skill classes offered to non-MSB students. The challenge and limiting factor is what classes fit your course and elective requirements based on your program. Below is a non-exhaustive sample of courses open to COL, SFS, and NHS students (per MyAccess) that are directly relevant to jobs in the for-profit sectors:
If you have question on this or anything else, I can be reached at nmb44@georgetown.edu (new window) or via Handshake appointment at https://app.joinhandshake.com/appointments/new (new window)

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Career Center Resources

Online Resources:
Writing Resumes & Cover Letters (new window)
Networking Skills (new window)
Interviewing Skills (new window)
Industry Resources (new window)
What Can I Do with My Georgetown Major? (new window)

N (new window)ew drop-in hours for spring semester!
Drop-ins will now be available from 9-10AM Tuesday through Friday, 1-2PM Monday through Friday, and 7-8PM Monday through Thursday every week via georgetown.zoom.us/j/417727789 (new window).