Randy Williams is the director of the MBA Career Center at the University of California-Irvine Graduate School of Management, second tier on BusinessWeek's 2004 MBA rankings. He has 27 years of experience in career services, 21 of which were spent at Irvine.

Williams believes UC Irvine's personalized attention, its close connections in Southern California, and its lovely climate make it an up-and-coming B-school, especially for those looking to work in the high-tech, pharmaceutical, medical device, or consulting fields. He recently spoke with BusinessWeek Online reporter Jeffrey Gangemi. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:

Q: What are the most innovative services that you offer MBAs?
A: We offer personalized service because our program is smaller than others. When an employer calls and says he or she is looking for an individual with a particular set of attributes, we're able to narrow down the list by assessing the soft skills that don't come across on a student's résumé. Our online interactive tools and services help recruiters with limited time.

Q: How do you market your students to recruiters?
A: First, we spread the word through online and print communication. Then, we partake in old-fashioned networking -- shaking hands and meeting face-to-face. This year we launched a recruiting-partner program, a concierge-type of service for those companies and recruiters engaged with this office on a variety of levels, including Conexant (CNXT ), Allergan (AGN ), and Taco Bell (YUM ). Someone may call us asking for a résumé drop for a particular position, and sometimes we can even turn that around within a day.

Q: Do recruiters have a say in the MBA curriculum?
A: Companies indirectly have a say through the dean's board of directors, which is made up of the top CEOs in the area. They offer their perspective, which is something faculty takes into account when designing the curriculum. We're considering a management practicum, which would require every student to do a community project with a local business. An MBA with about four years of work experience is a sweet find for a typical recruiter. But it's important to note that not all work experience is of equal value. Career-changers have found their transition much more difficult. Courses that provide hands-on experience, in part, make up for that.

Q: What's the average starting salary?
A: The average base starting salary is $70,000.

Q: How do you help international students?
A: The bulk of people who work abroad are international students who come mostly from Asia -- China, Korea, and Japan. We're hosting an international career fair with UCLA and UC San Diego, and we have a whole series of workshops on a wide range of topics intended to help international students.

Q: How do the services you provide to part-time students compare to those for full-time students?
A: [Because part-time students work during the day], there are many programs they cannot attend. We've developed streaming video events, so they can go online and watch Q&As with recruiters. Also, they have access to the same job boards and informational resources as those who attend the full-time program.

Q: How do your graduates fare in today's job market?
A: Even though, in general, America has suffered a downturn in the job market, we in southern California fared fairly well. We're in a diverse area, with a good job market and a relatively low unemployment rate. In the space of 15 years, UCI has gone from nowhere to being consistently ranked among the top 50 programs. A lot of that [success] can be attributed to the quality of the students.