DCA Connection
Spring 2010
EXPLORE. EXPERIENCE. ACHIEVE.
Director’s Corner
Departmental Career Advisors,
The top qualification that companies seek of college graduates is evidence that they have had experience related to their
career field. With today’s economy, finding opportunities to gain such experience could be easier than in past years.
According a survey taken by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (2010), many companies and
government agencies are expecting to hire more college students for short terms positions (summer jobs, internships,
and coops) because the justification for and process of hiring these employees is easier than hiring full time employees
with benefits. As we all know, layoffs and hiring slow-downs result in fewer staff to accomplish organizational goals.
Hiring short term staff is a win-win situation for the organization to meet the workload demands and for our students to
gain excellent experience as well as earn money. Another bonus -- recruiters have recently mentioned to me that it is
also easier to extend offers to students who are about to graduate if they have previously worked for them, than to gain
approval to hire those who have not. Career Services’ 2008-09 Post Graduation Report supports this, indicating that
29% graduates who were employed stated that they took positions with previous employers, compared to 23% who
graduated in 2007-08.
As we work together to encourage Virginia Tech students to pursue career-related experience, please keep in mind that
Career Services has many resources to help connect students with jobs:
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Hokies4Hire (an online, centralized job listing database where students can also post their resumes for
employers to review and check for companies coming for on-campus interviews);
Internet job listings on our website;
Listings of companies, non-profit organizations and government agencies listed by geographic and industry
preferences can be found through CareerSearch and Going Global; and
Resume, job search and interviewing assistance through career advisors, our Career Planning Guide (free), and
the Career Services website.
Let us know how we can best assist you as you provide advice to students in your departments.
Best regards,
Donna Cassell Ratcliffe
Director, Career Services
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DCA Award for Excellence in Career Advising
Calling for nominations for the Award for Excellence in Career Advising!! The deadline for nominations is April 19, 2010.
For more information and nomination forms, click here.
Betsy McCoy to Retire
Please join our staff in saying “Thank you! A job well done!” to our incredible colleague who exemplifies significant
change and success of Career Service. She has given so much of herself to build relationships and serve organizations
to meet their hiring goals. Betsy’s last day at Virginia Tech is Friday, April 30; but her last day on-the-job is Wednesday,
March 31!
If you would like to send a letter, photos, card, and/or contribution towards a special retirement gift, please
send these to Ms. Lisa Boothe, Career Services, (0128), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
CAREER EXPLORATION
UNIV 2004
Are you working with students confused about their career choices? Please encourage them to consider our
class: UNIV 2004: “Exploring Careers: Making Decisions and Plans”
For second semester freshmen, sophomores and juniors, Career Services offers a P/F, 3-credit course designed to help
students learn how to make effective career-related decisions. A small class size and our emphasis on active learning
strategies, makes this an effective learning environment for many students. After successful completion of this course
students will be able to:
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Assess and identify personal attributes such as interests, skills, values, and personality type while developing an
understanding of how these attributes relate to career choices.
Research and explore career options, and use an effective decision-making process.
Demonstrate effective job search skills and an awareness of professionalism in the workplace.
Develop short- and long-term career goals.
FALL 2010 CLASS TIMES
CRN#
DAY
TIME
95784
95783
Mon. & Wed.
Tue. & Thu.
2:30-3:45
11:00 – 12:15
JOB SEARCH TOOLS
Hokies4Hire (H4H)
H4H is Virginia Tech’s own online job database. By being active on H4H, students are able to:
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Access employer information through the Employer Directory.
Apply for On-Campus Interviews.
Obtain information about employer information sessions.
Apply for jobs (co-op, internship, and full-time) through job listings.
Learn about Career Services events.
Upload their resume (Employers are able to search the H4H resume database).
If you would like to know how many students in your college/department are taking advantage of this service, please
contact Mary Ann Cole, mcole@vt.edu.
Also as a DCA, you can browse through H4H to become familiar with the system and to be “in the know” about job
opportunities and employer recruitment activities/events here on campus. Contact Career Services at 231-6241 for
assistance.
Call to Serve & Federal Job Search Series
“Many college students say that they are looking for opportunities to make a
difference and view federal service as a way to accomplish that goal.
Unfortunately, their knowledge of federal job opportunities is low. The Call to
Serve initiative is designed to bridge the knowledge gap for students and their
advisors. Call to Serve is a joint effort of the Partnership for Public Service
and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to educate a new
generation about the importance of a strong civil service, help re-establish
links between federal agencies and campuses, and provide students with
information about federal jobs. The Call to Serve network consists of more
than 680 schools and more than 75 federal agencies.” (Cited from Partnership
for Public Service Website:
http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/programs/calltoserve/)
I am pleased to share that on February 12th, 2010 Career Services and President Steger signed a “Statement of
Purpose” which commits Virginia Tech to educating our students about opportunities in the federal government. What
exactly does this translate to? It will allow for Career Services to receive support and training from the Partnership for
Public Service in order to create events, identify speakers, gather materials and provide other assistance throughout
one’s federal internship/job search.
Please alert your students that Career Services will be offering a Federal Job Search workshop series, which will take
place over five weeks starting Wednesday, March 24th. Topics to be discussed will include: Networking, Understanding
Job Announcements, Navigating usajobs.gov, Federal Resume Writing and KSA Writing. Students must register to
attend and can do so via Hokies4Hire. For more information please look at the calendar of events on the Career
Services website.
If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me:
~Kristin Eicholtz, Career Advisor (kristin3@vt.edu)
Interview Stream: The Umm…Like…You Know, New Approach to Interview
Practice
As our Mock Interview Program increases in popularity, finding available time slots is becoming increasingly harder for
our students. I’m excited to say that after careful evaluation and review of various on-line interview programs, we have
purchased and are using a program called Interview Stream.
What is Interview Stream:
Interview Stream is a web based mock interview program to assist individuals in preparation for upcoming internship,
job, or graduate school interviews. It is a simple, fun, and effective way to go about refining and mastering ones
interviewing skills.
How can this help us better help you?
-Students will not have to worry about a lack of time slots to select from or that fit their schedules. Students can do a
mock interview wherever/whenever they want, instantly review their responses, and there is even a tool for them to
self-assess themselves.
-Students are provided a link after their interview which they can email to you DIRECTLY. You can review their answers
AND you can review their self-assessment and make your own comments!
-Of course if students have questions or are struggling with interviews we are MORE than happy to work with him/her!
All they would have to do is call our office to schedule an appointment and state that they would like to review their
Interview Stream interview with an advisor.
Our hope is to be able to help as many students as we can, by providing timely, new, and easy to use technology that
allows for educational growth! As you plan your semesters and are thinking about Mock Interviews….think Interview
Stream! And do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns!
~Kristin Eicholtz, Career Advisor (kristin3@vt.edu)
For more information on Interview Stream including access click here.
LinkedIn
Job Search Tip #1- Networking!!!
Is it true that it is not what you know but who you know? Well not exactly. In today’s economy, you have to be
technically strong and know the subject matter for the job you want, but it also doesn’t hurt to know someone that can
help you. This is done through networking. College students are experts at social networking through sites such as
Facebook and they connect with people all over the country through Twitter and other sites. But are they able to use
these networking skills in their job search? Yes, they can if they know how.
One social networking site that all college students should be on is Linkedin. Linkedin is one of the fastest growing social
networking sites and it is geared to professionals. It is a great place to get connected with people that may be able to
help you in your job search. Many corporate recruiters use Linkedin as a primary source to find talent and new hires.
The main reason is your Linkedin profile looks much like your resume, so anyone looking at your profile could be looking
for someone with your skills and educational background.
Once you are on LinkedIn, your network grows and grows and you have a great source of information as well as contacts
in industries and locations that can be extremely valuable in your job search. I have found much success on LinkedIn,
both as a recruiter and a job seeker. If you would like for me to provide a short demonstration on the many benefits of
LinkedIn and how students can use this tool to aid them in their job search, please let me know and I would be happy to
do so.
~Jim Henderson, Associate Director Employer Relations (jim2@vt.edu)
Post Graduation Report
View the 2008-2009 report for each college by clicking on the college name.
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Agriculture and Life Sciences
Architecture and Urban Studies
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Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
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Virginia Tech Career Services, Smith Career Center, Corner of Washington Street & West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061