January 2001

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Alumni provide valuable resources to job seekers

Photo by Dan Sears

The Career Services office needs you.

Yes, you.

Dozens of students are now in the midst, or soon will be, of the hunt for their first job upon graduation this spring. And countless alumni and friends of the School also are seeking new employment.

The fuel for both groups is networking. I often tell students that one of the School's most powerful attributes is the powerful bond alumni feel toward Chapel Hill. In the abstract, it is often hard for current students to grasp that sense of connection. But it definitely exists.

For many students, it takes just one e-mail or phone call to an alumnus of the School. They quickly find that our alumni are treasure-troves of advice about finding that first job, hooking up with the right contact or knowing the right company, station or newspaper to choose.

But don't take my word on the importance of networking. Go to the expert, a "lifeline" of sorts (to steal from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"). Margot Carmichael Lester is a 1980 graduate of the School and owner of The Word Factory, a Los Angeles-based marketing agency.

Through the years, Margot has served up a large helping of real world advice to many, many students in the School. She encapsulated much of that advice in the book Real Life Guide to Starting Your Career, published in 1998 by Pipeline Press and now in its second edition.

"Networking isn't high-pressure sales. It's the kinder, gentler version of sales. ... The idea is to get in front of people who do the jobs you want and pick their brains for information on how you can join them in their profession,'' Lester writes.

You have so much to offer, and in counseling students I encourage them to take that leap of faith, reach out of their comfort zones and contact you. Who knows the job market and what is needed to land a good first job better than someone like yourself, someone already successful in of the field of mass communication?

Before making that contact, we counsel students to be prepared, to do their homework. They will, if all has gone according to plan, know something about your company, newspaper or station. They will have a sense of what is going on in public relations, advertising, news or graphic design.

This is where you come in. The more folks students can contact, the better. In essence, once the relationship is forged, students will have more eyes and ears bird-dogging job leads for them.

Here is how Lester puts it:

"Friends and family are a great resource because these 'operatives' often hear of openings in their own organizations long before wants ads are ever placed. They will give you an early-warning system for good jobs at good companies. They're also likely to tell their friends and colleagues about you, expanding your personal network exponentially."

For School students, alumni and friends fall in that category of "friends and family." The Career Services office needs all the help alumni and friends can offer. Please let me know where you are working and what you are doing. Simply drop me an e-mail at jeubank@email.unc.edu or send me one of your business cards.

If you know about other key people involved in hiring at your business, let me know. Or if there are trends or professional associations that students need to be plugged into, let me know.

But don't break out in a sweat. Students who are seeking to network won't hound you. I often encourage them to contact alumni and friends via e-mail. That way you can answer questions at your convenience. It also is a little less intimidating to students and gives them a chance to compose more intelligent questions.

Students aren't the only folks who benefit from networking. Alumni and friends in the job market also benefit from the myriad of contacts offered by former classmates. If you need help with contacts, please contact the Career Services office.

You have so much to offer. The School needs you, but more importantly, we appreciate your time, advice and encouragement to current students.

Plus, you never know. You might be giving the next Charles Kuralt, David Brinkley, Karen Jurgensen or Ed Vick his or her first break.