A Jumbo Effort: Tufts Alumni Strengthen Recruiting and Hiring in 2021

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, much has changed and much remains the same for Tufts students and recent graduates interested in careers in financial services and consulting, shared Chris Di Fronzo, Associate Director of Tufts Career Center and Director of Tufts Finance Initiative.

We recently sat down with Chris to discuss navigating the new reality of networking, interviewing, and hiring and he reflected on the important role that Tufts alumni and mentors played in ensuring the success of current students and recent graduates, including highlights from a virtual Finance Industry Night held at the beginning of the spring semester.

Hiring, Recruitment and Industry Prep

Despite the pandemic, Chris reported that hiring trends remained favorable for Tufts students and young alumni this year. As of June 2021, 128 students received full-time job offers and 164 secured internships. All major investment banks and consulting firms were accounted for among the employers. Notable organizations included:

• Bain
• Barclays
• Boston Consulting Group
• Deloitte
• Fidelity
• JPMorgan
• McKinsey
• Morgan Stanley
• Point72
• Wellington
• William Blair

Bain continued to recruit on campus for the second year in a row, reflecting a larger trend that indicates students are excited about careers in consulting. Chris attributed this to the attractive exit opportunities, including admission to top MBA programs and roles at hedge funds and private equity firms.

Finance remained among the top career tracks that students pursue post-graduation. They also continued to receive individualized support and coaching from Chris and had access to specialized training via firms like Wall Street Prep, which led two seminars in the 2020-2021 academic year.

Virtual Networking: Finance Industry Night

Students also had opportunities to engage directly with the TFN community through virtual events this year, including a new Finance Industry Night held over Zoom in February. This event involved 158 students and 22 alumni and parent volunteers.

Chris shared one of the benefits of virtual programming was the opportunity to engage alumni from around the world. “We can bring in people from London, Mumbai, and Singapore to speak to Tufts students, which exposes them to opportunities around the globe. I don’t know yet what the fall semester will look like, but we absolutely want to continue to strengthen these connections.”

Pat Williams, A16, Associate Portfolio Manager at BlackRock, remarked that the Zoom breakout rooms at Finance Industry Night helped facilitate connections with a wide variety of students, and Dana Herrman, J91, Senior Vice President at Sanford C. Bernstein, agreed.

“The breakout rooms provided an intimacy you don’t normally get from an in-person setting. Students felt at ease asking personal questions about specific situations and for advice about the best ways to land a job,” recalled Dana. “One student was interested in derivatives and asked me to put him in touch with the department at my firm. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing a fellow Jumbo follow their passion and successfully land a job in one of the toughest job markets.”

Tufts student Rebecca Qiu, A23, found the experience equally positive and valuable. “One of the alumni at the event, Kevin [Magid], advised me to leverage TFN to learn more about the jobs and areas that interested me,” she said. “Many people interested in finance don’t have a network but being at Tufts automatically gives you a connection to hundreds of alumni across industries who are more than willing to help.”

Get Involved

As we reflect back on 2020-2021, our success in recruiting and hiring would not have been possible during this remarkably challenging year without the help of the TFN community. To participate in future events, both in-person and virtual, or learn more about recruiting and hiring at Tufts, reach out directly to Chris Di Fronzo at Christopher.Di_Fronzo@tufts.edu.