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MS Career Checklist

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Here at the School of Management, your career development process starts before you even begin your first class. Use this online MS Career Checklist and calendar to get this process started.

Read and follow the schedule outlined in each section to prepare for the internship and job search process. The summer and fall semester activities will also ensure completion of CRC requirements during the MS program. Access the necessary online tools and resources in each section to accomplish the semester objectives outlined.

• Summer (before starting the MS program)
• Fall Semester
• Spring Semester

Additional Resources

• The Recruitment Process
• Career Tools for International Students

CRC Mission and Staff

The Career Resource Center (CRC) serves as the primary resource for students and alumni of the School of Management in career exploration and job search. The Center is a key link between the school and employers, offering many programs that bring these groups together, such as MBA career consortium events, the alumni Mentor program, internships, campus recruiting and career development workshops and seminars. Our mission is to create an environment that enables and motivates students to be successful in reaching their career goals.

The CRC's dedicated staff is committed to assisting students throughout the career development and job search process. Click here to meet the CRC staff members.

Summer (before starting the MS program)

There are requirements to complete prior to beginning the MS program this fall. Be sure to read the area for your degree program for summer requirements as there are differences between programs.

Fall Semester

• Sign into the BizLink career management system and create your profile, clarifying your job experience and job preferences (CRC Requirement)  
  • Incoming MS students will receive a welcome e-mail message from BizLink once you have been added to the system. This usually occurs by the second week of your first semester at UB.
  • Important Note: Keep your profile up-to-date. The CRC staff uses the data from these profiles to effectively communicate with students and market UB's MS talent.  (CRC Requirement)
• After your résumé is reviewed by a member of the CRC staff and you make recommended changes then upload your résumé to the BizLink system. All MS Accounting, MIS and SCOM résumés must be CRC approved and uploaded by the end of September
  • It is extremely important that your uploaded résumé be error-free and in professional business format.
  • Your résumé will be available for employers to view online through our BizLink system unless you specifically turn this off in your privacy setting.
• Sign-up and attend an Advanced Interviewing Skills workshop. (CRC Requirement)
• International Students: Attend the CRC International workshop. In addition, attend all appropriate workshops provided by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), especially those pertaining to Optional Practical Training (OPT) and H-1B. MS Finance and MIS students should also attend those pertaining to Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
• Schedule a CRC Practice Interview after attending the Advanced Interviewing Workshop. To sign-up for an interview time slot, you will need a résumé and job posting (both must be Word documents). You are required to bring a recordable DVD (or VHS tape) to your Practice Interview appointment or plan to purchase a DVD from the CRC office for $2. Sign up begins after October 1. (CRC Requirement)
• In addition to the requirements listed above, you should also use the following resources to prepare for your job search:
  • Become familiar with the CRC website, the BizLink career system and the Job Fairs and Events sites.
  • Be prepared: Some companies (particularly public accounting firms) recruit students in early fall, so it is important to monitor BizLink (and BullsEye) as well as company websites for internship and job opportunities. Some résumé deadlines are as early as late August or early September. The BizLink career system also lists Employer Information Sessions. 
  • Review cover letter/ job search correspondence resources. Any letter or e-mail sent to a potential employer must be error-free, appropriately formatted and tailored to the company's needs and the desired employment opportunity. Check the CRC workshops for the Job Search Correspondence workshop. (Optional but recommended)
  • Attend on-campus job fairs (such as the Management Career Fair and Meet the Professionals in September) and networking events within the community. However, do not rely solely on on-campus interviewing for full-time positions. Review the CRC's Job Fairs and Events page for more information. 
  • All MS students, especially those in Management Information Systems and Supply Chains and Operations, should also register with UB Career Services, the university-wide career office. The Career Services career management system is called BullsEye. Complete your profile and upload your résumé to this system to take advantage of their job postings, on-campus interviewing opportunities, mentors and events.

MS Accounting

• Determine your "market-value" by researching salary statistics by degree, location, career and industry using a number of resources. Begin with the School of Management’s Employment and Salary Statistics; also collect a few data points to determine your salary expectations and range. 

MS Finance

• Build your updated MS résumé using the tools below. Submit your updated résumé for critique by sending an email by Friday, January 10, 2014, as a Word document to mgt-crc@buffalo.edu. Please make your subject line of the email read MS Finance Resume - Your Last Name (CRC Requirement)
  
  • Review the CRC’s Résumé Writing Guide.
  • View the CRC’s Résumé Writing Workshop. (Web stream)
  • View the CRC's tutorial of Making Your Content Count for graduate students. (Web stream) 
  • Use the CRC’s MS Résumé Template to prepare your résumé. (CRC Requirement)

Spring Semester

• Update your BizLink (and BullsEye) profile and upload a new résumé if necessary.
• Get involved and build your résumé and network. Join student organizations and local professional associations that relate to your functional area of interest. Volunteer to serve as a CRC Practice Interviewer to develop your interviewing skills.
• Conduct informational interviews with alumni working in positions, companies or geographic areas of interest using the mentor program, MentorLink. 
• Attend on-campus job fairs and networking events within the community, such as CareerFEST (organized by UB Career Services). However, don't rely solely on on-campus interviewing for full time positions.
• Research and identify a list of companies to target for full-time job opportunities. Go directly to company websites for information about how to submit your résumé to them. Conduct a targeted direct mail/e-mail campaign to companies of interest. Also, network with fellow students, professors and alumni, as well as friends and family.
• Determine your "market-value" by researching salary statistics by degree, location, career and industry using a number of resources. Begin with the School of Management’s Employment and Salary Statistics; also collect a few data points to determine your salary expectations and range.
• International Students (from Accounting, MIS and SCOM: Launch your Optional Practical Training (OPT) in a timely manner so that you are eligible to begin working full-time for your prospective employer. It takes between one to three months for OPT to be authorized. If you are not eligible to begin working when the employer requests you to start, the employer may not wait for your OPT authorization.  Therefore, it is important you plan ahead on launching your OPT.   
• Complete the interactive Managing Job Offers and Compensation Negotiations modules. Whether you are job-hunting in a tight job market or one that is plentiful with opportunities, knowing how to manage and negotiate offers is critical to the job search process. These modules address key topics and also test your knowledge. When evaluating offers of employment, we encourage students to demonstrate their professionalism during the decision-making process. Your acceptance of a job offer is binding. Don't accept a job offer, even verbally, until you are certain you are committed. Don't back out after accepting; that's called “reneging,” and is unethical. It will negatively impact your professional reputation as well as the program's.
• Complete the School of Management Job Offer and Employment Update Survey before you confer your degree. It is very important to inform the CRC of your employment status whether you are still searching, accepted employment, returning to a sponsoring employer or postponing your search. If you are still searching, we are here throughout the summer and will continue to assist with your search after graduation. By completing the survey, we collect your new contact information (this includes a non-UB e-mail address) to keep in communication with you. Once you secure employment, you can update your employment status online. If you have accepted employment, we want to be able to congratulate you and ensure your aggregate data is reflected in our reporting to national sources that rank business school programs. As you may know, providing this information is critical to the services we provide to both our students and employers. It also plays a strong role in the School of Management’s efforts to improve the value of your degree. (Information collected, including salary information, remains confidential and is only used in aggregate form.)
• MS Finance students: Register for the Summer Finance Institute, a four-week program where participants increase their skill set by working on real-world finance projects with corporate executives culminating in a competition. Students also participate in industry and professional development workshops that are crucial for the upcoming global job search. This program is an excellent replacement for or compliment to a summer internship