The Magic of Alumni Networking: Fast-Track Your Job Search with This "Secret" Strategy

A year ago, I published "The Ultimate (5-Step) Job Search Strategy," describing a simple methodology that has consistently been working exceptionally well for the relatively small number of individuals willing to make the effort to follow it.

As my New Year's gift to readers this year, I'm going to describe another strategy, which is also seldom used but has proven over the years to be highly effective. It can be used either on a stand-alone basis or in combination with the one presented last year.

Almost everyone in the job market has graduated from an academic or professional program of some sort: college, graduate/professional school, trade school—or, at least, high school. Often, they are graduates of more than one such program. The success of the strategy described here is based on the principle that?a school tie is one of the strongest types of social associations that exist, outside of family. By leveraging such associations, you can often achieve remarkable results, which otherwise might not have been possible.

In my observation, MBA programs do the best job of promoting their alumni networks. Even before students are admitted to the program, the value of the alumni network after graduation for career development is heavily emphasized—on the program website, at presentations and in other ways. Most other programs, however, do not do a very good job of spreading the word about the value of leveraging their alumni networks.

PLAN A: The Basics

Career counseling clients I assist, typically in combination with resume work, repeatedly express surprise at the power and simplicity of this approach, the logic of which is unassailable. In bare-bones form,?here's how it works:

For what we'll call PLAN A, contact the alumni association for whichever schools and programs of which you are a graduate or are on track to graduate from. (The system works for internships, too, by the way, for students who have yet to receive their diploma.) Ask whether the alumni association has any kind of mentorship program by which a recent or soon-to-be graduate can get guidance from alums who volunteer their time to do this. If such a program exists, sign up for it (and join the alumni association, especially if it's a requirement for participation in the program).

Sometimes, the way that such a program works is that the alumni office will give out contact information for a certain number of alums at a time who have volunteered to mentor recent grads (you would of course ask for alums working in your field or the one in which you aspire to work). Before you contact the individual, do your homework about the person's situation and achievements. Check their profile on LinkedIn, following the links, and see what else a search online turns up. Then send that person a thoughtful email, reflecting the fact that you have done your homework and requesting an "informational interview."

It is important to note the importance of refraining at this point from asking for anything other than an informational interview.?It would not be advisable to immediately ask for a job or a job referral or anything other than the opportunity for an informational interview. As long as an alum has volunteered to participate in the program and you ask for the interview politely, your success for this first critical step is virtually assured. After the interview, whether it be conducted in person or virtually, be sure to send a polite thank-you note. Express your appreciation for the person's time and expertise, possibly mentioning some of what you consider your most valuable takeaways from the meeting. Also mention your plan to keep in touch (e.g., "I hope you don't mind my keeping in touch with you, as I consider your guidance invaluable").

What you’ll find is that?a certain number of the alums you interact with this way will eventually offer, of their own initiative, to help you in various ways. You will not have to ask, in other words. They will offer, voluntarily.

My First Client Success Story

My earliest client success story with this approach dates back almost 30 years. I was assisting an international student who wanted very much to remain in the US after completing a master's program in business administration. If she didn't find a job soon, she would have been obliged to return to her country of origin. And she wasn't getting anywhere with the conventional approach to job hunting, sending off resumes in response to job posts. Out of desperation, perhaps, she took my advice to try the alumni association method described above. She connected with an alumna at a major financial institution, where her title was senior vice president & senior market executive, specializing in community development programs in several states. She took my client under her wing, almost immediately offering her a choice position as her personal assistant! A crisis was thus averted, as a fruitful career in financial services began. "This is like magic!" my client said excitedly, upon getting her new job (thus, the title of this article).

Most jobs get filled by people someone knows.

Since that time, numerous clients I've worked with have enjoyed similar success with this simple but powerful methodology. As Treehouse CEO Ryan Carson was quoted in my earlier article as saying, "Most jobs get filled by people someone knows."?When you are referred by someone who knows the hiring manager, you become?the person with the "inside connection,"?the person known to others who gets the job—or at least, the person who gets a chance at getting the job.

PLAN B & PLAN C, in a Nutshell

What if none of the schools or programs you have attended have the type of formal alumni mentoring program described above? No problem: let me share with you?two ways that you can in effect create your own alumni mentoring program.

The first way?(PLAN B) is to join the alumni association, giving you access to a directory or at least some kind of online forum, through which you can reach well-established, successful alums in your field. If there is a searchable directory, contact individuals in your field, after doing some research on them. Pay them an appropriate compliment and ask them a thoughtful question, relating to your common career track. As stated in my earlier article, "All sound relationships begin with a CONVERSATION." Think of the dialogue you are seeking to initiate as such a conversation. If there is no directory but there is a forum, post a question to the forum, seeking general guidance, as opposed to specifically asking for a job.

All sound relationships begin with a CONVERSATION.

After dialog has been established, request an informational interview, the same way you would through the type of official alumni mentor program described above. From that point, the process works exactly the same way.

A second way?to create your own alumni mentoring program (PLAN C) is through the use of LinkedIn. When you are ready to begin, take advantage of your 30-day free trial period to upgrade to LinkedIn's Premium Career plan, which will allow you better search capabilities than you would have without it. Search for graduates of your school or program in your desired field. Experiment with the search parameters, searching for both higher-level executives and hiring managers at the types of companies for which you would like to work. Follow the methodology for contacting them described in PLAN B above.

If you're ambitious, with sufficient time to do so, you could implement PLANS A, B and C simultaneously. If PLAN A is not available to you, you could implement PLANS B and C. You could also implement any one or more of these plans in concert with the non-alumni association strategy described in?my article from last year.

What’s Holding People Back? How to Get Unstuck

Granted, as relatively uncomplicated as this strategy is—and as vastly superior as it is to the traditional cold-call shotgun approach used by most job applicants—most will continue to use that shotgun approach, even if it continues to bear no fruit for weeks or even months on end. Why? Because it's what people are familiar with, what they are used to. It is within their comfort zone.

If the job seeker is you or someone close to you, my question is a simple one:?Why not consider leaving your comfort zone for just a moment, to dramatically enhance your chances of success?with your job search? If you are determined to continue firing off resume after resume in shotgun approach, “cold calling,” mode, that is your privilege. But at least consider hedging your bets, so to speak, with one of the alternative approaches that I have proposed.

Whether you're actively searching for a job now or may be making a move at a later time, good luck with your career development! And if you know someone for whom this article might be helpful, feel free to forward the link along.

As dozens of five-star reviews on?Google?and?Yelp?attest, Daniel Berman has over the years been achieving excellent results with helping people write and improve their cover letters and resumes, not just for purposes of job applications but also as supporting material for applications to various types of programs, academic and professional. Readers are invited to access his?resume website?or email him directly ([email protected]) to discuss assistance, including career coaching.

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