Tell me how your college alumni network helped you...

[Anonymous]

Yale alum - here are some examples of alum support I've received:

- got an interview through an alum; after making it to the final round, he talked to HR to move my final interviews forward so I could consider the offer alongside other job offers I had at the time
- at final stage interviews for a PE role, it was between me and another candidate - alum talked to decision maker and got me the role
- another alum, a consulting partner, spent a whole Saturday afternoon with me doing mock interviews; his insight and guidance was key in helping me land the job offer

In addition, I've reached out to numerous alums over the years for informal career chats/advice, connections or referrals for roles. The majority have been responsive and very helpful.

[Anonymous]

I went to a state college in Ohio. An alumni who worked at a well-known organization in DC wanted one of the interns hired that summer to be a student from the college. That was me, and I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much ever since.

I haven’t gotten other alumni network help, but I signed up to offer career advice online at the college and have had two students contact me about my career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HYPS. Zero network help. I think it's largely a myth.

If you go to one of these schools and don’t leverage the alumni network it is due to your own failings. It is one of the main reasons to attend…you will find great contacts in any industry in any part of the world. Most are happy to engage if you reach out.

Found my first job on Wall Street through alumni and moved to a senior role at another bank through the network.

Like everything in life, you cannot be passive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a state college in Ohio. An alumni who worked at a well-known organization in DC wanted one of the interns hired that summer to be a student from the college. That was me, and I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much ever since.

I haven’t gotten other alumni network help, but I signed up to offer career advice online at the college and have had two students contact me about my career.

It’s alumnus or alumna (feminine). Alumni is plural.

[Anonymous]

DH and I attended the same public university, and we both think the informal alumni network has been helpful. I met an alumna who volunteered with my campus organization while I was a student — she gave me great advice (she worked in the field that interested me), and contacted me a few years later when her company was hiring.

DH feels he’s gotten more cred from higher ups when they learn where he attended college. He has a graduate degree, but has had more positive comments on his undergrad during interviews. Recently, he pushed his team to interview a recent grad from our university, when they were going to pass her up. She ended up being an excellent candidate, and got the job.

[Anonymous]

Went to a top LAC and then a T14 law school. The LAC network was useful in terms of call-back interviews and has remained more helpful with advice and advancement as my career has progressed over the last decade.

[Anonymous]

Within my big tech company, the top SLAC I attended has an alumni group. We've volunteered together a couple of times and help with networking for each other and students within the company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a state college in Ohio. An alumni who worked at a well-known organization in DC wanted one of the interns hired that summer to be a student from the college. That was me, and I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much ever since.

I haven’t gotten other alumni network help, but I signed up to offer career advice online at the college and have had two students contact me about my career.

It’s alumnus or alumna (feminine). Alumni is plural.

We're correcting grammar on an anonymous board? Your secondary law journal editing has paid off
Don't forget that if we are talking about a group of female graduates, the plural should be alumnae

[Anonymous]

My not top 50 college has an outsized presence on Wall Street and we do everything we can to help out the alums who were basically me 20 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Zero

Never crossed my mind to think about networking this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wellesley College network has helped me with so many things from career assistance:
My first internship was a recommendation from an alum.
My first job was a recommendation from an alum.
First time I had to negotiate stock options and compensation for a VP level job, I used advice from a Wellesley message board to dramatically increase how much I was paid.


The alumnae network also has helped me parent:
I hired a nanny recommended by an alum.
When one of my kids was sick in the middle of the night, and I was awaiting a call back from the pediatrician, a pediatric nurse on a Wellesley parenting message board correctly diagnosed it as appendicitis and suggested I take her to the ER. I was in the hospital parking lot by the time my pediatrician called back and suggested the exact same thing.


And even small little stuff like my favorite sweater is from a suggestion from the Wellesley fashion and clothing message board, and visiting restaurants or activities recommended by alums while on trips.

Wellesley network is unlike anything I've seen from any colleges that my friends or family have attended. It's a force!

+1

I have to agree. My friends and family who attended Wellesley are so supportive of each other - IMO, far moreso than women, in general. It is encouraging to see.

+2. I tap into the Wellesley alumnae network daily. There are groups for everything: a writer’s group, middle age progressions, raising kids, dealing with parent aging and death, etc. I’ve personally done many informational interviews for current students, hosted students or recent grads in my home when they were coming into town for interviews, and more. I feel the college growing even more important in my life as I age and feel it is a rock solid part of support system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero

Never crossed my mind to think about networking this way.

+1
It seems odd to help someone out simply because they went to the same school as you. More power to you if you can leverage your alumni network, but it reminds me of the good ol boy network.

[Anonymous]

I've never used my alumni network BUT I am starting to observe it with my DS. He recently graduated from W&M. During his senior year, the career center advised him to network during his job search. The only W&M alumni that he knew who were working in his field were a couple of fraternity brothers. He contacted them and those first conversations led to more W&M contacts. He started working in late summer for a large federal government contractor. His first assignment just ended and he is largely responsible for finding his next assignment. He is tapping into the W&M network in his company, which is quite large. One W&M grad is very high up and my DS was introduced her to shortly after he started working. The introduction was primarily due to the school connection and not his position within the company. She told him that the W&M alumni look out for each other within the company. Time will tell if this continues since he's just starting his career. But so far, he's found it invaluable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wellesley College network has helped me with so many things from career assistance:
My first internship was a recommendation from an alum.
My first job was a recommendation from an alum.
First time I had to negotiate stock options and compensation for a VP level job, I used advice from a Wellesley message board to dramatically increase how much I was paid.


The alumnae network also has helped me parent:
I hired a nanny recommended by an alum.
When one of my kids was sick in the middle of the night, and I was awaiting a call back from the pediatrician, a pediatric nurse on a Wellesley parenting message board correctly diagnosed it as appendicitis and suggested I take her to the ER. I was in the hospital parking lot by the time my pediatrician called back and suggested the exact same thing.


And even small little stuff like my favorite sweater is from a suggestion from the Wellesley fashion and clothing message board, and visiting restaurants or activities recommended by alums while on trips.

Wellesley network is unlike anything I've seen from any colleges that my friends or family have attended. It's a force!

+1

I have to agree. My friends and family who attended Wellesley are so supportive of each other - IMO, far moreso than women, in general. It is encouraging to see.

+2. I tap into the Wellesley alumnae network daily. There are groups for everything: a writer’s group, middle age progressions, raising kids, dealing with parent aging and death, etc. I’ve personally done many informational interviews for current students, hosted students or recent grads in my home when they were coming into town for interviews, and more. I feel the college growing even more important in my life as I age and feel it is a rock solid part of support system.

It sounds like a version of DCUM, from all of the people describing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wellesley College network has helped me with so many things from career assistance:
My first internship was a recommendation from an alum.
My first job was a recommendation from an alum.
First time I had to negotiate stock options and compensation for a VP level job, I used advice from a Wellesley message board to dramatically increase how much I was paid.


The alumnae network also has helped me parent:
I hired a nanny recommended by an alum.
When one of my kids was sick in the middle of the night, and I was awaiting a call back from the pediatrician, a pediatric nurse on a Wellesley parenting message board correctly diagnosed it as appendicitis and suggested I take her to the ER. I was in the hospital parking lot by the time my pediatrician called back and suggested the exact same thing.


And even small little stuff like my favorite sweater is from a suggestion from the Wellesley fashion and clothing message board, and visiting restaurants or activities recommended by alums while on trips.

Wellesley network is unlike anything I've seen from any colleges that my friends or family have attended. It's a force!

+1

I have to agree. My friends and family who attended Wellesley are so supportive of each other - IMO, far moreso than women, in general. It is encouraging to see.

+2. I tap into the Wellesley alumnae network daily. There are groups for everything: a writer’s group, middle age progressions, raising kids, dealing with parent aging and death, etc. I’ve personally done many informational interviews for current students, hosted students or recent grads in my home when they were coming into town for interviews, and more. I feel the college growing even more important in my life as I age and feel it is a rock solid part of support system.

It sounds like a version of DCUM, from all of the people describing it.

But it isn’t anonymous. Your name is attached to everything so it doesn’t have the snark/trolls of DCUM. Also everyone is just a few degrees of separation from one another.