Alumni Career Advisor Network - Student User Guide

What is the Alumni Career Advisor Network?

The Alumni Career Advisor Network is an online mentoring platform that connects you with alumni to explore potential careers, job search advice, networking, and more! Whether you want to learn more about a career path, have an interview coming up, or need to give your resume a tune up, alumni are there to help. The platform uses a matching algorithm to connect you to ideal alumni advisors based on information included in your profile. Conversations with alumni can take place via phone, video, chat, or in person.

What Value Does the Alumni Career Advisor Network Offer?

The best opportunities don’t always go to the applicants with the best GPA. In many cases they go to candidates who are well connected, whose networks teach them about potential opportunities and how to best articulate their experiences on their resumes and in their interviews. One of the greatest benefits of engaging alumni career advisors is the ability to receive career advice from professionals working in the field. Student advisees who actively engage with alumni for career advice are 18% more likely to graduate with a full time job and receive 22% higher starting salaries than their peers.

Getting Started

Register as an advisee

Visit https://geneseo.firsthand.co/
Click "Get Advice" and create your profile
Enter your contact information and career goals
View suggested advisor matches and request a consultation, or view all advisors

Search and select an advisor

Browse advisor profiles to find someone you're interested in talking to
Filter advisors by function, industry, employer, type of consultation, location, field of study, language, and more.
Once you've found an advisor, click on their profile to learn more about them and book a consultation

Book your consultation

Select a time to connect with them under "Book a Consultation"
Suggest three meeting times and write a message introducing yourself and outlining what you'd like to get out of the consultation.
Submit your request and wait for the advisor to accept one of your suggested times.

Connect with your advisor

Your consultation homepage allows you to message your advisor and upload files before your session.
Dial in to the conference line provided to connect with your advisor at the scheduled time.

Tips for a Successful Consultation

What is Informational Interviewing?

Gathering information about a career, occupation, or organization.
Beginning to develop professional networks.
Helps verify or uncover career objectives
Clarifies career plans based on input from professionals working in the field.

See The Career Design Center's Informational Interviewing Guide for more information on informational interviewing, including sample questions.

Before your consultation

Write an introductory message and upload any documentation that will be relevant to your call (e.g. resume, cover letter, job description, etc.)
Think about your purpose for talking with a particular advisor. Would you like to learn more about the industry, the company, the career path, etc.
Do some research on the occupation and background of the advisor.
Respect the advisor's time commitment by planning and preparing topics of discussion. Prepare specific, intelligent, and productive questions that can guide your discussion. Twelve to fifteen question should fill a 30 minute interview. Be conversational, flexible, and change questions as needed.

During your consultation

Be prepared to briefly introduce yourself professionally.
Remember to keep the conversation professional. Do not ask personal questions or ask an advisor directly for job placement or internship assistance.
Strive to be a receptive and active listener.
Ask the advisor for the names of two or more people in the field the feel might chat with you. This is a great way to continue to grow your network.

After your consultation

Show your appreciation for the time and assistance given by the advisor by sending a follow up thank you message. Note that unless the advisor provides their contact information during the call, you must do this within 24 hours of the consultation, while your consultation homepage is still active.
Provide feedback on you consultation once complete, as this will continue to improve the student experience.
Evaluate the experience:
1. Is this career an option? Why or why not?
2. Is additional information needed to decide on this career path?

Crafting a Message to an Advisor

Your message should include:

A brief introduction about yourself
Why you are consulting with this individual, for example to learn about a type of career, organization, or topic.
A brief statement of your interest or experiences in the advisor's field or organization.

Sample message (This should be customized based on your interest)

Dear _____________,

I am a first - year student at SUNY Geneseo and considering a major in Psychology. I'm interested in learning more about the field of Mental Health Counseling and the opportunities that are available. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak with you for 15 - 20 minutes to learn more about the work you do.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.