New MS Student Careers FAQ

Recruiting for summer internships usually begins in late August/early September. Many employers want to interview in October so applying soon is typically recommended. You can continue practicing LeetCode as you hear back about interviews.

Decide what matters. Then prioritize your search strategy. Prepare for interviews. If you are an international student, read our Thriving as an International Student advice.

If this is of interest to you, there are two primary options. Seek either research with faculty or research positions in industry. Remember that professors are very busy and you have a better chance of researching with them if you customize your communications and express knowledge of the work they are doing. See Aditya Parmar’s Research Blog. For industry research positions, the Handshake list of employers who hired CICS GRAD students is best. Our Center for Data Science is very active with industry.

Competitive coding experience such as Kaggle Competitions does help, but isn’t required. Practical experience through internships/jobs and personal projects is more important.

Research experience is definitely valued for a PhD. Grad students can participate in the Center for Data Science Industry Mentorship Program or Independent Studies with professors during the academic year.

Typically yes, but there are specific waiting period policies (often negotiable) for each employer. For example, here are the details for Google. If you are applying for different roles, the restrictions usually don’t apply.

Customize! You can do this most efficiently by having a “master resume” with all of your skills, experiences, projects, etc. Before you send in your resume, decide which content is most relevant and impressive to that employer, for that position. Exclude what doesn’t fit on the page and sort the high priority content so recruiters and hiring managers will see those first. Follow the S.T.A.R. method and our resume checklist to learn more.

Handshake has a filter for co-ops. CICS is actively working with our recruiting partners to identify and even create fall and spring internship options for students.

Join our Slack Community. Explore our website. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Make an appointment.