The first day at GHC was peaceful compared to the second. I’d spent the first day talking to companies, scheduling interviews, and getting situated with the huge convention center. The second day, I woke up early (a theme) to prepare for 3 interviews I knew I would have throughout the day (and that’s not even a lot compared to most of the other people I know). Although the companies at GHC are not exactly aligned with my specific interests, I think it’s incredibly valuable to be able to practice interviewing and networking with women. So many students in STEM fields at Duke have told me that they are usually interviewed by men – and we wonder why more women aren’t in tech.
My advice to anyone going to GHC to interview is: be your authentic self. Cheesy I know, but there are so many companies at GHC that I think you can afford to be a little more picky about culture/location/perks than at say, a school career fair. I definitely interviewed with some companies where the experience was lackluster; and I felt a balance shift in the interview where the interviewer and I were trying to find a mutual fit. Definitely rely on your peers/recruiters at the booth if you’re worried about interviewing – you can always ask what you’ll be expected to do/know. For example, I was terrified that my Accenture interview would require me to case (which I’ve obviously never done). The company could have definitely been more explicit about the interview structure, which ended up being 45 minutes of pure behaviorlal, but it would have saved me a mild heart attack had I known.
Aside from interviewing, there are incredible other opportunities at GHC to expand your professional network. On the bus from the hotel to the convention center this morning, my roommate and I met the Chief Information Security Officer of a company, who gave us some career advice and connected with us on LinkedIn. A few hours later, he messaged me to come to his company’s booth and meet the CTO – which I did, and had a great 15 minute conversation with her about value-based healthcare and telemedicine. I never in my life would have imagined that I could so easily interface with highly established professionals as an undergraduate. My advice to anyone going to GHC: strike up a conversation with ANYONE.
After the craziness of the day, the real fun was in the endless networking receptions – which were all very different! I attended a panel Q&A and tour of one company’s Houston office, a formal hotel ballroom reception of another, a casual mixer at a bar for one company, and then a huge warehouse party/dance filled with art exhibits. I always thought networking was this very stiff and inorganic thing (and I still believe that to a degree), but I’ve never had as much fun as I did that night. Final tip: go to the evening events!
