In two and a half years, I will be a proud graduate of Princeton’s Class of 2013. Thinking about this made me wonder, “What will I be doing after graduation?” I am sure many Princetonians have pondered this question at some point during their college career. So, I thought Spring Break might be an ideal time to explore this question and find some answers for myself. For students who might not have much planned over break, this can be a great time to learn more about Princeton alumni and possibly seek out advice from them regarding career interests. Alumni are often an untapped resource for undergraduate students. Making connections with alumni can be very beneficial to students in the long run. Does Princeton have a program that links current undergraduates and alumni? YES, there are many!!
One of the most efficient ways students can search and contact alumni is through Career Services’ online system, the “Alumni Careers Network” (ACN). This is a searchable database of Princeton alumni who have volunteered to provide career-related advice to Princeton students and fellow alumni. There are over 4,000 participating alumni in the database. Click here to access the Alumni Career Network site. The ACN can be searched in two ways. You can either search by name, industry, job function, or geographic location. Or, you can search by keyword. The reason why the ACN is so useful to students is because it allows you to easily identify and contact alumni in our career field of interest—both domestically and internationally. The alumni listed voluntarily chose to be part of the network, so they are willing to provide assistance. Their assistance can come in the form of advice, full-time job assistance, host, local projects, or summer job assistance. Career Services’ advises that one does research in the field/industry of interest before making contact with an ACN member. It is also requested that students use professional courtesy when communicating with an ACN member. (See the Career Services Guide for sample e-mail templates and phone scripts to use when contacting an alumnus/a. Also, don’t forget to thank them for their time!)
Since I recommended this resource to you, I had to try it myself! Here’s what happened when I did…
I decided to use the database in order to find a Princeton alum with whom to have an informational interview over Spring Break. Because I live in northern New Jersey and the train ride to New York is only about 25 minutes, I decided to start my search by looking for alumni in NY. I narrowed down my search by only looking for alumni in the “Arts & Entertainment” industry. My search returned with 41 alumni to choose from!! I looked through the result pages and was amazed at what I saw. There were so many alumni in all different aspects of the arts and entertainment industry. Some of them even worked at the popular companies such as ABC, NBC Universal, Viacom, and CBS! When looking at an alum’s profile, you can see if they are available for hosting. Some of the graduates that I was interested in did not list hosting, so I automatically narrowed my list. One alum, in particular, stood out to me. He currently works as an entertainment reporter at a major media company. His profile indicated that he available for hosting students. A trip to New York City for an information interview would definitely be splendid! So, I decided to do some preliminary research in order to find out some information about the company he works for and his own career history. Then, I sent him a polite email telling him about my interest in the media/entertainment industry and my desire to have an informational interview. I made sure to mention that I was a Princeton student and that I would be available during Spring Break.
Little did I know how quick I would receive a reply! Within an hour of sending the email, I received a reply. He stated that he was taking time off after having done the Oscars (HOW COOL!), but he would definitely be able to meet with me during Spring Break. He asked me what times were best for me, and promised to set a date to meet. I was so shocked and happy. I didn’t realize how fast all this would happen. I am really looking forward to traveling to NYC and meeting with him! Want to know what happened? Make sure to tune into my next blog so I can fill you in on what happened! I’ll even try to get some pictures if possible!
Remember, Spring Break is definitely a time to relax, but you can also use the free time you have to your advantage. This is just one way that you can utilize your free time to learn more about your interests from a Princeton Alum! You never know how fast you may receive a reply, or what kind of opportunity can come your way because of your exploratory efforts.