Giving Back by Giving Advice

UNC Kenan-Flagler alumni describe their school experience in glowing terms. Many credit their career success to the knowledge they gained in school and the advice they received from the people they met and remained in contact with since graduating. Our alumni have shown themselves to be loyal and willing to give back to the school in a number of ways. One valuable way of supporting the school and becoming a valuable member of the UNC Kenan-Flagler community is “giving back by giving advice.”

Become an Alumni Career Advisor
An excellent way to give back is to join our network of Alumni Career Advisors. This network has been in existence for about three years and has grown steadily since its inception. It now includes over 900 alumni of the BSBA, MAC, MBA and MBA for Executives Programs who have volunteered to assist fellow alumni or current students with their networking or in gathering information for their job searches.

Assist with Information Gathering
As a Career Advisor, you might be contacted by alumni or students interested in learning more about your job function, company, industry or location. In addition, you can share your insights on how you successfully changed careers, advanced in your company or returned to the work force after raising your family. While many people realize that networking is important, they don’t feel comfortable contacting strangers and don’t want to be a pest. The responsiveness and enthusiasm you can show as a Career Advisor can help our alumni and students become more comfortable with networking and allow them to build on their conversations with you.

Enhance Your Mentoring Skills
When speaking with alumni or MBA for Executives students, I also stress the importance of professional networking and finding and utilizing a mentor. While networking is an extremely valuable job search activity, it is equally valuable as a method of gaining new skills in your current job and better understanding the skills and attributes required by the positions to which you aspire. Finding a mentor within your company is usually the best option; if that is not possible, finding someone outside your company who is in a similar position or a position to which you aspire can be very helpful as well. As a Career Advisor, you can serve as an informal mentor to a fellow alumnus or student, enhance your mentoring skills and increase the value you add to your own company as well.

You can become an Alumni Career Advisor by going to www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/alumni and clicking on the left hand menu item, “Join Career Advisors.” I know you will find it to be a very rewarding experience!