Careers
Are you trying to find a job right now? Are you simply thinking ahead to graduation? If the answer to either of these questions is "yes," then this section of the English Department web site might alleviate some of your worries about finding employment.
Its purposes are to assist you in the preparation of a marketable, persuasive resume and cover letter, as well as point you in the direction of potential careers and employment sources.
The first thing you might be wondering about is what kind of job you can get with an English major. If you think teaching and writing are your only options, think again--or better yet, visit the Career Options for English Majors page, which answers the question What Can You DO with an English Major? Graduates of the English Department at Virginia Tech are teachers, professors, stock brokers, investment advisors, technical writers, managers of nonprofit organizations, lawyers, physicians, public relations officers, and more. One of your tasks in planning for your future will be to research qualifications for the type of work you would like to do and develop those qualifications for yourself.
Tempted to chase a claim of huge shortages in a particular career area? For a dose of realism about labor markets, and how you can make yourself an attractive future employee, read "The Annual Labor-Shortage Hoax," from the September 7, 2007, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Basic point: it's hard to predict where the jobs will be.
The job market is beyond your control, so focus on what you can control: Do research on the field that interests you before, during, and after your degree program. No matter what you've heard, you will not get a job on the basis of nothing but your degree and your inflated GPA. Get relevant experience through internships, preferably paid ones, but use your time in college to get a real education instead of mere job skills....Develop your writing and speaking abilities, mind your manners and appearance, do your work on time and without excuses (never say "but I tried really hard"), earn the respect of your professors....Forget the predictions; the only thing you can be sure about is yourself.
If you are qualified and ready to search for a job, you might browse through the pages that offer you advice about how to search fruitfully for jobs and how to interview once your stellar resume and cover letter have gotten your foot in the door. A page on career fairs features tips on how to make the most of the employment alternative to "speed dating."