The Center for Mentoring and Professional Networks is offering a program that connects students with alumni.
Alumni at Drew are offering their time and resources to help current Drew students with career and resume advice, as well as answering students’ questions about their career paths. The program was developed at Drew two years ago by Carol Bassie, the director of the Center for Mentoring and Professional Networks.
The informational interview program is run on Drew Connect, the networking platform that students and alumni can use to connect with each other. There are currently 82 alumni participating in the program from a variety of fields including journalism, communications, data science, politics, and theater.
The program is run on a rolling basis, which means that students can sign up throughout the month of February and into March to be matched with alumni. The student only needs to read the profiles of the alumni participating, find three to favorite and obtain a match made by Bassie. Some alumni are even willing to speak to multiple students, allowing students to develop more connections. Students interested in speaking to more than one alumni can email Bassie to determine if this is an option for them.
When talking about how the program can help students, Bassie said, “It offers the students valuable networking opportunities, with the ease of practicing on Drew alumni. Students are able to build their network in order to increase their knowledge and prospects within their career field. While the program may not offer students a job on the spot, the connections that students are able to make may help them obtain a job or an internship in the future.”
Bassie has even included sample questions on the program page to help students facilitate conversations with alumni. She offered a few clear pieces of advice for students looking to network and build more connections through the program.
“Be authentic and be yourself,” Bassie said. “Ask about five to 10 questions, do research on the alumni through LinkedIn and research on the company the alumni works at. Be flexible and an active listener while letting the conversation flow. Don’t be too nervous; these were once Drew students just like you are now. They have provided their time to help students and offer their advice. Afterwards, always make sure to send a follow-up note or email thanking them for their time and sharing a couple of things you learned.”
The Center for Mentoring and Professional Networks frequently hosts programs and networking events to help students build their networks. The Center also works with clubs to provide presentations and workshops to assist students with networking. For those interested, the Center will be hosting a panel on International Alumni on Feb. 28 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. More upcoming events will be posted on the Path.
Dominique Cobb is a junior majoring in marketing and double-minoring in history and law, justice, and society.
Featured image courtesy of Drew Launch.
