Alumni Lend Career Advice to Students

Author: Ian Fleishman

According to Jaye Roseborough, executive director of the Career Services Office (CSO), Middlebury alumni "are really active in reaching out to [Middlebury] and trying to help our students get post-graduate jobs." It appears that they are also effective.

Each year about 100 alumni visit the campus by invitation of CSO to speak to students about a specific career, job opening, internship or as part of a recruitment effort. "Middlebury alumni are fantastic in their willingness to help students," explained Roseborough.

This help can exist in many different forms. One of the major ways that alumni make themselves available to current students to discuss careers and job opportunities is by volunteering to participate in MiddNet online, a service provided on the CSO's Web site. This network has around 7,000 volunteers. Students can define their search for alumni by occupation, major, location or graduate institution and other filters to refine their search.

After finding alumni, students can e-mail them to ask for advice or information about a specific career. Many students receive referrals in this way.

MiddNet was not initially established as a job search for students, but according to Roseborough, it does help by keeping students informed and allowing them to establish contacts in their field of interest.

It also helps students choose their future career. "It helps students really refine their interests," said Rosenborough.

CSO also provides "Career Conversations" - presentations by alumni regarding a specific career. This allows students to learn more about a career in which they might be interested.

Alumni are also very active in recruiting programs both on campus and at off-campus recruiting events. They often list job openings with the CSO or collect student rÈsumÈs to bring back to the companies or firms for which they work.

Companies sending recruiters also often send Middlebury alumni. "I think they really work hard to try and get our students into the final round of interviews," said Roseborough.

Paul Gruber '03.5 reports success regarding his contact with alumni: "I have been using MiddNet for the past two and a half weeks. Over the phone I have talked with six [alumni] and e-mailed about 10."

Gruber also learned about a unique, unadvertised career entry program with the State Department through his contact with an alumnus.