Faculty/staff referrals to advising

Walk-in advising for all students

Walk-in advising at GLC: Graduate Life Center

Appointments

Things we can & can't help you with!

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Faculty and staff who wish to refer students to Career Services:

Please see referring classes or groups to Career Services. Our desire is to assist your students. However, sometimes, without notice to us, groups of students are given an assignment to visit Career Services. In some of those cases, we may not be able to accomodate the students; this is due to a variety of factors, which can include existing high demand for our services based on upcoming events such as career fairs, students waiting until deadlines to seek services, and a large volume of students seeking services in a short timeframe. By calling us well in advance, we can work together to best meet the needs of our students with our existing resources, and to make sure students are appropriately prepared. Again, please see referring classes or groups to Career Services.

M-F walk-in advising at Career Services:

When:
Fall semester (plus the week prior), spring semester, and summer: Noon - 3:00 p.m.
During semester breaks after commencement, and during spring break: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
(Check office hours for occasional closings BEFORE you come in!.)

Where: In-person, in our Career Resource Center, or by phone (we may need to return your call).

What if I can't visit in person? Can I call? You may call in for questions; we may need to return your call if advisors are with students when you call. However, for resume and other document reviews by phone, it is necessary to schedule an appointment.

Wait time: First-come, first-served basis. You will find a waiting list before deadlines and job fairs; avoid last-minute visits. Length of your wait depends on student traffic.

Time with advisor: Length of time with advisor is at advisor discretion considering your topic, needs, and whether other students are waiting; 1 to 15 minutes is general range.

More help: We might recommend an appointment for more help.

Different or guaranteed time preferred?
If you prefer a different or guaranteed time, feel free to schedule an appointment.

Purpose and student preparation in advance:

• Questions with brief answers, and guidance on using our computer and print resources.
• Before asking for a review of your resume (or cover letter or reference list, or other document), you should thoroughly read and use the preparation materials we have developed for you, either online or in hard copy. We are happy to provide resume, cover letter, and reference list reviews after you read:
  • Resume guidelines
  • Job search / cover letter writing guidelines
  • Reference list instructions, or
  • The Career Planning Guide ( free to all students to read; pick up at our office during office hours).
• Walk-in advising can help you fine-tune your resume or cover letters, and address questions about your individual situation; we are not able to give you a one-on-one tutorial on resume basics or letter writing; our print and online resources are designed for you for that purpose before you visit.
• See things we can (and can't!) help students with.

Students assigned by professors and instructors to come to walk-in advising: You are also expected to have used the preparation materials available to all students prior to drafting your resume and any other documents, and prior to speaking to an advisor.

Review of documents in hard copy or on laptop: This is at the discretion of the individual advisor. If you don’t bring a hard copy with you, we advise you to e-mail a copy to yourself that you can access and print via our computer lab. Even if an advisor is willing to view your resume on your laptop monitor, the advisor is not available to sit with you while you make extensive edits to your document.

Wed. walk-in advising for graduate students at the GLC

Additional walk-in advising is available to graduate students from 1:30-5:00 pm every Wednesday in the GLC Study Room (Room 46) to assist with career preparation questions, resume review and more.

Graduate students are also welcome to use M-F walk-in advising at Career Services. We just provide this at the GLC one day per week for additional convenience to you.

Advising appointments, in person or by phone:

When:
Academic year and summer (see office hours for dates we are closed).
Made in advance; no same-day appointments scheduled.
8:30 a.m. - noon and 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Specific times based on advisor availability.
Typically 30 minutes long.
Mock interviews are scheduled for 60 minutes, and are not scheduled by phone or in person. See Mock interviews for complete details.

To schedule:
Call 231-6241 or stop by our location during office hours.
We are unable to schedule appointments via e-mail.

Where:
In-person at our location, or by phone for those not in the Blacksburg vicinity.

Topics:
See things we can (and can't!) help you with so you'll know what to do before your appointment, and so you'll know the correct source to find help.

Need to cancel?
Made an appointment and can't make it? Please give us (and other students) the courtesy of a phone call to our office so we can offer that time to other students and do other work.
(No-showing is viewed by employers as one of the worst behaviors. We know you wouldn't want someone to no-show on you either.)

Things we can (and can't!) help you with

(We know that's a grammatically incorrect dangling preposition!)

Undecided / unsure about major; exploring career options for majors:

• Before your appointment, see exploring careers and majors. In your appointment we can work with you to determine what will best help.

Want to take our class for exploring careers?

• Great! See exploring careers class.

We can't advise you on academic course requirements!

• For help there, contact your academic advisor or the department offering the major for course advising.
• If you are between majors and are confused about courses to take, you are welcome to seek advising through the University Academic Advising Center.

Looking for an internship or co-op position or other kinds of experience during college:

• Excellent! Read all about co-op and internships and ways to get experience. (Most VT grads got experience before graduation, but many wish they had gotten more!) In an appointment, we can help steer you to best sources to meet your goals, and help you make sure your goals are on track.

To enroll in Career Services' Undergraduate Co-op / Internship Program:

• Read program requirements & eligibility before meeting with an advisor.

Looking for a job as you complete your undergraduate or graduate degree:

• See the job search topics to get you started on basics so your appointment time can be spent most effectively. In an appointment we can help you fine-tune your documents and job search strategies.
• See help for graduate students — academic job search, industry job search, events, more.

For On-Campus Interviewing (OCI) and Hokies4Hire:

• See about OCI & H4H to learn how to use these services and get answers to frequently asked questions and sources of help. You do not need an individual appointment to get started with OCI.

Considering applying to graduate or professional school:

• See planning for graduate and professional school; this will help you get started before your appointment. In an appointment we can help you fine-tune your documents and plans.