| Laid off? Thinking about making a career change? | | | | programs. You get the idea. It's worth a call to your |
| Many colleges and universities provide vital resources | | | | alumni association to see what might be available. |
| to alumni who are in the market for job advice. If | | | | Even if your school doesn't provide any of these |
| you think these services are limited to those who | | | | types of services, there's a very good chance that |
| have just been awarded diplomas, think again. You | | | | there are various electronic resources, including alumni |
| don't necessarily have to be a recent graduate to | | | | networking opportunities, available and waiting for |
| seek help from your alma mater. | | | | you to take advantage of them. |
| I'll begin this post with a disclaimer: some schools | | | | Go to your university's main website and look for the |
| provide more services than others. And some | | | | alumni section. You might find things like a "University |
| provide excellent services to graduates of their | | | | Career Center," perhaps some type of alumni |
| professional schools, while offering little support to | | | | community (this can be a great networking |
| those who came out of other fields. Worst case, you | | | | resource), or even opportunities for electronic online |
| may find that your alma mater doesn't offer much | | | | learning in order to continue to develop your skills. |
| for you. Best case, though - and the reason it's | | | | Many schools also offer alumni yellow pages and job |
| worth your while to explore this option - it may be | | | | blogs as well. |
| quite useful. | | | | And if you have a profile on a professional |
| You may be eligible for free alumni career coaching or | | | | networking site such as LinkedIn, go to the "groups" |
| counseling, which could include services like resume | | | | tab and enter the name of your college or university. |
| preparation, individual assessment, help targeting | | | | There's a good chance you'll at least one, if not |
| potential employers and guidance regarding salary | | | | more, networking group listed. Some of these are |
| negotiations. Some schools schedule networking | | | | more robust than others, but you can check to see |
| events during the course of the year - again, not | | | | how many members belong before you join. |
| limited to any particular age group. Some have culled | | | | You're really never too old to go back to your alma |
| short lists of vetted executive recruiting firms to | | | | mater for support. Call or click to see how they can |
| which they refer alumni. Some offer mentoring | | | | be of assistance. |