Check out our new bloggers and thanks for helping us reach 25,000

This week our career advising blog reached yet another milestone: 25,000 views!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog. 

Just about 2 years ago, Ariel Cohen (then a CS major and Creative Writing minor and Career Services Intern) and I started blogging together, addressing topics to help Hokies as you begin your career journeys. Ariel moved on to her first full-time position after graduating this past May; now I am excited to have two Career Services Peer Career advisors join me in writing for this blog. 

Ariana Mollers, a junior communications major with a concentration in Public Relations and minors in Professional Writing and Spanish, enjoys writing for fun, playing tennis, running, and watching movies in her free time. She is passionate about helping others grow and student leadership. In addition to working on this blog, Ariana assists me in my work with the College of Engineering.

Emma Weiss is a senior majoring in Political Science, focusing in Legal Studies and minoring in Professional Writing – this is her first year working in Career Services. Upon graduation she hopes to attend Law Schools, either in Virginia, New York, or California. In her free time, Emma enjoys reading, running, spending time with friends, and traveling. Her favorite times in Blacksburg are football season and spring. Emma assists our Job Search and Graduate School Program Area as well as writing posts for this blog.

Welcome to Ariana and Emma! 

And, please keep reading! Let us know a topic you wish we would address. Thanks again for your support!

It's almost Halloween--but career fairs aren't so spooky!

Business Horizons 2014. Photo credit: Pamplin: College of Business Magazine 

Walking into a career fair can be a terrifying experience—the room is filled with other students competing to impress potential employers for the same opportunities you want. However, if you choose to prepare for this event, your experience doesn’t have to be so scary. In fact, you will find being prepared leads to confidence and success. You can use these tips for the upcoming FallConnection Job Fair on Oct. 14^th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Squires Commonwealth.

Research the employers beforehand

Do your homework before the career fair. You should research which companies are coming to the fair, what kind of positions they have available, what the company does, and what they are looking for. Create a list of the companies you know you want to approach.

Look over your resume – again

Not only should you be proofreading your resume for any mistakes or checking to see if all your information is updated, but you should also be sure to refresh your memory on your experiences. Be prepared to talk in-depth about any experience on your resume, because a recruiter may ask for you to explain further. Be sure to print many copies on resume-quality paper!

Have your questions ready

Avoid questions like, “What does your company exactly do?” or “What is the salary?” You can stand out to an employer with smart and thoughtful questions. Some examples of good questions would be, “What opportunities are there for collaboration” or “What does an average day look like for an employee at your company?”

Know what you’re going to say

Be sure to have at least a 30 second introduction prepared. This elevator pitch should include who you are, what you have done, what you can do, and what you are interested in from the employer. It can be a good idea to end your pitch with a question regarding the position or company, so that you are pulling the employer into a conversation. After you’ve figured out what you want to say, practice it until it becomes smooth and natural.

Remember, if you take the time to prepare for each individual employer, your efforts will be noticed!

Gear up for October career fairs--Follow lessons from an old Hokie

You may have thought you were done with career fairs now that September is over, but there are several VT-affiliated fairs in October as well. This Friday, Richmond Hokies are holding a Career Expo with 80 employers in attendance. And, on October 14, your very own VT Career Services is hosting the Fall Connection job fair for all majors, with over 100 employers registered.

Clarence Hardy Long VPI 1939
Senior Class Photo from VT Bugle

To help you get ready for the next round of career fairs, I am sharing lessons from on old VT Professor: my Dad. Yesterday, October 6, would have been my Dad's 96th birthday. A mechanical engineering professor at Virginia Tech for over 40 years, Clarence Hardy "Huey" Long loved teaching students and sharing his knowledge as well consulting in private industry. Not only a professor, he was also an alum - he just came to Blacksburg and basically never left. Although he's been gone for 15 years, many of the lessons he taught me live on. I've tied some of his life lessons to your career fair preparation.

Try something new. When my Dad was a ME undergrad, the department head encouraged my Dad to participate in a Cake Race. With an insatiable "sweet tooth," my Dad jumped at the chance to win the race and take home a cake. Win the cake he did, as well as a spot on the Virginia Tech Track Team! Wonder how many Division 1 track teams would grow their teams in this manner today?

Never been to a career fair? Get out of your comfort zone and try attending the Richmond or Connection fairs this month. Although you might not leave with a cake or a spot on a sports team, you could leave with a spot on an employer's team.

VT 1939 Track Team, photo from VT Bugle
C.H. Long circled in red

Finish the race. One of my Dad's favorite VT track stories was about a track meet at Virginia Military Institute. During a race, my Dad lost his shoe while he was running, but he didn't let that stop him, He won the race, even though he needed assistance to pick the cinders out of his foot following the race. After that win, he earned the nickname "Iron Man Long."

What are you going to do to finish your race to find a position? After the career fair, don't just sit there. Apply online, follow up with the employers you meet (get their business cards at the career fair), and seek opportunities in other ways. Take action and keep plugging along like Iron Man Long did.

If anyone else can do it, you can do it. This saying constantly runs through my head, because I heard it so much from my Dad when I was growing up and after I became an adult. What's holding you back from reaching your goal to find an internship, co-op position or full-time job? If you've never been to a career fair, practice your introduction, research employers who are attending, develop a plan for your visit to a fair and do some observing before you talk to an employer at the fair. Over 20% of Hokies find their first full-time jobs at career fairs; for some majors this percentage reaches almost double that . You can do it too, if you try.

I'll close with a saying my Dad often said later in his life as we were leaving him:

"Have a goodie." A goodie what? Good time, good day, good meal, good whatever. So, you be sure and "Have a goodie" at a career fair this month.

What questions do you have about career fairs? Come see us in Career Services.

Last Day to Drop is FRIDAY, Oct. 3! What are you juggling?

As the deadline to drop a class approaches this Friday on October 3, what is your plan? Do you have too many balls in the air with other classes, part-time jobs, leadership roles and campus involvement, where it might make sense for you to cut back your course load? Before you get on Hokie Spa and drop that class, here are some things to think about.

Do you need this course for your major? Maybe you shouldn't drop the class. Is it a prerequisite for other courses? Check your plan of study or major checksheet to verify future courses don't require the one you're dropping. Will the drop set you back a year, depending on when courses are offered? If you're not doing well, that might set you back a year or more anyway.

Why are you taking this class? Is it an elective? Does it fulfill CLE requirements? Do you want to get past the CLE requirement so you can move forward with courses in your major? If you registered for the class for a reason that no longer exists (maybe you dropped the minor you thought you were going to add), then dropping the class might be OK.

Are you struggling and that's why you want to drop the class? Have you sought out help? Tutoring is available through the Student Success Center. Have you visited your professor during office hours? The instructor may be able to give you some tips for mastering course content.

Will dropping a class take you below full-time student status? If you receive scholarships or financial aid, maintaining your full-time student status may be critical. Going below 12 credit hours makes you less than full-time in the eyes of the university. Check where your total credit hours will be if you drop a class.

Have you talked about dropping the class with anyone? Get some advice before you drop a class. Visit a professor or an advisor. Touch base with your personal "board of directors:" those key people in your life to whom you go when you make big decisions.

And finally, do you feel like dropping a class makes you a quitter? There's nothing wrong with dropping a class. You're not a quitter...but a strategist who determined devoting more time to your other classes is the right next step for you. Just be sure you've thought it through and that you don't drop the ball as you drop a class.

Graduating in May? Do these NOW if planning to attend graduate school

Last week, I met with my Hokie daughter, Maggie, who is a senior. She was really stressed out preparing for her applications to graduate schools. As we talked about the things she still needs to do, I reminded her of the many tasks she has already checked off her to do list. Have you done these 10 things yet if you're planning to start at graduate or professional school next year?

Research programs. It's a good idea to apply to 4 - 5 programs--one that's your dream program, one that is a sure thing and then a few in between. How can you know what programs to research? See the next item below, but also check the links here. We have a small supply of free graduate school guides that you can pick up in Smith Career Center any time we are open, 8 - 5pm.

Talk to faculty. Your instructors and advisors are knowledgeable resources to answer all kinds of questions as you apply to graduate or professional programs. They are experts on their subject, so they can recommend programs that you should consider and also provide advice for the whole process. Last week, Maggie visited a professor she knows fairly well to discuss her potential list of schools. That visit made her consider the next point.

Develop a parallel plan. What's a parallel plan? An option for after graduation that is just as attractive to you as going to law school or graduate school. You need to have this kind of plan. Make sure you avoid putting all your hopes on going in one direction, because you can never be sure that path will work out. If you need help devising a parallel plan, come see us in Career Services.

Take the admission tests NOW. Unlike Maggie, I waited to take my graduate admission tests several years after I graduated with my BA, and did not perform that well. The best time for you to take the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or other entrance test is before you graduate, while subject material is fresh in your mind. Do you need to find out more about one of the tests? Visit here. Career Services teams up with Kaplan and Princeton Review to put on a number of programs to help you prepare. You can do a test drive of a number of these tests in October.

Determine and inform references. Who will you use as references when you apply to programs? At least three references are a good number to have. You want to ask faculty members, supervisors, advisors, coaches or others who can attest to your academic performance or your work performance. As you ask contacts to serve as references, share your resume, personal statement and the list of schools where you will be applying with each reference. And, after you complete the application process, thank each of your references.

Visit programs where you are accepted before saying YES. I first heard this advice from a faculty member in biochemistry as he advised students about applying to graduate programs. A faculty member or program may look really good as you read about them online. Once you visit, you may realize you don't like the location or you don't feel you fit well with a faculty member or research program.

Prepare for interviews. Some graduate programs make interviews a part of the admissions process. If you haven't done much interviewing, there are several ways you can practice through Career Services. We offer access to an online practice site called Interview Stream, where you can do a practice interview in front of your laptop. You can save the video of your interview and set up an appointment with a Career Advisor to critique your interview. Or, if you prefer to practice in person, you can sign up for a Mock Interview by calling 540-231-6241. You will be asked to supply a copy of your resume and information about the program for which you are interviewing. The only way to improve your interview skills is to practice, so take advantage of these opportunities.

Write your personal statement or other essays. Some programs provide prompts for you to address - other professional or graduate schools just request a personal statement as part of the admissions process. Staff at The Writing Center and Career Services Advisors are available to review your essays. To make an appointment with a Career Advisor, call 540-231-6241.

Create a spreadsheet to keep track of everything. As you get faculty input and do your own research on various programs, make a spreadsheet to help you keep track of where you are with each program to which you apply. It's smart to have a list of all your deadlines all in one place.

Celebrate your success! For you to be a competitive applicant to graduate or professional schools, you have to have performed well as a Hokie. Congratulations on getting to this final phase of your undergraduate career! Let us help you get to the next level, whatever that looks like. We're here to help. Best wishes as you pursue an advanced degree. Check out this infographic for more information on applying to graduate school. And, go, Maggie!

Checkmate! Make the right moves in your video interview

Many employers conduct initial interviews using Skype or some other video method. Just like you have a strategy for your chess game, you also want to have a plan for your video interview. Want some tactics for your next conversation with an employer via video? Try these.

Choose your background. What will the interviewer see behind you as you meet? A bunch of messy bookshelves like the ones in my office? A white wall? What is preferred? Make sure you are set up in a clean, quiet place with plenty of light. Contact us at Career Services if you are in need of a room 540-231-6241. We might have one for you to use.

Look at the camera. It's so easy to focus on the screen rather than on the camera. I really like an idea I've read--cut out a photo of your favorite person, and tape the picture beside your camera to make you look at the camera. Or put a post-it with a sign, saying "LOOK HERE!"

Check your attire. Since it's a video interview, don't wear your pajamas. Look professional even though you aren't meeting the interviewer sitting across the table from her/him. Wear a suit like you would if you met in person.

Practice with a friend. Never interviewed via video before? Do a trial run of the system you will use with one of your friends. The only way to get better at interviewing is to practice. This is true for video interviews too.

Have support materials at your fingertips. Place your resume, cover letter, and answers to interview questions nearby for you to refer to. Also have a list of the questions you want to ask as well. Before you hang up, ask what the next step is and when you will hear back from the interviewer. And say, Thank you! Checkmate! You've got this interview! Want more interview tips? Visit Be a superhero in interviews and Shine telling your stories in interviews.

Going to a Career Fair? How Can You Stand Out in the Crowd?

The busy Fall Semester career fair season is almost here. If you plan to attend career fairs, what are you going to do to make sure you stand out in the crowd of students? No, you don't need to stand on your head to stand out, but here are some tips for you to be outstanding.

Know yourself. Figure out the kinds of positions you want to pursue. What experience, skills and knowledge do you bring? Be able to articulate that in your elevator pitch. Need help with creating your introduction or pitch? Visit here.

Do your research. Visit the career fair web site to see the employers attending the fair. Develop a target list of employers and go to their web sites. Check their job listings. Is there an opening you're interested in? Then, go ahead and apply. Another good place to check on employer web sites is their NEWS. Also, visit Hokies4Hire to see if the employer is coming on campus to interview. Don't see a job listing or on-campus interview opportunity? Then, ask employers about when they plan to interview or what openings they have.

Polish your resume. Although some employers may not accept copies of resumes at career fairs, you still want to be armed with copies of yours on nice resume paper. To make sure you don't have any typos or other issues with your resume, come to Career Services Walk-In Advising, Resumania, or other advising hours.

Dress to impress. No, you're not going clubbing, so leave your short dress or skirt or revealing top at home. Worried that your skirt is too short? Then it is. Wear shoes that you won't mind standing in for over an hour. Typical attire for career fairs ranges from business casual to business professional. If you look good, you'll feel good. For more tips on attire, visit here.

Show your interest. How do you let an employer know of your interest? We already talked about research and that's one way. Asking questions is another means for demonstrating your interest in an employer or opening. Need help with questions to ask? Visit here. Still another means to indicate interest is to follow up with an employer. As you meet recruiters, ask for their business cards. Send a thank you note to a recruiter after the fair, along with another copy of your resume. Call a few weeks after the fair to inquire about your application status.

Still want more information for your career fair preparation? Visit our infographic on Play your cards right at career fairs. Never been to a fair before? Get a clue here. And check here if you want to know more about after the career fair.