The Super Subtle Roles that Alumni Associations Play in Career Growth
Stuck in a dead-end job? You are not alone. 85 % of Americans hate their jobs, says a Gallup poll. You might be better off because 1 in 4 Americans are jobless, skipping meals and relying on donations.
But now is not the time to preach complacency. Let’s explore the powerful ways you can leverage your alumni network for employability and career advancement.
Impactful professional networking
Should you join your institution’s alumni network? It would be a waste not to. Networking is not easy, but the alumni association gives you an unadulterated chance at real connections. The members are people that you share an experience and memories with.
If you contact any of them for referrals, you will be less anxious because there won’t be any ice to break. The contacts will be more inclined to help you because of the shared goals in the association.
A large number of trailblazers have landed internships, jobs, and even clients from alumni associations. If your institution has adopted a cutting edge online community platform, getting referrals and connections from your network can be easy.
Apart from career advancement, enterprising members can leverage relationships in these associations for partnerships, beta testing of inventions, and other opportunities.
Purposeful and continual mentorship
For your time, participation, and contribution to alumni associations, many institutions say thank you with targeted career services. It’s a technique that they use to supercharge engagement levels to ensure that stakeholders will be available and motivated for the next undertaking.
In the meantime, you can take advantage of professional relationships with pioneering graduates and professors at the institution through these networks.
Your association may sponsor occasional career workshops online or offline, and you can use these to meet company representatives for career counseling and informational interviews.
Plugging graduates into the community
Today not many people get to graduate with a job offer. After a colorful graduation ceremony comes many stressful days of pencil-chewing and hair-pulling job search. By joining an alumni network, you won’t have to start the search from scratch.
Many associations have partnered with the local community, including non-profit and corporate organizations.
Your membership will be the ticket to volunteer, participate in research, and build relationships with the community. These connections can be the feet you need to stand on to jumpstart a fulfilling career.
Exclusive job listings
Among the extraordinary benefits of participating in an alumni association is exposure to exclusive job postings. These are job postings that may never get out to the general public thanks to the internal recruiting philosophy.
But because of your alma mater, shared vision, and relationship with the alumni community members, you will be the first to know of these opportunities.
Today, many modernized alumni engagement platforms come with a job board feature specifically to share new career opportunities. You can use search filter functions to find an opportunity that is highly relevant to your qualifications.
Travel benefits
Sometimes all it takes to achieve the change you need is a new perspective. Alumni associations can allow you to travel the world cheaply and open your mind to new possibilities. Most alumni associations have discounted rates for hotel chains, rental cars, and airport parking.
Others organize frequent getaway trips in local and exotic locations. In these trips lies the chance to network or relax and look inwards for the next path in life.
Alumni association membership is the CPR for dead-end careers and the hope for speedy employment after graduation. Be sure to the plugin.
