Bridging Academia and the Professional World

Earning a degree is just the first step. In fact, the challenge comes at the end of one’s academic career once you enter the job market, when making the right choice can be paramount for the rest of your career. However, Bocconi students are not unprepared for this since the University offers a number of services for them both during and after their undergraduate careers — which have proven to be incredibly valuable and instrumental. “Career Services supports students as they begin to join the workforce and helps them develop a strategy to reach their professional goals,” explains Bruno Mariani, Employer Relations and Career Services Director. “The service organizes Career Guidance activities and initiatives that provide students with essential tools and materials to carve out their own career path.” It is a multilayered approach, from an initial basic preparation — involving classroom activities, interactive seminars, and online content learning — to increasingly personalized support through one-on-one meetings. “This model makes it possible to accompany each student throughout their path as they inch closer to joining the workforce,” continues Mariani, “It combines group activities with a special focus on the individual, passing from self-awareness to a broader understanding of the market and jobs.”

The program is wide-ranging and varied, composed of different activities and organized in close collaboration with Alumni and Employer Partners, who ensure a continuous link between academic education and the professional world. “Many of these activities are groupwork, involving both workshops and interactive seminars on tools, industries, professional roles, and soft skills that help carve out a coherent career path. The activities also call for MAP (Motivations and Aptitude Project), a motivation framework for self-orientation journeys that allow students to explore their purposes, talents and preferred activities. However, students also highly value individual activities in particular because, through them, the University’s interest in each student and their unique path is evident.” HR mock interviews are among some of these individual initiatives, in which students can prepare for future work interviews. “These sessions take place over the course of a day and are dedicated to different sectors,” says Bruno Mariani, “HR professionals ask typical interview questions to identify strong points and improvement areas; each student then has the possibility to receive direct feedback and valuable suggestions on how to effectively present themselves.” 

Additionally, the University offers multiple employer matching opportunities aimed at facilitating labor supply and demand. 

In 2024, there were 12,000 offers published on JobGate — the portal for internship and job opportunities updated daily — of which over 2,000 were abroad. The platform has also assisted in the formalization of roughly 5,200 internships, 24.5% of which abroad. 

Events dedicated to individual employer partners are also a rich source of opportunities. Different formats are available, which can be carried out online, on campus or at company offices. Every activity has specific objectives, yet they all represent unique opportunities to multiply career prospectives, build a professional network, present your CV, and make the selection process smoother. 

Another cornerstone is career fairs. “The main one is Bocconi&Jobs,” states Anna Airoldi, Employer Relations & Career Services Deputy Director, “which is held twice a year, one in spring (the next edition is scheduled for 14–16 April) and one in autumn. It hosts employers from different countries and industries, and can be held in hybrid mode. It also includes preview days — during which students can explore virtual employer booths — as well as online webinars, where they can gather information directly from companies for on-campus interactions. Afterward, students can interact in person with recruiters on campus and submit their applications.” The two editions saw the participation of nearly 300 companies and more than 5,400 University students and graduates in 2024. But that is not all. “We have also taken the Bocconi&Jobs event abroad, both in-person and online — particularly in Great Britian, Benelux and France, and Germany/Switzerland, Spain/Portugal and the Middle East respectively,” continues Airoldi. There are then a whole other series of events, which Airoldi summarizes as follows: “We have also developed several initiatives dedicated to specific sectors, influential professional outlets for our training programs. Among these include six Recruiting Dates per year and on-campus networking days, which welcome companies from Arts, Sport & Entertainment; Fashion, Luxury & Beauty; Banking, Financial Services & Fintech; Government, Public Services & International Organizations; and Web. In 2024, more than 2,600 students and graduates attended. Other industry-focused initiatives include Investment Banking Days and the Tax & Legal Networking Event, two additional significant opportunities.” 

The In-Company Training program deserves its own conversation. “These are projects reserved for groups of 15-25 students each,” continues Airoldi, “organized at the company's headquarters and structured into a theoretical and practical part, both in Italy and abroad. In 2024, we implemented 55 programs — 32 of which abroad — for a total of 831 students involved.”