Occasionally eBEAR will give you a big old paw-to-the-face and not let you apply for a position. Being a busy college student, this might happen just hours (or minutes) before a deadline, during a time when the Career Planning center is closed and no one is around to help.
Well, instead of giving you my cell phone number consider these common reasons why eBEAR is not letting you apply:
[In my best Jeff Foxworthy impression] If youuuuuuuuu…
…Have not completed the Four Steps for Recruiting Readiness, which includes the senior meeting, signing the recruiting agreement, attending a Dream Job workshop and having your resume/cover letter reviewed, you might not be able to apply for positions in eBEAR.
…Have not set your Work Authorization status, you might not be able to apply for positions in eBEAR. If an employer sets “Authorized to work in US” as a requirement, and you have not selected anything, the system will restrict your application.
…Have not set your Visa sponsorship requirements (yes/no), you might not be able to apply for positions in eBEAR.
…Are erroneously set as an alum, or junior when you should really be listed as a senior, you might not be able to apply for positions in eBEAR. We try to modify everyone’s class status year-to-year, but some fall through the cracks.
…Have not completed your profile and uploaded a resume, you might not be able to apply for positions in eBEAR.
In all cases, the system should tell you [vaguely] why it is restricting your applications. In all the above cases, YOU can make these changes, which update instantly and allow you to continue applying for the position. No need to wait until the next morning for the Career Planning center to rectify the situation.
There may be cases where your account is acting funky that you can’t control. For example, Bowdoin recycles email addresses. So, Jane Smith, a sophomore, has the email jsmith@bowdoin. Jasper Smith, a 2002 graduate also had jsmith@bowdoin when he went here. This might cause Jane trouble logging in to her account.
The remedy? For that you will need to contact the Career Planning office. So, you should log in to your account NOW, even though you might not have any need to, just to see that your account is accessible, your profile complete, and while you’re in there find a random “Posted by Bowdoin College” position that you are qualified for and see if the system gives you an “apply now” green box, or a “application restricted” red box at the bottom of the post.
Anticipating issues now will save you grief when its 11:57pm and the deadline is two minutes and 59 seconds away, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…
Good luck!