Hal IrvinVirginia Tech Human Resources

October 18, 2011

Jobs at Virginia TechJobs at Virginia TechAlumni Association Tuesday Evening Career Chat

Presentation OutlinePresentation Outline

• Overview of employee population/trends• Information and support• Range of available jobs• Roles in hiring process

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About Virginia Tech – Employee NumbersAbout Virginia Tech – Employee Numbers

Teaching Faculty - 1,655

Research Faculty - 643

Administrative/Professional - 1,087

Staff - 3,511

TOTALS - 6,896

Selective Growth During DownturnSelective Growth During Downturn• Seven budget reductions over last three years• Very few layoffs despite cuts• Strategy to offer retirement option to some – ~ 200 retired

in summer of 2010 – and not fill behind in most cases• As a result, employee numbers declined slightly except for

one area• Area of growth at Virginia Tech continues to be in

research – research population increased by over 40% in last ten years

Why Work at Virginia Tech?Why Work at Virginia Tech?

• Exciting place to work because of our broad teaching, research, and public service mission

• Talented employees from all walks of life and all educational backgrounds

• Excellent benefits• Educational opportunities• Professional development opportunities

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Where Do You Find Our Jobs?Where Do You Find Our Jobs?

• www.jobs.vt.edu• We are on social media – on Twitter and Facebook –

you can sign up for an RSS feed• We even have job listings available for your mobile

phone – www.m.jobs.vt.edu

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What Support Do We Provide?What Support Do We Provide?• Lots and lots of information available on our jobs web site,

including resume tips.• For those who want additional information about the

application process, we have Applicant Seminars on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month in Human Resources. Call 540-231-9331 for more information and to sign up.

• For those who don’t have a computer, we provide assistance in our office to help applicants complete the paperwork.

• Veterans wanting assistance can contact Christy Lowe at 540-231-7762 or cslowe@vt.edu.

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Do We Actively Recruit?Do We Actively Recruit?

• For certain senior level jobs, we recruit extensively – make contact with prospective applicants to insure a high level pool

• We market our jobs through a variety of sources to attract a diverse and talented applicant pool

• We attend job fairs in the immediate area, around the state of Virginia, and in adjoining states

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What’s Open Now?What’s Open Now?

• 228 jobs are posted currently• 17 wage jobs• 40 staff jobs• 42 administrative/professional jobs• 67 teaching faculty jobs• 62 research jobs including our Transportation

Institute, Bioinformatics Institute, and Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

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Amazing Variety of PositionsAmazing Variety of Positions

• Facilities and food service jobs• Nurses and network engineers• Accountants and administrative assistants• Faculty in computer science and chemical

engineering• Professors in philosophy and public relations• Researchers in plant pathology and poultry

science

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Who Makes Hiring Decisions?Who Makes Hiring Decisions?• Not me!• Decision making is decentralized at a large

research university• Hiring decisions are made locally• Either a small hiring panel or small search

committee• More people and time involved for faculty or

higher level positions

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Keys to SuccessKeys to Success• Focus on required and preferred qualifications

outlined in job posting• Customize your application submission to the job

posting• Insure the materials you submit address those

qualifications • Highlight qualifications in your cover letter and “tweak”

your resume

• Find out all you can about the job

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HR’s RoleHR’s Role

• Manage the beginning and ending of the hiring process

• Insure fairness and equitable hiring and compensation practices

• Insure a welcoming onboarding process and maintain a positive work climate so we keep our talented employees

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Your RoleYour Role

• Do your homework• Stay positive• Think creatively about your skills and be open

to opportunities• If you are getting started in your career,

remember how critically important it is to be open to learning

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QuestionsQuestions

Thank you!Thank you!• Hal Irvin, hirvin@vt.edu

• Associate Vice President, Human Resources

• VT Human Resources web site: www.hr.vt.edu• Monthly HR column:

http://www.hr.vt.edu/halscorner/index.html

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