These days campus career centers are busier than usual. What makes them so popular; the growing number of jobless alumni.
The definition of alumni is anyone who has attended or graduated from a particular school, college, or university. You needn’t have graduated.
Although often forgotten after graduation, career centers at most colleges and universities are untapped resources that offer services for free or minimal fees.
“I wasn’t having much luck finding a job. My husband suggested I check out my college,” said Meredith Collins, media relations, CarMax, Inc., Richmond, VA. “I found a tremendous amount of resources.”
A 1998 graduate of the University of Richmond, Collins returned to her university career center in the fall. The center also steered her to their website full of career related materials, a search engine for jobs along with alumni networking.
Collins said she attended a campus job fair where many of the representatives were alumni. “It was nice because you had that instant bond.”
Ten months, 28 interviews, and 40 company personnel later she found the job she was looking for. “I would recommend the career center to any alumni.”
Most college career centers offer a host of services including career counseling, job leads, job search skills training, resume writing and critiquing, along with mock interviews. Jobs, alumni networking and reference materials are among the resources found at campus websites.
“We’ve always seen active use of the career center by our recent graduates,” said Andrew Ferguson, director of the Career Development Center at the University of Richmond. “Typically people who are out of college longer look to headhunters or networking, but in a down economy they expand their resources.”
The career services offers lifetime access to alumni and promotes this service through the alumni magazine and website. Benefits to the alumni include a feeling of coming home and the price is right, free. “It also helps us keep our alumni close.”
As for future plans, Ferguson noted that the center will launch a series of four workshops in four cities. “This will give the local alumni an opportunity to network with each other too.”
Tasha Fryfogle, assistant director, Career Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. “More alumni are coming back and they are looking for career related services. Alumni can be anywhere from a semester out of school to people who were here in the 70s and 80s.
“I think we’ve done an exceptional job of meeting the needs of returning alumni,” said Fryfogle. “We’ve answered the call.”
In this challenging economy you need to do everything you can on your path to securing that new job. Go now and knock on the door of that career center. The welcome mat is out.
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I will check to see if my son-in-law has tried this angle. Thanks! I feel fortunate to have my own business, innkeeping, in this difficult economy, and to live in a place people want to visit, Cape Cod.
Alexandra,
You are very fortunate to live in a lovely place that people always want to visit, me included and having your own business. You can only fire you!
I hadn’t thought of checking in with my college’s alumni office for job-hunting support. What a great idea–and an often overlooked resource. Thanks for this post.
Know what you mean Kristen. Going back to the college you went to just doesn’t seem to come up for most people. And, I think a lot of people think you have to have graduated from the college, but that’s just not true.
This is good information. I never considered contacting my college career center for help later in life.
You are no different Brette than most. We forget or never knew the door remains open at the college or university you went to. Good thing to know isn’t it!
So very true, and a good reminder of another resource to turn to. I hadn’t thought about how useful these career centers can be to alumni who aren’t recent graduates.
Christine, I think it is an undiscovered gold mine for the jobless. And, its the right price, free.
I really never considered contacting my college alumni office either, but this might be a good way to get leads even if you’re self employed.
Kerri,
That sounds like a good idea too, especially if you are doing some business writing. People are always looking for good writers.
Living Large makes a good point. Also, making the contact seems like a positive move regardless. One never knows where a connection may lead, or how one may help that connection down the line, as well.
This is a terrific idea! I didn’t realize that college career centers were available to alumni, too.
Thanks Kris,
I know! Guess it is a little surprising to people when they find out that career centers at colleges and universities have that ‘open door’ policy for anyone who went there or graduated from their college/university.
Huh, only thought job centres were for current students!
Melanie, I think the majority of people believe as you do. That once you leave college/university you are tossed out on your ear, never to darken their door again. But that is just not the case. If you went to the school, if you graduated from the school, YOU can get career help. Good to know isn’t it.
I love my alma mater to death and would never trade the years I spent there for anything – but their career center has always been much better at helping out those with business or engineering degrees (aka the “popular” majors at my school) than those of us with wimpy English and art degrees. You would think after all this time, they’d know what to do with us bookish types!
Casey, know what you mean. Why is it that the Art/English majors always get little recognition or a helping hand from our Alma mater? I was an Art major in community college and then at the university I switched to English major. They keep leaving the “creatives” out of the loop…
Having a job really IS the new green. Thanks for that perspective. And it’s a great tip to seek job info, news and opps through your alumni. I bet a lot of people don’t think about that angle after leaving college and being away from it for years.
Jane, you are so right! Most people have no idea this service is available AND its free!
judy