How can your business school’s career services boost your employability?

One major career advantage of attending a prestigious business school like Penn State Smeal is the large professional network it offers access to. The Penn State community is comprised of more than 740,000 graduates across the world, including 88,000 Smeal College of Business alumni.  

“Smeal students benefit so much from our alumni network,” said Reitz. “Alumni play an active role in recruiting, networking, and programming. “ 

Business schools frequently host networking events for current students and alumni, and some actively encourage students to get in touch with alumni mentors throughout their degree. 

“We collaborate daily with our Development and Alumni Relations and Employer Relations offices to bring students career and internship opportunities, create student-driven programming and facilitate individual networking connections,” said Reitz.  

The school’s MBA Alumni Advisory Board assigns alumni mentors to incoming MBA students. These alumni help guide and support students in their careers throughout their time at Smeal and beyond.  

Students also have the option to take resume and interviewing advice from alumni accelerators: a diverse group of professionals that are able to offer first-hand information about various roles and industries. 

Your business school will also have access to a network of companies, non-profits and governmental agencies, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable contacts. 

Reitz said: “Networking is integral to the business world, so we believe it’s very important for students to know how to effectively network.   

“Similar to the job and internship search, Smeal’s approach to helping students improve networking skills takes a multi-faceted approach.” 

The Penn State Smeal MBA programme partners with organisations in a variety of industries and the school is continually expanding its corporate network. Over the past five years, hundreds of firms have hired Smeal students for internships and full-time job placements, including Amazon, Apple, Deloitte, General Motors Company, Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Samsung.  

Throughout the year Smeal hosts networking events such as the Smeal Megafair Networking Expo and Impact Smeal Day, that bring in recruiters and alumni to offer industry insight and network with current students.  

Smeal’s career centre also offers one-on-one sessions to help with targeted networking. These sessions make the most of LinkedIn and the Employer Relations and Alumni Relations offices while coaching students through professional networking skills.   

Employability focused workshops sharpen the specific skillset needed to be successful in the job application process. The sessions are often led by industry professionals who can become valuable contacts.  

Reitz said: “Our students come to us with amazing experiences and academics, but they are often here because they are looking to make a career pivot or hone specific skills.  

“Workshops assist in their skill development and give insider insight from our corporate partners in how to present themselves and what they bring to the table.”   

Smeal offers an extensive variety of employability workshops, including: 

• Emotional intelligence workshops 

• Industry-specific discussions 

• Leadership development  

• Interviewing skills 

• Offer negotiation  

• Job search strategies 

Leadership development immersion experiences are also regularly held and are designed to push students out of their comfort zone. Here, students will incorporate strategies in actual situations that encourage teamwork, feedback and interaction across cohorts and other graduate business programmes. 

Reitz said: “Students leave these experiences with tremendous insight about themselves in terms of their own leadership styles and how they work both individually and within a team.   

“The level of interpersonal awareness fostered through these opportunities sets our students apart as strong leaders and colleagues.” 

MBA applicants often have a significant amount of prior work experience. At Penn State Smeal, students have an average of 5.6 years of experience before starting the program.  

Internships and work experience are actively encouraged. Smeal helps students earn prestigious internships by hosting information sessions and recruiting events which provide an informal environment to network and learn more about specific roles.  

Additionally, one-on-one meetings can be arranged to support students looking for internship opportunities.  

Reitz said: “We review application documents to make sure they are presenting the student favourably and connect directly to the targeted opportunities.  

“We conduct mock interviews and provide feedback so students are confident going into conversations with employers, and we facilitate relevant connections or provide additional resources where students can gather information or find relevant openings.” 

For the full-time MBAs at Smeal, summers are free of coursework to allow students to focus on any internships without having to balance coursework and assignments.  

Reitz said: “I think these factors, combined with the dedication of our team, outstanding academic instruction, and talented and motivated students is what comes together to make graduates highly desirable to employers.”