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Advising

for Virginia Tech students by Career and Professional Development

Advising appointments

Our staff in Career and Professional Development are here to help you with career-related questions and topics. We look forward to speaking with you. Advising appointments can be held in person, by Zoom, or by phone.

30- or 60-minute appointments

Offered year round.
For a wide array of career-related topics.
For both undergraduate and graduate students.
Advisor is a member of our staff.

15-minute mini-appointments

Offered fall and spring semesters.
For resume reviews, class assignments.
For undergraduate students.
Advisor is usually a peer career advisor.

More details

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  • Career and Professional Development (CPD) provides career-related advising appointments to Virginia Tech undergraduate and graduate students.
  • CPD advising is open to alumni within two years after graduation.
  • Alumni who are two years past graduation should see Alunmi Relations career resources.
  • If you are unable to schedule an appointment through Handshake, or don't see the appointment option you need, please call us; our reception staff are happy to assist you, and sometimes a direct conversation is helpful to both you and us.
  • Advising is offered in person and by Zoom. Appointments can occur by phone if Zoom is not an option for you at the appointment time.
  • In-person appointments are held in the Smith Career Center. However, if you have any cold symptoms or are not feeling well, call us and change your appointment to virtual, or reschedule.
  • The Virginia Tech public health information page provides updates and resources to address public health needs of the university community.
  • Students and our staff who wish to wear a protective health mask are welcome to do so.
  • 30 minutes for most appointments.
  • 15 minutes for mini-appointments for undergraduates only; for resume reviews and quick questions. (If you need more time, you can instead schedule a 30-minute advising appointment.)
  • 60 minutes for career-exploration follow-up (after initial 30-minute appointment).
  • For graduate students, we also offer 60-minute appointments.
  • Practice interviews are 30 minutes for undergraduate and master's level students, and 60 minutes for Ph.D. students.
  • You'll see the options when you schedule an appointment in Handshake.
  • Fifteen minutes goes by quickly! And your advisor has to be on time to speak to the next student after you.
  • Mini-appointments are for quick resume reviews, quick cover letter reviews, and other very brief advising.
  • There is not ample time to explain how to write a resume, so see our resume guide and reference list instructions in advance.
  • Ditto for a cover letter, so see cover letter guidelines before you seek a review.
  • Have your document ready to view when your appointment starts.
  • Of course you are welcome to make another appointment for another review after you make edits.
  • Some common questions that students ask are answered in our Career Q&A Today quick videos by our CPD advisors, and might help answer your questions, or be a good start before an appointment.
  • Business hours: usually M-F, 8am-5pm. See office hours for changes and closings.
  • Mini-appointments occasionally available 5-7pm once per week.
  • If you have a pressing question, or office hours don't work for you, please call us; our reception staff will work to assist you.
  • For better service to our students, there is no drop-in advising offered by CPD at Smith Career Center. When offered in the past, It did not guarantee advising, and caused unsafe overcrowding. Mini-appointments are a better service model.
  • If you need to cancel your appointment, you must either call us 540-231-6241 or cancel online using Handshake.
  • Please don't schedule casually and cancel at the last minute. An appointment is time given to and held for you, and therefore is not available to another student who needs assistance. Thank you for respecting other individuals and your commitment.
  • No-showing for an appointment leads to confusion; your advisor is likely to wonder if you are safe if you do not attend your appointment; and this applies to virtual appointments. Your advisor has prepared and is ready and waiting to speak with you. If you realize you cannot attend an appointment, contact us to cancel, as explained above.
  • No-showing is effectively stealing an appointment timeslot from another student who needed help.
  • It's important for you to know that employers view students who no-show for appointments and interviews as unprofessional and as having stolen the interview timeslot from someone else. We sincerely do not want you to make mistakes of that kind. We want you to put your best self forward as you apply for jobs, internships, and graduate school. Employers and admissions staff expect professional, responsible conduct; if we did not tell you that, we would be remiss in our commitment to give you honest advice. If someone tells you it's okay to no-show, that person is not giving you good advice. You know this if you have had someone no-show on you. Practice being well-organized and plan for delays so you establish habits to be a reliable person who keeps your commitments!
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CPD advising can cover these career topics and more:

If you are uncertain if we can assist you with your topic of concern, please call us. Our staff will help determine if you should talk with us or consult another office on campus.

  • Scheduling in Handshake will show your options. You will meet with an advisor based on the type of appointment you choose.
  • You might meet with an advisor who serves as a liaison to your college. However, this person is a contact for faculty and staff, and is NOT the only advisor for students in your college. Our advising staff have many years of advising experience. One advisor would not have schedule capacity to meet with all students in a college.
  • You might meet with an advisor who specializes in a topic or program; again, based on the type of appointment you choose.
  • In 15-minute mini-appointments for undergrads (for resume reviews, class assignments, and brief conversations), you usually speak with a peer career advisor.
  • If you would like to talk with an advisor who is a liaison to a Virginia Tech population-service office, please call us to schedule by phone.
  • If, for any reason, you would like to talk with a specific advisor, whose name you know, and you can't see how to do that on Handshake, just call us to schedule by phone. For example, if you met an advisor who held a workshop, and can't find a way to schedule an appointment with that advisor on Handshake, give us a call to explain this, and provide the name of the advisor.

If you are considering a profession that requires graduate or professional school, we are happy to advise you, and we encourge you to read:

Virginia Tech provides additional pre-professional advising:

In addition to seeking CPD advising, also be aware:

Career Q&A Today are quick videos by our CPD advisors that might answer a question you have.

CPD is not authorized to advise on academic course requirements. Please take advantage of university resources provided for your academic advising needs:

If you prefer or need to call us to schedule your appointment: