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Do's & Don'ts As An Alumni

This document provides tips on networking with alumni. It advises students to join relevant professional groups online and in person to connect with alumni, conduct informational interviews to learn about industries and companies, and attend career seminars. Students should avoid spamming alumni networks, networking randomly without a clear connection, acting desperately in conversations, or just asking for jobs without establishing a relationship first. Networking is a two-way street, so students should be willing to help alumni as well.

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76 views2 pages

Do's & Don'ts As An Alumni

This document provides tips on networking with alumni. It advises students to join relevant professional groups online and in person to connect with alumni, conduct informational interviews to learn about industries and companies, and attend career seminars. Students should avoid spamming alumni networks, networking randomly without a clear connection, acting desperately in conversations, or just asking for jobs without establishing a relationship first. Networking is a two-way street, so students should be willing to help alumni as well.

Uploaded by

Panti4panti 69
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Do’s and Don’ts When Networking with Alumni

One of the best ways for students to get insight and information about their desired industry or company is to
network with alumni. Although networking does not always guarantee a job or internship opportunity, the
benefits are great when you are able to create meaningful professional connections, and apply what you learn
from those relationships to your own career development. Below are some tips on what you should and
shouldn’t do as you prepare to network with your alumni.

DO
1. Join in your website/forum/social media group/LinkedIn and learn how to use it effectively: Just
having an account with a picture or updated professional information is not enough! You should have a
dynamic page that shows employers your career path, competencies, and accomplishments.
2. Conduct informational interviews with alumni: Once you’ve been successful in connecting with
alumni and you have a date set for an informational interview, it’s your time to shine! Make sure that
you ask smart questions related to the trends, hiring practices, and company culture. This is also your
chance to discuss your professional accomplishments and goals. The alumnus/a with whom you’re
meeting might remember this when a position opens at their company!
3. Attend seminars and info sessions offered by the Wasserman Center: We provide many
opportunities for you to connect to employers in a variety of fields. Whether you’re a first-year student
exploring career paths, or a senior who has decided on a specific industry, career panels and company
info sessions will allow you to meet with employers and explore internship and job opportunities at
their companies.
4. Join professional associations and student clubs: If you’re serious about an industry, it is wise to
invest in a national or local professional membership. Professional associations allow you to meet and
network with professionals who can show you the ropes of the industry and provide valuable leads in
your job/internship search. Many of these professional associations have student membership also you
don’t have to break the bank! Equally, They offers many opportunities for students to get involved in
professional-oriented clubs/organizations where alumni are invited as guests to many of their events.
This is your chance to start building connections with alumni as a student!
DON’T
1. Spam alumni networks: Sending your resume to everyone on an alumni listserv never works well.
Don’t create a negative online reputation by inconveniencing your colleagues. Spamming your network,
mostly composed of alumni who don’t know you personally, is a surefire way to get you blacklisted
before they even meet you.
2. Network with alumni randomly: In the past, people welcomed calls from fellow alumni because it
was the only way to connect with past classmates. Today, random calls from fellow alumni are almost
always met with mistrust. Remember, your networking should be intentional and specific. Networking
with individuals who don’t have a clear connection with you won’t establish much initial trust or help
in your job/internship search.
3. Act desperately or negatively: When you overshare your job search issues, challenges or even goals
with a fellow alum who doesn’t know you personally, you start to sound desperate. This can make the
conversation uncomfortable, especially if they don’t have an immediate solution to your problem.
Talking negatively about a past job or supervisor will not land you in the best position with a potential
colleague or boss. Make sure that all of your interactions with alumni (whether via e-mail, phone, or in
person) are uplifting, positive, and related to obtaining meaningful advice for your career and
job/internship search.
4. Just ask for a job: Asking an alum, whom you probably don’t know very well, for a job nearly always
fails. What makes you think that this person has any oversight of the hiring at their company or that
they even have openings?. Even if that alum is a hiring manager with openings for which you’re
qualified, you’re assuming that having an alma mater in common will get you a job and this is not the
case. Remember that employers have procedures to follow when hiring new talent. Why waste their
time and ruin a potentially valuable connection from the start? There is much more value that a fellow
alum can provide than just directing you to a job site, concentrate on that instead.
5. Ask alumni for help if you aren’t able to reciprocate: Networking is a two-way street and you
should always be willing and happy to provide assistance to those who have helped you in the past. You
don’t have to be an expert in your field to offer help to a fellow alum. Just keep abreast of new
developments and trends in your field and share valuable information with them whenever is
appropriate and relevant. You’ll be surprised how a small act of kindness and professional collaboration
can create great dividends for your career!

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