Using Forage To Enhance You Experience, Resume, LinkedIn and More: Business, Consulting, and Finance
Forage Resource Development for the Business, Consulting, and Finance Career Cluster
What Is Forage?
Forage is a free, self-paced online platform that offers virtual job simulations designed by leading employers such as Citi, KPMG, EY, JPMorgan Chase, Bloomberg, and others. These simulations allow students to complete real-world tasks similar to those performed during internships or entry-level roles. While Forage simulations are not considered formal work experience, they are a highly credible way to build practical skills, explore career paths, and demonstrate career readiness to employers.
Each simulation typically takes 2–8 hours to complete and focuses on developing technical, professional, and problem-solving skills aligned with in-demand roles across industries such as business, consulting, finance, accounting, analytics, and management.
Forage: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students
- Visit the Forage website and create a free account using your email address.
- Complete your profile with your academic major(s), career interests, and graduation timeline.
- Browse available simulations by company, industry, or career interest.
Tip: Choose simulations aligned with roles you are actively exploring (e.g., consulting, banking, audit, financial analysis, operations).
- Review the simulation description, learning objectives, and estimated completion time.
- Prioritize simulations connected to your major or career cluster (business administration, accounting, finance, economics, data analytics, management, etc.).
- Consider employer recognition many Forage partners actively recruit students who complete their simulations.
What You Gain:
- Hands-on exposure to real workplace tasks
- Career insight into specific roles and industries
- Transferable technical and professional skills
- Work through each module at your own pace.
- Complete tasks modeled after actual projects employees work on.
- Review feedback and examples provided throughout the simulation.
Important: Take notes on the skills you used, tools you learned, and problems you solved this will be critical for resumes and interviews.
- Upon completion, download your Forage certificate.
- Save the certificate URL and verification code provided.
- Record the official simulation name (Company + Simulation Title).
Example: JPMorgan Chase – Investment Banking Virtual Experience Program
Option 1: Licenses & Certifications (Recommended)
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click Add profile section.
- Select Licenses & Certifications.
- Enter:
- Name: Company + Simulation example: (BCG – Strategy Consulting Simulation)
- Issuing Organization: Forage
- Credential URL: Certificate link
- Credential ID: Verification code
Option 2: Experience or Additional Sections
- If applicable, Forage can also be listed under Additional Information, Leadership Experience, or Projects.
- Do not list Forage as paid employment.
Tip: Your LinkedIn profile should clearly show skill development and learning outcomes, not job titles.
Where to List Forage
- Additional Experience
- Leadership Experience
- Professional Development
- Projects
How to Format It
- Include the simulation name, company, and completion date.
- Add 2–3 bullet points describing what you did and learned.
Resume Example:
BCG Strategy Consulting Simulation | Forage March 2025
- Analyzed client data to identify operational inefficiencies and strategic opportunities
- Developed structured recommendations using consulting frameworks
- Communicated findings through written and visual deliverables
Important: Do not list Forage under work experience or as an internship.
Use Forage projects as concrete examples when answering behavioral or technical questions. Example: “In a Forage simulation with JPMorgan Chase, I analyzed financial statements to assess a company’s valuation. This experience helped me strengthen my analytical skills and better understand how investment banking teams evaluate opportunities.”
- Visit the Virtual Career Center and navigate to your career cluster to find Forage resources.
- Meet with a career consultant to review how your Forage experience appears on your resume or LinkedIn profile.
- Attend workshops or events focused on using Forage strategically.
Using Forage Strategically for Career Success
Forage is a powerful career development tool when used intentionally. By completing employer designed simulations, business, consulting, and finance students can gain practical exposure to real-world work, build in-demand skills, and strengthen their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interview readiness. When positioned accurately and strategically, Forage experiences demonstrate initiative, career curiosity, and preparedness to employers.
Students are encouraged to use Forage as a complement to coursework, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities and to work with career consultants to ensure these experiences are presented effectively. Taking advantage of Forage now can help clarify career goals, increase confidence, and create a stronger foundation for future professional opportunities.
Learn how to use Forage for career success by exploring the top 10 ways to make the most of Forage as a student.
Example Of Forage Experience to A Resume
Adding Forage To Your Resume
As shown in the example, Forage can be included on your resume as a certification or as a project-based experience. It should not be listed as work experience. This distinction is important to avoid misrepresenting your background. Forage simulations reflect virtual projects designed by employers, not employment or internships with the organization.
Adding Forage to your LinkedIn
You may include your Forage experiences in the Licenses & Certifications section of your LinkedIn profile. List Forage as the issuing organization, and use the company name and simulation title as the certification name (for example, “JPMorgan Chase – Investment Banking Job Simulation”). Add your Certificate URL and Unique Enrollment Verification Code as the Credential ID; both are located at the bottom of your certificate.
Forage Virtual Experience Programs should not be listed as work experience or employment on LinkedIn.
What You Get Out of Forage
By engaging with Forage, students gain employer-designed, real-world skill development, earn professional certificates they can showcase, and receive meaningful support for career exploration and decision-making. Forage experiences provide strong, concrete examples for resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews, while helping build credibility with employers across business, consulting, and finance career paths.
For questions or additional support, contact Michael Lorusso at mlorusso@binghamton.edu
External websites and resources may not fully comply with accessibility standards, and we cannot guarantee the accessibility of content outside the University. Please email careers@binghamton.edu if you encounter significant accessibility issues on these sites.
