W&M alumni mentors/advisors now housed in Tribe Connections
Conduct informational interviews
{{youtube:medium:left|XcPKDIm9UZU, Find W&M alumni mentors in Tribe Connections}}
This is one of the best services we offer you! Tribe Connections is about meeting people who do things that interest you. Whether you're exploring career options, looking for advice about your job/internship search, or hunting for an apartment in a new area, using Tribe Connections is a great way to get started. All of these alumni volunteered to make themselves available to you for career-related advice.
Note: These alumni have volunteered to be information resources for you—it is not appropriate to solicit them for funds or sales leads!
If you don't yet have a LinkedIn account, you'll have to do this first, then join the Tribe Connections group.
* Search the Tribe Connections 'members' tab to send a message directly to individuals at no charge.
Are you feeling too shy to approach a total stranger?
- We have scripts to get you started
- Etiquette of Informational interviews
- Sample questions
- External Links
Still hesitating to contact an alum?
*Search the Tribe Connections 'members' tab to send a message directly to individuals at no charge.
Remember, this alum ASKED to be put in this database because s/he WANTS to talk to you! Your initial contact will be through the Tribe Connections group in LinkedIn.com. Keep it brief and personalize it--nobody likes to get somthing that looks like spam!:
"I'm a W&M sophomore, and would like to talk to you about your experiences in the xyz career field."
"I'm a W&M senior planning to move to your city to conduct my job search. I'd like 15 minutes of your time to get insights about living in and job searching in xyz city ."
"I'm a W&M junior panning to go into xyz, and would like to ask you about your graduate degree program. I'm trying to decide between in and xyz."
Etiquette—Do's and Don'ts of informational interviewing
Remember that the goal is to have a real conversation with someone. If you can at all arrange a face-to-face meeting, that would be ideal. Failing that, a telephone conversation. You might wind up just exchanging emails through the Tribe Connections system initially.
- DON'T ask for a job -- even if you are bursting to do so! You could, however, say something like this: "I really enjoyed meeting with you and learning about your television station and what a producer does. WGJX is the kind of setting where I would like to work. Do you know of stations with a similar work culture that I might contact?"
- DO send a thank-you note/email immediately, referencing some point or bit of information from your discussion
- Do stay in touch! Your goal here is to build relationships with people, not have a series of one-off conversations.
Keep it light and breezy: "Thanks for talkinng to me last spring about xyz; I was able to xyz with the information." "I see that congress has xyz; how is that impacting your mission?" "I found this blog article, and thought you'd find it interesting." "I'm going to the xyz conference, will I be able to meet you there?"
- DO research the field/industry/organization you're exploring so you have good questions to ask. You want to make a good impression on these people you are meeting.
- DO try to arrange to have a face-to-face conversation, or at least a phone conversation. You want this interaction to be as real and human as possible.
- DO schedule about 30 minutes for the interview and be aware of the time. Watch for cues that it's time to leave, such as glancing at a watch, or winding down a conversation.
- DO dress as if you're going to a job interview or as professionals in this type of work would dress. You don't want to embarrass yourself or your contact. DO pay attention to your thoughts, body signals, and reactions during the interview. If you feel energetic and excited, this type of atmosphere may suit you. If you feel bored or tired, perhaps this isn't a match.
- DON'T book too many interviews back-to-back. Allow flexibility in case your contact chooses to spend more time with you or to introduce you to others.
- DO ask for names of more people to contact, and if it's okay to use his/her name when you contact others.
Sample Informational Interview Questions
Preparation:
What preparation is necessary for entry level jobs in this field?
How important is graduate school in this field?
Could you recommend some courses that I should be taking now in preparation for a career in this field?
How does your education and experience relate to what you are doing now?
How did you get into this field and into this position? What are some alternative routes into the field? What kind of background, training, special programs or other learning experiences does one need to enter the field?
What professional journals, books, newspapers or publications do people in your field generally read? Are any professional associations particularly influential?
Is there any advice you would give someone just entering the field, maybe something that you wish someone had mentioned when you were starting?
Lifestyle:
What kind of "lifestyle" choices have you had to make? How many hours do you work in a typical week? Do you take work home at night?
Is travel involved in your job and if so, how often are you traveling?
What is the typical salary range for an entry-, mid-, and upper-level position?
Do you need to dress in a particular way?
Has your work experience differed very much from what you imagined it would be? In what way?
Job Outlook:
Do you anticipate employment in this field to grow, decrease, or remain stable?
What are the opportunities for advancement? Is there a high turnover rate and if so, why?
What types of employers hire people in your line of work?
You mentioned that you made a transition into this field from another career path. How difficult was this?
What job choices are there within this field and to what types of other organizations can one move?
Job Routine:
Describe how you spend your time during a typical work day/week.
What major satisfactions do you derive from working in this field?
What are some of the issues/problems that you must deal with in your work?
(If you are interested in the company the alumnus is working for) Could you tell me a little about the management style here? How are promotions decided? What does one need in order to be successful in this field?
Job Search Techniques:
What strategies would you be using if you were in a job search for a position in this field?
Would you mind reviewing my resume and giving me feedback on it?
What types of questions should I expect when interviewing for a job in this field?
Could you give me the names of others who might tell me more about your field? May I say you suggested I contact them?
Student Instructions:
- Username: Your W&M email prefix up to the "@" sign followed by _wm (Example: axhenderson_wm) Password: Your entire student ID number. On your first visit to this site you will be asked to complete your personal profile--only complete the required fields.
- Click on "Alumni Mentors" located on the navigation bar at the top of the page.
- You can conduct a simple search by Job Function, Job Title, or Industry, or you can conduct an Advanced Search. Begin searching by using as few criteria as possible; you can always narrow the search if necessary.
- If you would like to see more detail about an alum, you may click View Mentor Profile. Once you have found a mentor you would like to contact, click Send Mentor Connection Request.
- From there, you will draft an e-mail message to the mentor. You may use some of our pre-designed templates to get started, but make sure to personalize and customize your message. You don't want it to feel like mass or junk e-mail!
- Once you click Send, an e-mail will be sent to that person, asking them to Accept or Decline your request, also including your e-mail address so they may contact you directly.
- What to do if that alum hasn't followed up in a week or two? Please write alumnicareer@wm.edu and we will do our best to make sure that we have their most current e-mail address on file.
TIP: To organize your contacts, you may use "Tags" which operate similarly to folders.
External Links
- Quaint Career's Informational Interviewing Tutorial - a thorough guide to informational interviewing.
Access Tribe Connections through LinkedIn
1. Create a free LinkedIn account by going to LinkedIn.com
2. Log into your LinkedIn account
3. On the top right of the page is a search box.
a. Change the search paramater to "Groups"
b. Search for "Tribe Connections"
4. Open Tribe Connections and click the 'subscribe' button.
* You don't have to complete your LinkedIn profile before contacting an alum in Tribe Connections--however, people are more likely to respond to you if they can see who you are.
3 Things to remember before contacting a W&M alum advisor/mentor
- Don't ask these alumni for a job or an internship--they've volunteered to serve as advisors, not to place you. If you are fortunate, the alum may be able to point you to a specific job, but that can't be your expectation.
- Do keep in mind that as much as these alumni want to help you, they are very busy! Be respectful of their time and energy. Be courteous. Thank them for any information or advice they can share.
- Stay in touch, even if this alum has no direct input on your immediate goals! Your goal is to build relationships with people, not have a series of one-off conversations. The alumni have invested their time and attention with you and would like to know what happens to you.