Posted May 2022

Commencement: It’s the fulfillment of years of hard work. A time to celebrate personal achievements with family and friends. The start of a new chapter in life’s journey. For those of us who’ve already graduated, Commencement evokes an almost magical feeling of nostalgia and possibility.

But for many people wearing the cap & gown, Commencement means one thing first: Finding. A. Job.

In May of 2021, Jaanvi Desai (Questrom’21) joined the long and storied tradition of unemployed new grads scouring the internet and submitting applications to the black hole of online job portals. After a couple of months, Jaanvi had applied to tons of jobs and had even done a few interviews, but nothing was taking her to the next level. That’s when her roommate asked if she was on BU Connects. Jaanvi said, “I’ve heard about it. I’ve just never gotten around to signing up and using it.” She decided to check it out.

Experiencing the platform was exciting because she felt like alumni on BU Connects were more approachable and willing to help out than on other networking or job application platforms. Browsing through the site together, Jaanvi’s roommate noticed a job post that was a perfect match for Jaanvi’s interests and qualifications. Jaanvi quickly reached out to the job poster, and they set up a quick informational phone call.

Jaanvi learned that the alum, who shared the same degree and concentration as Jaanvi, had been hired into this position after graduating just a few years earlier. While Jaanvi had been on interviews before, none of the others had been so straightforward—or so fast. “This one was such quick turnaround,” she says. “In a week I had an interview. Next week I had another one.” Within a couple of weeks of viewing the post on BU Connects, Jaanvi had received—and then accepted—an offer to be a Data Analyst at iOFFICE + SpaceIQ in Boston.

Now that she’s a BU Connects veteran, Jaanvi recommends that all alumni sign up. It’s hard getting a job and “connecting with someone who’s an alum, it gives us an edge,” she says. There’s no better way to build professional connections, and you just never know when an amazing opportunity is going to appear.

And as for using the platform in the future, Jaanvi says, with a grin, “If we have openings, I’m definitely going to be posting on BU Connects.”

Join BU Connects