Thinking about your future career? Skidmore alumni can help, but you need to be an active participant in the process. Here's how.

11 Simple Rules for Engaging Alumni in a Job Search

1. When alumni speak on campus, make a point of attending the event. More important, when you're there, don't stand around talking to your friends. Find someone you don't know, introduce yourself, ask for advice, and ask to be referred to others in your area of interest. Finding the right job and career path is all about networking!

2. Use the Skidmore Career Services Office to locate Career Advisors who have offered their assistance. There are hundreds of alumni in various sectors who are waiting to hear from students. Simply visit the Career Network (password) to get started.

3. When networking, your manner should be professional. Review the advice and sample outreach letters Career Services has posted at its Career Network page: Steps to Follow to Contact Career Advisors, and ask a career counselor to coach you.

4. When approaching Career Advisors or other alumni, ask for help, not a handout. Don't view the initial meeting as a job interview, but rather as an information-gathering session. Informational interviewing is your chance to learn about your contact's job, career path and, most important, their contacts.

5. Ask to set up a specific time to talk, and be ON TIME. You have the responsibility to call them, not vice versa. If you can meet face to face, be sure to dress as you would for a professional meeting.

6. Be prepared. Don't expect your contact to do all the talking. This conversation is for your benefit, so make sure you get out of it what you need. Make a list of questions you'd like answered. For ideas, review the list of sample questions Career Services has prepared for you at: Informational Interview Questions.

7. Ask if your contact knows others in the industry who might be willing to talk to you. The more the merrier. Remember, there are probably just six degrees of separation between you and your dream job!

8. Ask your contact if there are any opportunities at his or her organization. Maybe this person can do an internal search of job postings for you. This is key at big companies. But you need to earn the right to ask. So, if the conversation is going well, ask. If not, don't.

9. If you are asked to send a resume, make sure it's perfect. No typos accepted. Period. Take advantage of resume critiques offered by Career Services (the office is open year-round).

10. Mind your manners! Be sure to thank, both verbally and in writing, the alumni who donate time and energy to talk to you. A handwritten thank-you note has the most impact. And it's important to remember that your actions reflect on others. If alumni feel as though their efforts are not appreciated, their willingness to mentor other students may be diminished. See advice on writing your thank-you note at: Thank You Notes.

11. Networking is the most effective job search strategy there is. So, just do it! Don't be afraid to call and email us. Or, be nervous, and contact us anyway! Skidmore alumni are a great bunch of people, and are very willing to help out students with career questions.

Your friends on the Alumni Board of Directors and Student Alumni Society hope these 11 Simple Rules are useful to you. Remember that you're a student for just four years, but you're an alumna/us the rest of your life. Let alumni help you now, and be prepared to do the same for other Skidmore students in a few years. It's all about giving back.

Best of luck in your career endeavors.

Vinny Catalano '83
VP, Alumni Involvement

Justin Model '91
Director, Alumni Board Career Initiative