Using the Alumni Career Referral Network
The Career Center and the Alumni Association Board sponsors the Career Referral Network as a service for students and recent graduates who are beginning the search for career opportunities. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for alumni to share information about their communities, insights and suggestions about employment trends, data on typical entry-level positions, and names of key people or organizations to approach.Networking
The majority of people searching for a job limit their search to the employment
section in newspapers or scanning the Internet for interesting postings. However,
the Department of Labor reports that most jobs are found informally –
through leads and referrals of other people. Personal and professional relationships
can be invaluable to researching job possibilities. The people you know (and
in turn, the people they know) can help you collect information about job opportunities.
Effective networking may result in:
· Information on a job field: characteristics, current trends and future
potential, training requirements
· Strategies for pursuing work in that field: hiring trends, key issues,
experience required
· Information on a specific organization: job titles, department names,
types of jobs, key people
· Resources: professional journals, associations, conferences, other
organizations to visit
· Contacts: names of other people for your network
One way to start the networking process is to make a list of individuals who
might be in your “network.” Don’t limit your list to persons
in a specific field; include faculty, members of professional organizations
to which you belong, conference speakers or attendees, people you know from
former or current work situations, and internship supervisors. Also include
friends, classmates, members of organizations, clubs and activities to which
you belong, family and relatives. Express your interests and goals to the people
with whom you interact and follow up on the information they provide.
As a student or alumni of Colorado College your network now includes the many
thousands of graduates who came before you. The most effective way to tap into
these individuals is through the Alumni Career Referral Network.
The Alumni Career Referral Network
The Alumni Career Referral Network is an established resource that you can turn
to for information about careers, jobs, organizations, geographic areas, and
most importantly- informational interviews. The Career Referral Network consists
of 4,300 alums that have volunteered to offer advice to current students and
recent alums. The Network is an excellent place to locate individuals for informational
interviews. The Career Center and the National Alumni Council sponsor the Career
Referral Network as a service for students and recent graduates who are beginning
the search for career opportunities. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity
for alumni to share information about their communities, insights and suggestions
about employment trends, data on typical entry-level positions, and names of
key people or organizations to approach.
**The Alumni Career Referral Network is not a job placement service and our Alumni volunteers do not provide career counseling.
If you are unclear about what types of careers or jobs interest you, the Career Referral Network is not a good resource for you at this time. Instead, you need to spend some time doing self-assessment. Self-Assessment is the first and most important stage in the career development process and can help you identify careers to explore in more depth. For assistance in identifying your skills, interests, values and personality characteristics, please contact the Career Center. If you are not within driving distance of the Career Center, seek out organizations in your area that provide career counseling and testing. Usually these organizations charge fees for their services.
Networking Procedures
If you are contacting individuals you have never met it will be helpful to call
or write a letter introducing yourself and requesting either an in-person or
phone informational interview. If an e-mail address is available for the individual
you are contacting, it is completely appropriate to send your letter this way.
Ideally, you want to arrange a face-to-face meeting because they are usually
more productive and informative. However, if you are unable to arrange such
a meeting, a phone conversation can suffice. If you are requesting a phone conversation,
indicate that you will need 15 - 20 minutes, and that you will call them at
a specific time to set up the phone appointment. When you call them, they may
prefer speaking with you immediately, or they may schedule another time to talk.
However you contact a member of the network, first you MUST
· Be able to clearly articulate your career objective.
· Have researched the field and organization.
· Develop a list of well-thought-out questions to be used as a guide
during the informational interview. (see Questions To Ask During An Informational
Interview)
· Keep your conversation brief and make arrangements to call or meet
at another time if you would like to discuss an area of interest more in-depth.
· Be courteous and appreciative.
When you decide to use this resource, you should
· Clearly identify yourself as a Colorado College student who is using
the Alumni Career Referral Network available through the Career Center.
· State the purpose of your call. Let them know that you will need 15
- 20 minutes of their time to conduct an informational interview. Ask when would
be a good time for the interview.
· Be prepared. Know why you are contacting the individual and what you
are hoping to accomplish. Have a script or outline in front of you to keep your
conversation on track.
· Have your appointment book with you if you need to schedule a phone
interview at a later date.
· Keep accurate data about who you called and the information you gathered.
**Remember: The Career Referral Network is not a job placement
service. Alumni can provide you with information about career fields, share
their experiences, and suggest strategies. They may even provide you with some
leads, but not with direct job offers.
Most individuals are apprehensive about contacting people they have never met.
This is completely natural. However, once you start this process you will soon
become much more comfortable with it.
Conclusion
The Alumni Career Referral Network is composed of many individuals. Some will
be incredibly willing to assist you. Others may be more reserved (even rude!).
If you feel that you are not getting any benefits from using the Network, come
speak to a member of the Career Center staff.
Once you become an alum/ae, we hope that you will remember using the network
and chose to become part of it.