career insights - Office of Career and Leadership Management

The Office of Alumni Relations and Office of Career Services and Leadership Management are pleased to offer a special opportunity to meet virtually with alumni for career mentoring!

Mentoring Program Overview

Through this program, students can request to connect with up to 2 alums per month for 1:1 conversations to:

- Gain insights and perspectives about a career path, field, organization, or industry;
- Get advice about career planning, searching and applying for jobs (including resume writing), networking, interviewing, or navigating life after CSSW; OR
- Seek support in general from someone who’s been in your shoes as a student

Interested?

1. Fill out this mentoring program interest form. On the form, you will find a link to a directory with a list of all available volunteer mentors. Select the one you’re interested in meeting. Note that you will have to complete this form for each request.
2. After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirmation as well as an introductory email from Jennifer March from Alumni Relations connecting you to the alum of choice within 2 business days. If you don’t hear from Jennifer in that time frame, please email her at [email protected].
3. Once you receive the email, it will be your responsibility to arrange a meeting directly with the alum using the contact information provided. While Zoom meetings are recommended, you can choose a platform that works best for both you and the alum.

Remember: This is NOT a forum to ask for a job or a recommendation for a job, but rather an opportunity to gather valuable information based on their knowledge and expertise.

After the initial meeting, it will be up to you and the alum to decide whether to stay in touch.

For more information, refer to our program overview.

Questions?

For general questions about our alumni mentors, please email Jennifer March at [email protected].

You can also refer to our Informational Interview Guide or schedule an appointment with our office to discuss your questions further.

We hope you take advantage of this opportunity!

Last Wednesday, we had the pleasure of learning about careers in development from Angelie Singla ’06, who spoke about her own journey in the field and how she leveraged her social work background to secure funding for her organizations. Many social work skills and attributes were discussed, including the ability to:

Understand the needs, goals, and mission of an organization;
Build and cultivate relationships with both donors and internal stakeholders across the organization; and
Persuasively communicate and advocate for a cause and inspire others to invest in the issues, whether through grant proposals or other fundraising campaigns.

Thank you, Angelie, for sharing your story, insights, and tips on this career path!

Want to learn more about careers in development? Conduct informational interviews with professionals in the field and explore resources and associations such as Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFPNET), Chronicle of Philanthropy, and Candid (merge of the Foundation Center and GuideStar).

Tag: career insights

Get Career Advice from an Alum through our Fall 2020 Mentorship Program!

Careers in Development with Angelie Singla ’06