1. Welcome Class of 2015
Career Services:
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
www.career.vt.edu

2. Aspirations for Student Learning
and Career Services …
• Commit to unwavering CURIOSITY
• Pursue SELF-UNDERSTANDING and INTEGRITY
• Practice CIVILITY
• Prepare for a life of COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP
• Embrace UT PROSIM as a way of life
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
2 www.career.vt.edu

3. Career Development Model
One-on-One appointments can be made to assist you in every step of your Career Development Process
Gaining Experience
Career and Developing Job
Explore Exploration Search Skills
Self-Understanding Successful
Curiosity Employment Experience
Civility
Courageous Leadership
Job
Search
Achieve
3 Ut Prosim

4. Self-Understanding …
1. Self Assessment
• A realistic appraisal of yourself and the starting point
for career planning.
• Online and paper career assessments are available
to help you narrow down your major and career
Explore
options, specific to your
personality, skills, interests, and values.
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
4 www.career.vt.edu

5. Curiosity …
2. Career Research
• This takes time and dedication, as you gather
information about academic options and career fields
that compliment your self-assessment results.
• Career Resource Center contains hard copy
Explore
resources (most available for overnight and weekend
checkout) covering all areas of the career
development process.
• Career Services Website has multiple links that
provide further information on majors and career
options.
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
5 www.career.vt.edu

6. Self-Understanding continued …
3. Decision Making
• Takes place after you have become familiar with your
personality, skills, interests, and values, and once
your research is completed.
• Career Services offers a 3 credit course, “Exploring
Explore
Careers: Making Decisions and Plans”, which teaches
students different methods for researching and
making decisions on major and/or career options.
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
6 www.career.vt.edu

7. Self-Understanding continued …
4. Goal Setting and Action Plans
• Define your career goal(s) and set a realistic action
plan with steps and deadlines to meet your goal(s).
• Career Services can assist you in making and setting
S.M.A.R.T.
Explore
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely)
goals, both short and long term, through one-on-one
appointments with one of our advisors.
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
7 www.career.vt.edu

8. What is Experiential Education?
Experience
Integrating Work & Learning
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
8 www.career.vt.edu

9. Career Related Experience …
Experience
What does
“career related experience”
mean to you?
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
9 www.career.vt.edu

10. Here are some choices you have
for gaining experience …
• Internship (paid/unpaid, academic credit/no credit)
•
Experience
Cooperative Education (Co-op)
• Summer Job/Part-time employment
• Externship (Job Shadowing)
• Volunteer Work (www.engage.vt.edu)
• Study/Work Abroad
• Research
• Student Service Learning
• Field Study
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
10 www.career.vt.edu

11. Why Gaining Experience is Important…
• 97.5% of employers factor candidate experience in
hiring
• 76.6% of employers prefer to hire candidates with
Experience
relevant work experience
• Of the 90% of Virginia Tech graduates who had career
related experience 57% wished they had gained
more
• Look ahead and begin exploring opportunities now
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
11 www.career.vt.edu

12. Be Curious …
• Explore your possibilities
• Career Paths
• Organizations
Experience
• Various Majors, Minors, and Concentrations
• Ask questions of people within your career interests
• Learn why people enjoy what they do
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
12 www.career.vt.edu

13. Self-Understanding …
Experiential Education allows you to…
• Learn about yourself
Experience
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Work environment preferences
• Values and what is important to you
• Reflect on your experiences and how they fit into your
career aspirations
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
13 www.career.vt.edu

14. What is the Cooperative
Education/Internship Program?
• A formal academic program which integrates classroom
learning with a full-time work experience
Experience
• Participating students maintain full-time enrollment
status with Virginia Tech and receive official recognition
on their transcript
• Students may begin working the summer following their
freshman year
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
14 www.career.vt.edu

15. Here are some interesting companies where
Hokies have gotten experience in the past …
Experience
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
15 www.career.vt.edu

16. Want to learn more?
• Visit us at Career Services
Experience
• Talk to a Co-op/Internship Advisor in Career Services
• Attend a Co-op/Internship Orientation session this Fall
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
16 www.career.vt.edu

17. How Do You Achieve Your Future Goals? –
START EARLY …
• Perform to the best of your ability in all your classes
• Pursue organizational leadership on campus
• Gain career-related experience
Achieve
• Have a strong sense of what you want to do OR at least
a strong sense of what you don’t!
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
17 www.career.vt.edu

18. Post Graduation Plans and Preparing for
Courageous Leadership …
• Achieving your post-graduation goals can be easy:
• Early and frequent contact with Career Services
• Familiarize yourself with our services and resources
to help you reach your goals
Achieve
• Learn the tools for pursuing employment and/or
graduate school
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
18 www.career.vt.edu

19. Employment Tools …
• Hokies4Hire Database
• On-Campus Interviews Where the jobs are!
• Mock Interviews including InterviewStream
• CareerShift
Achieve
• Going Global
• Career Fair Information
• Hokie Nation Network
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
19 www.career.vt.edu

20. Top Employers of Virginia Tech
Graduates: VT = Tied #3
• United States Air Force • IBM
• United States Navy • CGI
• United States Army • Freddie Mac
Achieve
• Northrop Grumman • Lockheed Martin
• Accenture • Tied - Deloitte,
PricewaterhouseCoopers,
and Teach for America
Source: Virginia Tech Post-Graduation Report, 2009-10
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
20 www.career.vt.edu

21. Embrace UT PROSIM as a Way
of Life …
• Peace Corps
• Teach for America
• AmeriCorps
Achieve
• Missionary Work
• Campus Crusades for Christ
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
21 www.career.vt.edu

22. Graduate School Prep Tools …
• Graduate admissions test prep seminars and GRE Test
Drives
• Graduate program directories such as Petersons
Guides with program profiles
• Personal statement examples and critiques
Achieve
• Extensive online resources
• Departmental Career Advisors
• Office of Health Professions Advising (OHPA)
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
22 www.career.vt.edu

23. CAREER SERVICES
Smith Career Center
Corner of Washington Street & West Campus Drive
23

24. Things you want to do …
Hokies4Hire
First Friday of Classes 10 AM – 3 PM
“Where the jobs are!”
“Like” Career Services
on Facebook
Explore. Experience. Achieve.
24 www.career.vt.edu