Career Development & Outcomes

What is the CDO?
The Career Development Office provides a collection of workshops, coaching services, recruiting events, and job search resources for MBA students. Career advisors are available to provide 1:1 career coaching sessions assisting students with job search strategy, company research, resume/cover letter development, LinkedIn profile optimization, interview preparation, and job offer evaluations. Career workshops and training programs, often delivered in collaboration with Rice Business Student Associations, are provided throughout the year and cover topics such as networking and case interview preparation. Recruiting events, such as company information sessions and career fairs, are organized throughout the year. Alumni also maintain access to career advising after graduation.

Who are we?
The CDO team is comprised of experienced career advisors and corporate relations professionals. To learn more about the CDO team, please visit the CDO Team's page. 
 

When can admitted students begin using services provided by the CDO?
Admitted students will receive information from the CDO during the summer prior to their first semester that will outline the services offered and when students can begin to use them. Admitted students will be required to complete an online career course as a prerequisite to meeting with a CDO career advisor or gaining access to other CDO resources. Fall orientation (or Launch) includes several workshops delivered by the CDO team. However, due to the increase in Pre-MBA opportunities that offer early consideration for summer internships, admitted students are welcome to contact the CDO to have a resume reviewed prior to applying to one of these programs. Visit the Pre-MBA opportunities site to learn more about these programs. Be advised that the information on this page is subject to change. Please check it regularly for updates. 

CDO Online Career Course
Upon acceptance to the MBA program, students are required to complete an online career course during June and July in order to gain access to OWL Careers, the CDO’s platform to manage both on and off-campus recruiting opportunities. In this course, students will be introduced to career and job search fundamentals designed to prepare students for their first coaching appointment with a CDO career advisor. Completion of the online career course is required before scheduling a meeting with a career advisor. 

Please check out our resource page for more information.

International Alumni Advisory Board

The Career Development Office currently has 25 international alumni who sit on our International Alumni Advisory Board. Members of the board are individuals who have expressed a desire to give back to international students by participating in career programming. Board member contact information is made available to current students, and current students are encouraged to reach out individually to board members of their choice for “coffee chats” aka informal meetings to learn more about that alum’s work and MBA experience so that the student can learn and continue to develop a local network. Board members are expected to participate in at least one career programming event per semester. Board members are also expected to attend the International Launch Career Networking event, where newly enrolled international students and international alumni come together to make connections and deepen the Rice Business relationships on a local and international scale.

International Student Programming: The International Advantage Series & Profile

International students are required by the CDO to complete an “Advantage Profile” exercise and engage in the International Advantage Series programming. This exercise is aimed at helping international students define their career interests, experiences, and skills, along with other unique traits they bring, in order to best position themselves for the internship and job search. Along with developing this profile, international students will also have the opportunity to use the profile in networking situations, in order to both build relationships between the international student and the working professional, and to continue to practice their pitch. 

• Upon completion of the exercise, international students should be able to:
• Define Interests, Skills, Experiences, Uniqueness (includes Languages, personal brand, etc.) as it relates to their career trajectory
• Apply this framework to increase their competitiveness when searching for jobs in the U.S.
• Gain clarity around their main strengths through the Advantage Profile framework when searching for jobs in the U.S.
• Start developing contacts in their industry of interest who can provide them with insightful advice about their Advantage Profile
• Understand what kinds of jobs they may want to target and why, based on the data of their Advantage Profile

International Mock Interviews

During a critical time in fall semester, we bring our International Alumni Advisory Board members to campus to hold mock interviews just for our international students. This ensures students not only practice interviewing, but they make local connections as well.

International Speed Networking

In fall, the job or internship search is much more network-based, which is why we’ve implemented a speed networking event every Spring, just for our international students. Board members are invited, as well as other international student champions.