A Great Resource for Networking: Alumni

A few days time will mark one month since I began my search for an entry-level public relations position. I have been sending out my resume, creating brief, but informative cover letters and researching companies as often as I can, with little response. It’s tough not to get discouraged, but I have tried to remain as positive as possible.

However, today it was hard for me not to show my disappointment with my lack of potential employer replies. I was in a work meeting at my on-campus job and my supervisor decided to ask the student employees how their job searching was going. It was very difficult to hear that I was the only student assistant without a job yet. Granted we all have different majors, but it definitely made me feel the pressure.

It was then that one of our recruiting coordinators spoke up. She said that she had met with some great alumni over spring break that could potentially help me. She even offered to forward my resume personally with a recommendation. One last suggestion she made to me was that despite everything else, I should really look into our online alumni directory.

Unfortunately, I did not really begin connecting with peers in my major until last spring semester. This is when I became heavily involved in our chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, but it was a little too late for me to really meet a lot of the graduating seniors. This is why I have at times felt discouraged in my job search, because I do not really have any “connections” in my chosen career path.

All the same, even though I have not really met anyone personally I will begin reaching out to alumni. I believe that at my university, as well as at many other universities, former students want to help graduating students with finding jobs. I advise all entry-level job seekers to begin connecting with alumni. Use online directories if they are available, or you could even offer to reach out to alumni and ask them to come back to the university in an alumni panel setting. As I once read, weak ties more often land you in the interview room than strong ones.

Have you been connecting with alumni in your job search? How has it benefited you?