Career Resources
MBA Program Office / Pamplin College Support
Personalized MBA Job Search Coaching – The associate MBA director draws on 16 years of Human Resource experience in industry to provide each student with a “view from the other side of the desk.” Advising includes: 
- Career option identification
- Career field research
- Networking / information interviewing
- Resume and approach letter review
- Developing a “prospecting call plan”
- Design of the “30-Second Commercial”
- Target company identification and research
- Company contact planning and management
- Interview strategy / damage control
- Offer comparison (decision factors)
- Response deadline negotiation
- Salary negotiation
Correlated Academic – Career Advising – The associate MBA director serves the dual role of academic and career advisor allowing for direct correlation between what frequently are disconnected functions.
MBA Career Planning and Marketing Institute (CP&MI)– (MGT 5404) Based on the proprietary Success-Related Observable Behaviors Model© (SROBs), students apply the self-marketing concepts of the model to all elements of job search: networking, resumes, approach letters, interviews, negotiations, etc. CP&MI is designed to initiate MBAs to actions they must execute during their first year in order to present themselves as top MBA candidates when recruiting begins in the fall of one’s second year.
MBA Job Search Strategy Institute (JSSI)– (MGT 5414) Students actualize their marketing plan (developed during MGT 5404), fine-tuning how to incorporate into resumes, approach letters, and especially interviews their unique “marketing features” that set them apart from all other MBAs. Through several exercises that require students to respond to behavioral and other forms of interview questioning, they gain not only experience, but also the ability to microscopically assess their responses to understand various ways other individuals might interpret what they say. JSSI also gives the student “immediate action” tools to respond to uncomfortable situations like receiving a low offer or an offer with a short decision time.
MBA Corporate Briefings / Fireside Chats - Briefings cover such topics as the origins and history of the company, primary products/services and key market niches, organizational structure, job descriptions of roles for which they recruit MBAs, criteria used for hiring MBAs, and how one is successful in the corporate environment - all things a great candidate should know about a company!
Additional Company Information Sessions – are listed for each semester on the Career Services web site. Some are only for students who have been selected for interviews by the organization, but most are open to any interested student. Excellent “intelligence gathering” opportunity for preparing to approach a company or for interviewing with the company.
MBA Company Field Visits – Organized by the MBA Association (MBAA), these visits to companies of interest to MBAs are focused either on industry or career field preference. An MBAA relationship manager is assigned to plan the trip with a company representative. Number of students participating is at the discretion of the hosting organization. These are usually day trips with transportation provided by the MBA Program Office, and there is a minimal cost to students.
Pamplin Alumni Champions Team (PACT) – A formal MBA mentoring program connecting students with MBA alumni for career field guidance. Alumni may provide information interviews, “shadowing” experiences, meetings with other key managers in his or her company, resume review, mock interviews, after-interview debriefings, and serve as a general sounding board for issues of interest or concern to the student. On rare occasions, alumni have been able to influence hires for internships or post-graduate jobs as opportunities arose, but this is not an expected outcome of PACT.
Direct Networking with Pamplin MBA Alumni – The MBA Program Office facilitates student - alumni networking with professionals from various career fields or organizations. Pamplin alumni (and Virginia Tech alumni in general) graciously provide varying degrees of career decision and/or job search assistance.
MBA Alumni Career Exploration Symposium (ACES) – This program is a small group forum (5-10 students) in a casual setting to allow for a comfortable exchange between the MBA alumnus presenter and students. The intent of ACES is to expose MBAs to "a day in the life of an X.” In addition to the actual duties and activities involved in a particular career role, emphasis is placed upon the “Success Related Observable Behaviors” one must demonstrate in order to be granted credibility by one’s managers, peers, subordinates and clients.
MBA Alumni Advisory Board – The Alumni Advisory Board (MBAAAB) meets quarterly to foster alumni networking and support for the Pamplin MBA Program. MBA students are welcome to participate as observers. In particular, the Placement Committee is dedicated to enhancing employment opportunities for students, not only by sharing expert advice, but more significantly through individual actions in support of functions like ACES, PACT, the Alumni Perspective during Orientation and other hands-on programs.
MBA-Specific Interviews in Pamplin – While most interviews occur at the beautifully appointed University Career Services Office facility designed to optimize the interview experience for both candidates and employers, the MBA Program Office hosts some companies who are seeking only Pamplin MBAs.
MBA Job / Internship Postings – all job and internship announcements received by the Pamplin MBA Office are posted to listserv accessible only by Pamplin MBAs. Announcements outline the role, selection criteria, and the process for applying, allowing Pamplin MBAs direct access to the recruiter.
MBA Career Services Council – a national organization of MBA career services professionals focused on sharing innovative placement solutions and developing / enforcing statistical reporting standards for MBA placement rankings data. Pamplin was a founding member of the MBACSC, and the associate director twice served on the standards committee. Of benefit to the Pamplin MBA are placement reciprocity agreements between MBA programs forged via member networking opportunities.
Business Horizons Career Fair - A Pamplin College of Business career fair attended by undergraduate and graduate students. Every year we have around 150 companies visiting our college at the Business Horizons Career Fair to share information about careers in their organizations and to identify potential candidates.
Other General and Career Field Career Fairs – Multiple career/job fairs are organized by the University’s Career Services Office or other colleges of the University. http://www.career.vt.edu/Fairs/JobFairs.htm
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for International Students – The MBA Program believes that internships directly related to one’s field of study are beneficial to all students. International students, who have certain work restrictions, may pursue internships under CPT by adding either an independent study or research hours to their plan of study. The MBA Office coordinates with the College’s academic departments to assure that all legal requirements for a CPT experience are met.
International MBA Job Fair at Orlando, Florida – The MBA Program Office facilitates registration with Career Conferences of America for an annual job fair catering to international students.
University Career Services Office Support
Virginia Tech Career Services – Facilitates on-campus interviewing through E-recruiting and lists of alternate resources for job-search/internship/career-fairs and resume building.
Campus Recruiter Database – a key feature of the E-recruiting system is access to the primary contact person from the companies that recruit on campus. These contacts may be an HR recruiter, a line manager charged by the company with “campus relationship manager” duties, or a recruiting coordinator.
VTCareerLink - A Virginia Tech database providing contact information for Virginia Tech alumni who have volunteered to share career information and guidance. This serves as a networking opportunity for our graduating MBA students. Search for alumni in the occupation, work setting, or location you seek. Contact alumni to ask for career information as well as for advice on internships, co-ops, and your job search.
CareerSearch – Accessible to Virginia Tech students through a special “Client Referral Code, user ID and password”, CareerSearch is a listing of organizations (not a job listing) to facilitate identifying target companies to contact. It is organized by industry, not by the types of jobs offered by the organization.
Hokies4Hire - Hokie4Hire (formerly eRecruiting) is our on-line system for you to:
publish your resume, apply for jobs, and participate in the on-campus interviewing program.
Other Job Listing / Career Information Sites – 30+ general web site links for job seekers as well as 20+ sites for internships, plus additional sites focusing on specific career fields. Also research web sites for industry and career field research and to find people and organizations.
The University Career Services Office also provides additional programming and resources of value to Pamplin MBAs. We encourage our MBA students to become thoroughly familiar with the Career Services web site and to visit the Career Services building at the corner of Washington Street and West Campus Drive to avail themselves of all benefits offered.