How VT grads found their jobs, and who hired them
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How VT grads got jobs | By college | By major | Who hired them
How VT graduates got their jobs
Source: Post-Graduation
Report
Based on the Post-Graduation Survey of new graduates completing undergraduate degrees in that academic year.
Survey respondents who indicate employment (not continuing education) are asked:
Which best describes the source of your first contact with the employer (organization, company, agency) whose job you accepted?
Top methods, by each college, and university | last seven years:
How EMPLOYED VT grads found jobs, BY COLLEGE, eight years (pdf)
By looking at multiple years and comparing colleges you see trends and variance with the economy and by career fields.
Networking has been the top or second-to-top method for almost every college for almost every graduating cohort.
Top methods, by university | last three years:
1. Worked for employer before 23-29%
Variance by college: 17-35%
Worked for this employer (person or organization) in the past (through volunteer work, a part-time job, summer job, internship, co-op, undergraduate research project or other type of work relationship).Note that employers who hire students during college for internships, etc., call this "conversion" when those interns convert to post-grad employees. Employers like to do this; investing in training an intern pays off when the former intern becomes a post-grad employee. According to a survey by NACE [National Association of Colleges and Employers] of their member employers, respondents (N=280) said they converted 58.6% of their class of 2011 interns into full-time hires. NACE: more details.
2. Networking 22-26%
Variance by college: 15-45%
Networking includes contacts through: family, friends, faculty/staff, alumni, fellow members of clubs/organizations, current/former employers.3. Career fair 14-21%
Variance by college: 3-34%
Varies by college and year, and the economy and the type of employer. A stronger economy means more employers visiting campus. But even in a strong economy, many employers do not recruit by this means. And in a weak economy, some employers still do recruit by this means.
4. On-Campus Intv/Hokies4Hire 9-11%
Variance by college: 0-22%
Employers who specifically want to recruit VT students and graduates may do so using Hokies4Hire and visiting campus to conduct interviews. This varies with the economy and type of employer, but even in a weak economy, employers are actively recruiting VT students and grads.
5. Employer's website 7-9%
Variance by college: 2-16%Job seeker found job directly on the employer's web site.
6. Online job board | website 6-7%
Variance by college: 0-15%Job seeker found job advertised online.
By major:
• View Post-Graduation Report
• At heading, select "choose view: major / college/ whole univ."
• After you select major or college to view, report refreshes to that view.
(If it does not, check your other browser windows).
• Read down to "EMPLOYMENT" and "JOB / EMPLOYER SOURCE."
You'll see exactly how many grads of your major responded to each item on the survey. Not all respondents choose to answer every question, so note both N and percent.
Who hired VT graduates?
Post-Graduation Report
Based on the post-undergrad-degree survey of new graduates.
Survey respondents who indicate employment (vs continuing education) are asked to indicate their employers, job titles, location, and more.
Multi-year university data:
Each year employed grads have reported 800 to 1,000 employing organizations.
Eight years: Most-reported [a.k.a. "top"] employers reported by employed grads. [pdf]
Annual report data, by undergrad major:
List of ALL employers, job titles & locations.
View options:
— Default is alpha by undergraduate major.
— At top choose view: major / college / whole univ.
— Select column heading to sort: ug major, employer, job title, location.
Related topics:
Guidelines for correspondence in your job search
Includes...
Do I have to send a cover letter with my resume?
Dear Whom? (What if I can't find a name?)
Hard copy or e-mail? When to use which.E-mail guidelines and business etiquette
Researching employers — why and how
FAQ:
Q: So how should I look for a job?
A: First, determine the type of job you're seeking. If you know you want to be a forest ranger in Colorado, you're going to look at the U.S.D.A. web site and follow instructions to apply, and you'll seek out current forest rangers for networking. And if you have that goal, you likely already have relevant experience and contacts.
Second, consider your geographic preferences. If you're going to an urban area and are open to a wide variety of employers, you can probably hunt online as well as network. If you're headed to a small town, you probably need to research the organizations there and do more networking.
Remember that if employers are specifically seeking Hokies, they are encouraged to use Hokies4Hire. And HokieNationNetwork is a professional networking resource for the VT community.
Use the information in the Post-Graduation Report to inform yourself about methods that have worked for grads in the past.
Bottom line. Know your industry/field. Research employers. Use a mix of methods to cover all the possibilities. Network professionally in person and online.
Remember that knowing how to find jobs is one step.
If you find jobs, you need job search skills to be successful in getting an interview and interviewing successfully.