When considering a graduate program, many students want to know more about the career resources and professional communities at their prospective institution. Although finding and accepting your first job after graduation can seem intimidating, the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce offers numerous resources for students to help them navigate their post-graduation plans.
McIntire has its own Commerce Career Services (CCS), which offers one-on-one counseling related to resumes, mock interviews, employer networking, alumni mentoring, and general career advice. Through CCS, students can schedule behavioral or case mock interviews to help them prepare for any interviews on or off Grounds. McIntire also hosts several informal networking events that allow students to chat with firms and recruiters from different companies and industries in a casual setting.
The career search process begins before you even get to Charlottesville. CCS will typically reach out in the summer to incoming students and encourage us to create a Handshake profile. Handshake is the platform that allows students to explore job opportunities and submit resumes. Students can also use Handshake to connect with their peers and schedule on-Grounds interviews. Once you get to McIntire in the fall, you can find CCS sponsored events almost every night. This might seem overwhelming at first, but if you appropriately manage your time, it can be a smooth and rewarding experience. As many of your classmates are also going through a similar process, a good strategy is to tag team so the conversations flow smoothly and you feel less anxious about connecting with recruiters.
Ruby Yan, M.S. in Accounting 2019, said “McIntire’s Commerce Career Services helped me overcome recruiting challenges and land my dream job in the city I wanted. Career counselors were there for me throughout the entire recruiting process, reviewing my resume, offering mock interviews, and negotiating salary offers.”
Other key resources available to M.S. in Accounting students are our classmates and professors. Many of our peers come into the Program with job offers and internship experiences. They have first-hand experience about their companies and service lines and can help their peers by answering questions about their company. Professors also act as great advisers if you are unsure of what field you want to pursue or are seeking general career advice. They have a lot of industry experience and are always willing to help.
Regardless of where you are in the career search process, it is highly recommended that you take advantage of the numerous networking events and resources CCS offers. Although I came into McIntire with job offers, I wasn’t sure if they aligned with my interests so I decided to participate in the recruiting activities. Attending networking events and chatting with alumni from various organizations helped me tremendously. During the process, I was also able to connect with several alumni now working in various fields and this, ultimately, helped me make my decision. McIntire alumni are eager to connect with current students and are extremely approachable both on Grounds and over email.
Finally, I would encourage everyone to take advantage of the wide range of resources that McIntire has to offer to help you achieve success in your job search.
