The Puzzle: Blog

FORUM/Boston is our flagship hiring conference. A two-day event, this conference draws schools from all over the nation and sometimes even internationally.

If you've never been to a hiring conference before, it's hard to know what to expect. As a candidate, how can you best navigate the event? How can you maximize your interviewing opportunities?

We prepared a few tips to help you prepare.

First, here are the event details:

Location – The Westin Copley Place, 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston

Friday, February 9
7:00 a.m. – Candidate and school registration opens
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Interviews

Saturday, February 10
7:00 a.m. – Candidate and school registration opens
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Interviews

1. Get in the habit of logging into the Conference Module.

First and foremost, log into our Conference Module early and often once you receive access to it. Registered candidates will receive access about two weeks before the conference; you can't find the link on our website or in CandidateConnect so be sure to keep the email you receive. In the Module, you can do everything from see a list of schools who are attending, send messages to schools you are interested in, view interviews that have been scheduled, and adjust your own schedule (see number 2 below for more about this). You don't want to miss any last-minute interviews that have been scheduled or messages from schools, so make a habit to check the Module frequently. Learn more about utilizing the Conference Module.

2. Plan your schedule and don't panic.

One of the biggest things you can do to ensure you have an optimal experience at FORUM/Boston to is plan your schedule. Not checking into the event until Friday afternoon? Be sure to mark off your availability accurately within the Conference Module. Leaving early on Saturday? Indicate that in your schedule. A scheduling snafu that we see often? Candidates who forget to block time off for lunch! (See more info on lunch in number 4.)

Have some open interview slots? Don't panic. Schools are often busy scheduling interviews up until the day of the event. If you only have one or two interviews, we still highly recommend attending as we know from experience that many interviews are scheduled at the last minute (school contacts are busy this time of year!).

3. Do some legwork.

Before the event, you can review a list of registered schools within the Module. Reach out to any schools of interest – regardless of whether they have an open position in your subject area – through the Conference Module Message feature to indicate your interest in meeting them at the event. Schools will schedule interviews directly with candidates of interest (and may not always respond to your messages), so make sure you’re double- and triple-checking your interview schedule.

4. Be prepared.

This goes along with the first three tips in that managing your schedule and checking the Conference Module. It also means making sure you're prepared as an interviewee (have you done some research on the schools you have interviews with?) and just in general for two days away from work and home.

• Be mindful of the weather forecast. You don't want to get caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella and have to head to your first interview with soggy clothing.
• Bring snacks and a water bottle. Interviewing with many schools can feel like a marathon so having a granola bar or water bottle in your bag can't hurt.
• Speaking of food, lunch is not provided so give yourself time to head to one of the many restaurants in the area around the hotel.
• Because schools will be scheduling interviews even during the event, we recommend bringing a laptop or tablet to access the Conference Module (and a charger!) or to use in between interviews. Schools have access to candidate resumes and full CandidateConnect profiles, but candidates can bring a few extra copies, too, if they'd like.

5. Keep an open mind.

We've been hosting these conferences for a long time. One of our best tips for candidates is to keep an open mind when responding to interview requests.

We can't begin to count the number of times a candidate wasn't initially interested in a school or its location or the position but accepted the interview anyway… and left the interview with a completely changed mind. As the old saying goes (slightly amended), don't judge an opportunity by its cover. An interview is a great way to learn more about a school, its mission, and what's it like to be a member of the community. Just because, at face value, an opportunity isn't the perfect match, it doesn't mean the potential isn't there. We've seen it happen time and time again at our conferences.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Placement Associate. Or tweet them to @CarneySandoe using the hashtag #CSAFORUM.

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