CAREER PROGRAMS
VSB’s O’Donnell Center for Professional Development collaborates with VSB academic departments and Centers of Excellence, student business societies, the Villanova Career Center, and other campus offices to sponsor, co-sponsor and/or provide support to more than 100 career events each academic years. The programs are designed to help business students gather information and contacts that will lead to well-suited academic and career path decisions.
You have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of events each semester, ranging from professional skill-building workshops to industry/profession-specific information sessions and employer networking events to corporate site visits. These programs provide students with venues to interact with more than 500 practicing professionals each year, many of whom are Villanova alumni representing their employers.
Consider taking advantage of the many career programs as you select a major, explore career options, develop employer contacts and build a professional skills portfolio.
Find information on and RSVP for upcoming activities through Handshake.
Featured Career Programs
Once a year, a committee comprised of VSB/VU professionals and students organizes a conference focusing on a "hot topic" in the sports industry. Past conference themes include:
- 2023: Sports Business Conference
- 2022: The Athlete - The Entire Picture
- 2021: Emerging Applications in Sports
- 2019: Beyond the Logo: Brand Building in Sports
- 2018: Innovations in Sports Technology
- 2017: Changing the Physical and Digital Landscape of Sports
- 2016: The Globalization of Sports
Business of Sports TREKs
Based on strong student interest, the O’Donnell Center leads TREKs each year to sports-related venues to expose students to a behind-the-scenes view of the business side of sports. Past TREK destinations have included Citizens Bank Park/Phillies, Subaru Park/Union, Lincoln Financial Field/Eagles, Washington Nationals Park, Prudential Center (NJ)/Devils, Yankees Stadium, MLB Network, and Madison Square Garden.
Careers in Corporate Finance & Corporate Accounting
Held every fall, this event offers students an opportunity to learn about alternatives to careers in public accounting and financial services. Following a panel presentation, students have the chance to network with alumni and professionals who work in corporate finance and corporate accounting roles.
Consulting 101
At this annual event, students will learn the ins and outs of the consulting industry from young alumni and seasoned professionals alike and can start building relationships with people who are working in many different areas within the consulting industry. Consultants from various management consulting organizations are represented on the panel each year. This event is co-sponsored by the VSB O'Donnell Center for Professional Development, the Villanova Consulting Group and the University Career Center.
Watch the video to view a past year's Consulting 101 event.
Finance TREKS
Finance TREKs provide students with exposure to the “front-line” of the financial services industry. Previous TREKs have included visits to Barclays, Bloomberg LP, BMO Capital Markets, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, MUFG and Nomura.
Multicultural Business Association (McBA) Career Conference
This conference brings together students, faculty, alumni, and distinguished business leaders to discuss challenges that face diverse populations in today’s business environment.
The 2019 Conference featured a panel of young alumni who shared their experiences of “Navigating Life after Nova.” The panel was followed by a networking reception, providing students with the opportunity to connect 1:1 with panelists and discuss the transition from college to career.
ADVERTISING TREKs
Ad TREKS allow students to spend a day visiting top advertising agencies. Practicing professionals from functional areas such as account services, media, creative and planning provide insights about the nature of their work, while human resources representatives discuss job opportunities and offer a tour of the agencies. Past site visits have included stops at BDO, Euro RSCG, Gotham, mcgarrybowen, Mindshare, Ogilvy, Publicis, RJ Palmer, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Y&R.
BUSINESS OF FASHION PROGRAMMING
There are many options for students with an interest in working in the Fashion industry. Fashion TREKS ARE designed to expose students to a wide range of business career opportunities in fashion marketing and help them develop contacts in the industry. Previous Fashion TREKS have included visits to Ann Taylor, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman, DVF/Diane von Furstenberg, Estée Lauder, IMG, Lilly Pulitzer, Lord & Taylor, Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, Net-a-Porter, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, and URBN.
Additionally, students in the Business of Fashion Society work with O’Donnell Center to develop an annual fashion symposium and another on-campus programming to help students explore the many career options within the fashion industry. These events feature alumni and other professionals working at fashion, luxury, and health/beauty companies.
Villanova Financial Group Presents Steve Schwarzman, CEO of the Blackstone Group
For the Villanova Financial Group’s kickoff event, they hosted Steve Schwarzman, the Founder and CEO of The Blackstone Group. Hear him discuss highlights of his book, What It Takes: Lesson in the Pursuit of Excellence. Steve shares stories and advice regarding his career experience, philanthropy, and general personal impact.
Watch the video of the group's discussion with Steve Schwarzman - CEO of The Blackstone Group.
Wall Street Series: Careers in Financial Services
For students preparing for careers on Wall Street, each year a series of programs are offered focusing on the stages of successfully attaining a job in the financial services industry. Some programs in this series are held during the summer in New York City, while others are held on campus during the academic year. Students hear about the importance of networking and get the chance to do so with the numerous alumni who participate in these events. Additionally, the O’Donnell Center collaborates with the Villanova Career Center to bring students the Wall Street Meetup series in the spring, with each session featuring 3-4 banks and highlighting their summer internship recruiting processes.
Women in Business Conference: Presenting Opportunities for Women (POW)
This annual fall conference brings together students, faculty, alumnae and distinguished business leaders to discuss challenges facing women in today’s business environment and provide an opportunity for networking.
The 2019 Conference, “Swimming with the Sharks”, featured a keynote presentation from VU alumna Heather Zimmerman, Managing Director of Investment Banking at MUFG and panelists working in Finance, Sports and Real Estate.
The Women in Business Society and the O’Donnell Center for Professional Development collaborate to host this program. All Villanova students are welcome to attend this annual event.
CAREER RESOURCES
The Clay Center/O’Donnell Center maintains an Information Center (Bartley 1054) with handouts on VSB majors/minors, summer study abroad programs, business attire guidelines, internship and CoOp requirements, as well as Villanova Career Center job search guidelines and more.
VSB Deloitte Student Group Fund
The VSB Deloitte Student Group Fund is available for all VSB Business Societies and is to be used for Professional Development experiences!
Villanova Career Center
The O'Donnell Center partners with the Villanova Career Center, which offers comprehensive career development and job search resources to students and alumni of the university.
Corporate Involvement