Jobs at Virginia Tech
Alumni Association Tuesday Evening Career Chat
Hal Irvin
Virginia Tech Human Resources
October 18, 2011
Presentation Outline
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Overview of employee population/trends
Information and support
Range of available jobs
Roles in hiring process
About Virginia Tech – Employee Numbers
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Teaching Faculty
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1,655
Research Faculty
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643
Administrative/Professional
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1,087
Staff
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3,511
TOTALS
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6,896
Selective Growth During Downturn
• Seven budget reductions over last three years
• Very few layoffs despite cuts
• Strategy to offer retirement option to some – ~ 200
retired in summer of 2010 – and not fill behind in most
cases
• As a result, employee numbers declined slightly except
for one area
• Area of growth at Virginia Tech continues to be in
research – research population increased by over 40%
in last ten years
Why Work at Virginia Tech?
• Exciting place to work because of our broad
teaching, research, and public service
mission
• Talented employees from all walks of life and
all educational backgrounds
• Excellent benefits
• Educational opportunities
• Professional development opportunities
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Where Do You Find Our Jobs?
• www.jobs.vt.edu
• We are on social media – on Twitter and Facebook –
you can sign up for an RSS feed
• We even have job listings available for your mobile
phone – www.m.jobs.vt.edu
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What Support Do We Provide?
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• Lots and lots of information available on our jobs web
site, including resume tips.
• For those who want additional information about the
application process, we have Applicant Seminars on
the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month in Human
Resources. Call 540-231-9331 for more information
and to sign up.
• For those who don’t have a computer, we provide
assistance in our office to help applicants complete
the paperwork.
• Veterans wanting assistance can contact Christy
Lowe at 540-231-7762 or cslowe@vt.edu.
Do We Actively Recruit?
• For certain senior level jobs, we recruit
extensively – make contact with prospective
applicants to insure a high level pool
• We market our jobs through a variety of
sources to attract a diverse and talented
applicant pool
• We attend job fairs in the immediate area,
around the state of Virginia, and in adjoining
states
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What’s Open Now?
• 228 jobs are posted currently
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17 wage jobs
40 staff jobs
42 administrative/professional jobs
67 teaching faculty jobs
62 research jobs including our Transportation
Institute, Bioinformatics Institute, and Virginia Tech
Carilion Research Institute
Amazing Variety of Positions
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Facilities and food service jobs
Nurses and network engineers
Accountants and administrative assistants
Faculty in computer science and chemical
engineering
• Professors in philosophy and public relations
• Researchers in plant pathology and poultry
science
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Who Makes Hiring Decisions?
• Not me!
• Decision making is decentralized at a large
research university
• Hiring decisions are made locally
• Either a small hiring panel or small search
committee
• More people and time involved for faculty or
higher level positions
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Keys to Success
• Focus on required and preferred
qualifications outlined in job posting
• Customize your application submission to the
job posting
• Insure the materials you submit address those
qualifications
• Highlight qualifications in your cover letter and
“tweak” your resume
• Find out all you can about the job
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HR’s Role
• Manage the beginning and ending of the
hiring process
• Insure fairness and equitable hiring and
compensation practices
• Insure a welcoming onboarding process and
maintain a positive work climate so we keep
our talented employees
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Your Role
• Do your homework
• Stay positive
• Think creatively about your skills and be open
to opportunities
• If you are getting started in your career,
remember how critically important it is to be
open to learning
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Questions
Thank you!
• Hal Irvin, hirvin@vt.edu
• Associate Vice President, Human Resources
• VT Human Resources web site: www.hr.vt.edu
• Monthly HR column:
http://www.hr.vt.edu/halscorner/index.html
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