Courtesy of OnlineCollege.org
We’ve all heard that it’s not what you know but who you know that makes the difference. In the highly competitive job market most new grads are facing today, that couldn’t be more true. Being able to leverage connections to find out about job opportunities and get recommendations can be an incredibly valuable asset. What many students don’t realize is just how great of a network they already have just by virtue of having attended college.
College alumni networks are a great way to meet people who are already working in your area of interest, and even better, you already have one big thing in common: you attended the same college. Whether through networking events, your college’s career services, or your own social media searching, you can meet, get to know, and find help from alumni in every aspect of your career. Not sure where to begin? It’s not as hard as you might think.
Why Your Alumni Network Matters If you’re like most college students, you probably haven’t spent much time thinking about the benefits your alumni network has to offer. It’s never too soon to start, however. Alumni have the ability to connect new grads and current students with amazing opportunities, from hard-to-find internships to job openings not posted to the general public.
This might be a bigger deal than you think. In some industries, knowing the right people can be a big part of what gets you ahead. Don’t believe it? Check out this infographic from The New York Times. It maps out the connections between some of Wall Street’s biggest names, showing just how powerful leveraging alumni relationships can be in starting a successful, and in this case extremely profitable, career.
Even students who aren’t planning on being power players on Wall Street can benefit from building relationships with alumni during their college years and beyond. Gina DeLapa, a former career counselor at Grand Valley State University, says alumni connections are often more important and useful than students realize. “Students should absolutely be leveraging alumni connections; it’s part of what they’re paying for. Most colleges and universities pride themselves on connecting alumni with students through career-specific databases and special events that bring students and alumni face to face.”
While there are some great short-term benefits to developing relationships with alumni, like finding jobs and internships, there are some wonderful long-term ones, as well. Alumni in your field can serve as mentors and guide you through the first few years of your career, helping you learn the ropes and understand what it takes to be successful. Additionally, should you choose to move on to a new job or even start yours own business, your alumni network may be able to point you to job openings for non-entry level positions or hook you up with clients.
Alumni Networks in the Social Media Era While face-to-face meetups are still a common and extremely beneficial way to build connections with alumni, social media is opening up new avenues for networking. In fact, many schools foster alumni networks on Facebook, LinkedIn, and, more recently, Google +. These offer students the chance to talk with alumni across the country as well as those who live locally.
Even though these types of sites may seem like impersonal places to make connections, they can be just as useful as meeting with alumni in more traditional formats. John Muscarello, at 2008 grad of York College of Pennsylvania, used his school’s LinkedIn alumni group to find a job and build a professional network. While some might be intimidated, he says it was easy: “I simply introduced myself to alumni and asked them for help and guidance during my job search.” His success wasn’t a fluke, however. “My sister used the same tactic and found a job in less than six weeks.”
Social media can be much more than a chance to find out where to look for work. Many alumni groups have begun hosting Twitter chats where alumni offer advice, tools, and resources for job hunting and career advancement. Other schools, like DePaul, have created special Facebook pages where students can ask questions and get answers from alumni, with alumni acting as career advisors and mentors.
While ample opportunities already exist for students, recent grads, and alumni to connect online, as social media evolves and colleges become more engaged with it, opportunities may expand further. It may just become the go-to place for alumni help and guidance for many young professionals.
To read more on this article, go to:
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2013/04/17/co...
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Tuesday, June 18th 2013 at 4:03PM
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