Smeal Alumni Career Services
As Penn State and Smeal graduates, your extended University community includes more than 550,000 Penn Staters located in every corner of the world, nearly 73,000 of whom are Smeal graduates. This is a powerful network, and we hope you'll take advantage of it and leverage your Smeal connections.
Our mission is to help Smeal alumni in times of job transition and to offer networking and professional connections to both students and alumni. Our services will specifically serve the needs of business graduates.
Through our offices, Smeal alumni have access to:
- Resume reviews
- Mock interviews and interview tips
- Career coaching
- Networking
- Job postings through SmealConnect
- Networking Event Planning
SmealConnect
Search for Career Opportunities
Top companies in a variety of industries regularly promote career opportunities specifically targeted at Smeal College of Business graduates. As an alumnus, you can log onto the SmealConnect system to search for openings and take your next career step.
Job Postings
Any company targeting recent graduates or more experienced candidates in the Smeal alumni network can post positions for free through SmealConnect.
Give Advice To Students
Within SmealConnect, you will also be able to provide advice to current students who have questions about career decisions and other business topics. Consider sharing your knowledge with the next generation of business leaders. Once you sign up for an alumni account, fill in the profile under the Get/Give Advice tab. The system will allow you to choose how you want to be contacted and by how many students at one time.
Learn how to register for a SmealConnect account.
Alumni Networking
Having a LinkedIn account is a necessity for business graduates. In the future, we will be offering training on how to effectively use LinkedIn to network. For now, you can visit the website. LinkedIn also has a Learning Center. Start making your LinkedIn profile now and don’t forget to add a professional picture. It is important to see a face with a name and it helps to make a better connection.
Penn State Smeal College of Business Alumni (Official) LinkedIn Group
Our office invites you to join the college's official group on LinkedIn and help us to build a network of Smeal Alumni across the country. You can post positions, networking events and start job or general discussions in the group for Smeal Alumni members.
Other Resources
Free Job Search Websites
Below are some free job site links:
General
Monster
Indeed
Simply.Hired
Career Builder
FreeJobSearch.org
Career Jet
Specialty - 100K+ Jobs
6 Figure Jobs
The Ladders (Basic Service is free)
Technical - Geared for technical positions such as Business Analysts)
Dice
Career Informational Websites
Inc. (On-line business magazine)
Resume Cover Letters
Riley Guide
Vault Guides
Wet Feet
Quintessential Careers
Helpful Reading for Learning to Negotiate
Once you receive a job offer, an experienced hire needs to have negotiating skills. The books below are examples of publications that offer helpful advice when determining your worth and how to ask and get what you need in your new position - more vacation, bonuses, etc.
The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen
Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute by Jack Chapman
Executive Recruiters
Executive recruiters or “head hunters” only have a success rate of about 5%; however, if you choose to go this route, here are some tips:
- Check out The Directory of Executive & Professional Recruiters
- Use your network to ask around about executive recruiters who have been successful, responsive, and courteous.
Penn State Alumni Career Services
Penn State Alumni Career Services provides career and life management assistance to more than 500,000 geographically dispersed alumni. Using a variety of tools from individual counseling to webinars to networking events, Alumni Career Services counselors help graduates of all ages figure out their career path, their job search plan, or ways to network with other Penn Staters. For more information, contact Alumni Career Services at 814-865-LINK or e-mail alumnicareeradvice@sa.psu.edu.
Education Resources
Connect with Working Professionals in a Variety of Industries
We offer an Executive MBA Program held every other week over the course of 21 months in Philadelphia, as well as executive education programs in leadership, supply chain, coaching, and finance. Learn more about the Executive MBA Program and Penn State Executive Programs, and the Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 Penn State Executive Program Events. Learn more about our resident MBA Program.
Wall Street Boot Camp
Wall Street Boot Camp is a training program created to better prepare undergraduate students who aspire to have careers in the highly competitive field of financial services. The program benefits mostly finance majors and is run by the creator of the program, Robin Stevens, the Director of Smeal Alumni Career Services.
