Hawks Hired highlights the accomplishments of soon to be and recent RWU graduates as they finalize the next steps in their career journeys. Miguel will be joining Shawmut Design and Construction in their CMST (Construction Management Skills Trainee) Program! Read on to learn more about his next chapter following graduation.
What was your program of study at RWU? At RWU my program of study was architecture.
Graduation year? My graduation year is 2024.
Where is your next adventure? (Company/School and Role) My next adventure is pursuing a career in construction management. I attended the CM career fair that was hosted here last fall. It was a great opportunity to network with several CM companies and get a better understanding of what kind of company I wanted to work for. In the end, Shawmut Design and Construction was one of the companies that reached out to me after the career fair, and after a few rounds of interviewing and follow-ups with the recruiter they offered me a position for their CMST (Construction Management Skills Trainee) Program at their headquarters in Boston.
What are you most looking forward to in this new role? One of the things I’m most looking forward to in this new role is taking the knowledge I’ve gained from my education from the architecture program and translating it into a professional setting to help improve and complete a project. I’m also looking froward to networking within the industry and meeting individuals who can help me learn and grow as a professional. Lastly, I’m really looking forward to seeing the completion of a project that I was a part of because ever since I know I wanted to be in the design/construction industry my dream was to see a project finished and say I was a part of that.
What was the process like of landing this job/next opportunity? As mentioned before, I got this job opportunity from going to the CM career fair last fall and networking with several CM companies and when I talked to the Shawmut representative, I knew something clicked when she was telling me about the company and the opportunities the company offers. However, the beginning of that process was me talking to older architecture classmates that have already graduated who have pursued careers in CM and them shining some light about the advantages of an architecture student pursuing a career in CM, plus me also doing my own research on career paths in construction management.
Who helped you during your job search/graduate school process? Other than older classmates that have graduated who have pursued CM careers and gave me insight on CM in general, no one really helped me during my job search, it was pretty independent. I just tried to leverage all of the professional platforms that are out there like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor. I was checking handshake regularly to see what on campus events were scheduled and trying to make the most of them.
What advice do you have to students who are in the process of finding a job/going to graduate school? I think one of the biggest pieces of advice that I’ve received is to understand the power of leverage. I believe once you understand how to leverage then the pieces come together more. Anyone can cold apply to any company but that can only get you so far. However, if you learn how to leverage the right people not getting the chance that call or interview with a potential employer or leveraging professional platforms like LinkedIn and doing your research on who works here that went to my school, then you’re well on your way to getting ahead.
Want to share your next steps with the CCPD? Email Kevin (kdeeb@rwu.edu) in the CCPD to learn more about sharing with us!
