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Five Ways to Tap into your Alumni
Network
Author: Lavie
Margolin, Career Coach
With alumni networking, similar to any type of networking, it is
what you put in that you will get back. To have the most success
with alumni networking, one should be visible and be seen as a
helpful resource for other alumni. A person who volunteers to speak
regarding their expertise at alumni events or to help organize
programs will become known to other alumni. When that person needs
help, they are likely to hear back from other alumni as opposed to
someone no one else has heard from. There are many different ways to
connect with alumni:
1) In person events- During cocktail
hours and dinner portions of the event, you have the chance to speak
to many different people and share your experiences. If one can be a
guest speaker at the event, people will come over afterwards and it
will be a good opportunity to network.
2) Alumni email groups- An example would be
the Big Red Group for Cornell alumni. People post on these groups
all of the time looking for advice, suggestions or help. Respond to
these postings regularly in order to get help when you need it.
3) Facebook group- In most cases, alumni office employees are
the only ones who can post on the group wall but it will allow you
to stay up to date on information and also see who the other members
are. Many members will list their profession in their profile and
are open to speaking to other alumni.
4) Linkedin.com- There
are dedicated alumni groups on linkedin in order to connect with
fellow alumni as well as the ability to search profiles that list
your school with a keyword search. If you do not know a particular
person of interest, it is possible another former classmate would be
connected to them and help to facilitate a connection.
5)
Chance meetings- When you wear the colors of your
University/College, people who also went there will come over no
matter the circumstance- airport, wedding, sporting event. Once you
have an ‘in’ to begin a conversation, professional networking could
occur.
The value of an alumni network is how closely
other alumni connect to the school. If someone had a positive
experience, they are more likely to want to help fellow alumni than
if someone had a negative experience.
About the Author:
Lavie Margolin is a New
York-based Career Coach and the author of Lion Cub Job Search:
Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers. To learn
more, go to Lavie’s website, Lion Cub Job Search:
www.Lioncubjobsearch.com
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