Making connection stories

What is working

Suggestions for improvement

Tips for success

Thoughts on responding to alumni emails

Some data on number of connections

NOTE:  All comments below carry the permission of the respondents to share their views.

MAKING CONNECTION STORIES

1. An alum contacted me responding to my need in my ad a week after I put up the ad.
2. One professor from Iowa State contacted me about a Vet program at his school.
3. I got a response saying that I should apply to a firm in Minneapolis. I was already thinking of applying because some other people had told me about it too, so I put the Engagement Wanted responder as my referrer on my application, and ended up getting the job.
4. As I'm going to grad school next year, I wasn't looking for a job or internship. However, I do have an interest in science writing, so I put out an add looking for advice on getting into science writing, and how to foster that interest in grad school. One person contacted me, an entymology grad student who's looking into getting into science writing after grad school. She gave a lot of good advice, and shared her own experience in science writing with me. At this point, it seems like we have the beginnings of a long term conversation about the subject.
5. I was contacted by an alum who offered not only her own advice, but that of her husband, who is employed in a field in which I am interested and gave me two more contact in the geographic area I was looking to move to this summer.  It was a very pleasant surprise.
6. One of my two connections was actually an alumnus trying to network off of my connections.
7. An alumni contacted me almost immediately with advice, and even though she personally was not involved in the field I am interested in, had already forwarded my blurb to several other alumni who were in that field.  Although I didn't end up finding a summer job, I was told by several alums to check again for next summer.
8. I met up with an alum when she was on campus, and we chatted about the publishing industry, how it's changing, and her experiences in it.
9. One alum liked my description of the skill set Carleton gave me and met me for about an hour at Sayles one day to give advice on figuring out what I want to do with myself.
10. A Carleton alumni received my profile and "e-ntroduced" me via email to her best friend from Carleton who was living in Chicago (where I am moving) and doing the work I aspire to do. After a few emails we made a date to chat on the phone. She was super friendly and offered to help in any way -- from moving to the city to helping me network.
11. A recent Carleton alum emailed to recommend I apply to a volunteer program I had already applied to, and I wrote back to thank her.
12. I've spoken to a couple of people who have gotten me in contact with peers or fellow alums to discuss my career goals.
13. I spoke with an alum, also a history major, about law school and the life led following Carleton.  She talked about how she came to go to law school, what her Carleton career did for her, and how to prioritize post-Carleton activities.
14. I got 2 people to respond each of whom informed me of an internship.
15. I was contacted by an alum outside of my given field nearly immediately after the profiles were sent out.  She was very helpful in helping me work on networking despite her inability to directly refer me to a firm in my field of interest.  She had lots of good things to say about our engagement process, and in all, I felt that connecting with other alums on the national sphere may one day be useful/fruitful.
16. I have connected to three people so far. Two of them have given me ideas for careers I might potentially pursue. It has been great to talk to people in the field so that I can test out the profession without actually working in it.
17. I received information about a man who did the exact same thing I did (abroad programs and all) while at Carleton and then did in grad school my exact plan. It's inspiring that my plan has already worked even though I feel much less original.
18. A friend's mom contacted me to share with me a job searching web site she knew of, though she didn't know of anything in my interest area at that time.  A few weeks later she contacted me again, to let me know that she'd heard of an opening that made her think of me, which was extremely thoughtful.
19. I was contacted by an alumnus about putting me in contact with previous coworkers in a company he used to work at. He told me he would contact me when after finding out if his contact still worked at the company, and I was uncertain whether to respond and thank him yet again, or whether to wait and hear from him.
20. I was looking for advice on graduate school in art history, and was contacted by an alum who had been an art history major, who put me in contact with a classmate who is currently a professor of art history.  This professor had lots of helpful advice in applying for grad school, and it also turned out that all three of us had studied on the same Winter-Break abroad program with Alison Kettering, albeit in different years, so we were able to reminisce about that, too!
21. [An alum] e-mailed me and apologized for taking so long to respond. Not only was it only a few weeks after I had posted my ad, but she had also taken the time to compile a list of good grad schools for hydrology and/or environmental science based on her feelings and recommendations from her colleagues. She and a couple others have now been connections for me to the general Sacramento-Bay Area part of California. That area not only has a great grad school for what I want to do (UC-Davis), but is also home to a number of USGS offices with jobs I would like.
22. The best contact so far has been with an alum who was possibly interested in hiring me for a entry-level engineering/statistics/computational physics job.
23. One alum put me in contact with another alum who is doing what I hope to do in the future. We spoke on the phone and she gave me some great advice and gave me a list of places at which to look for employment.
24. Two recent graduates and a 1949 graduate contacted me from Chicago, Berkeley and Memphis.
25. Nothing has been overly helpful. The impression that I have gotten is that the alums are prepared to help someone who has been lazy and not looked for a job. I've been trying to find a job for 6 months now and have already done most of the things the alums suggest.
26. I learned about what it's like to work for the government, and the alum gave me some really helpful details about the pros and cons of having a government position.
27. I've gotten a lot of replies saying "I know someone who knows someone. good luck."  I don't believe I've actually gotten any direct responses from people who are saying "hey! here's a great job for you!"
28. I have talked to people interested in helping me, but due to my current situation I said I would have to wait. They were receptive to me contacting them further down the line if I was still interested.
29. I have heard several stories from Carl alums who decided to go into the Ministry.  It was nice to hear about their path and the choices they made after school.
30. My first contact person had a few ideas for me, but what was even more amazing was that by the time she emailed me about these ideas, she had already contacted a friend to see if she would have any ideas for me. I have ended up with 2 contacts more directly related to my interests through her initial email.
31. I connected with an alum who worked in the field I'm interested in, and she let me know about some (paid!) internships with her organization! The timing didn't work for this summer, but next year I'll definitely apply!
32. I got advice on summer vacation travel plans through a contact on Engagement Wanted.
33. I have made several connections to people working in the field of green architecture or planning, and all of them have been happy to answer my questions and/or suggest further contacts.
34. I spoke to a Carleton graduate who works for the government.  She prompted me to investigate her field of work.
35. A woman on the West coast knew a contact in my field through her business, and introduced her to me. This connection is soon to result in an informational interview.
36. I have a job next year because of Engagement Wanted- an alum contacted me about doing a summer internship with her publishing company and after exchanging emails for awhile she extended it into a full time position for next year (if everything works out).  I'm VERY grateful for Engagement Wanted.

WHAT IS WORKING

1. Convenient bridge between students and alums. 
2. How easy it is to sign up and create a profile.
3. I think that more Carleton students need to network, and this is a pretty easy way to help start networking. I would encourage them against simply relying Engagement Wanted and to do their own networking.
4. The alum I spoke with was very enthusiastic and offered a lot of advice that was very helpful and insightful. I would imagine that if this was representative of the rest of the participants, this is a fabulous program.
5. I was impressed to have received a contact at all. It seems like the alumni base is quite broad and large.
6. I think that both alums and students seem very willing to participate.
7. It seems as if the program is increasing interaction among alums and students, and it is building the potential to keep alums active in Carleton.
8. Carls want to help carls!
9. Alumni genuinely want to help current students, which I really appreciate.
10. It is generating some responses, if slowly.
11. Well, I'm sure it's working well - it's just that I asked for positions in a rather specific area - working with homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, etc. - so I'm guessing the reasons not a lot of people have contacted me is because they don't have info to offer me!
12. I think the program can be hit or miss due to the randomness of the emailing, but when it is a hit, its great!
13. It demonstrates that Carleton alums are willing to share their thoughts/experiences with other Carls.
14. I feel connected to the real world and that there are people out there who are willing to offer guidance.
15. The alumni seem enthusiastic, from what I can tell.
16. Not much. I had expected that there would be more than 2 replies. One of the replies was for a postion that requires 3years of research experience which is impossible for a student.
17. It is fast and efficient.
18. Since it is an official connection through the college that alumni volunteer for, people are more likely to help out than if students contacted alumni through the tunnel alone.
19. Alumni are definitely finding me.
20. The alumni that participate are very helpful and accessible.
21. Alumni are willing to contact students and offer advice and sometimes connections and opportunities. The framework is also very friendly and inviting, making it more approachable and less intimidating to either students or alumni.
22. Alums are very helpful, process is easy.
23. Everything.
24. It is really good to get advice from different perspectives (outside of your family especially), but it is not useful for the alum to say `search the internet in this area and you'll find something'.
25. The whole idea is working very well I think.
26. I appreciate how intuitive alums are, given how short the profiles are.
27. People are really enthusiastic.
28. I definitely have gotten a lot of people wishing me luck, so I know that people are looking at the profiles.
29. Meeting helpful people.
30. It is nice to hear stories, as mentioned above.
31. I think alumni very much want to help you if you give them concrete ideas and also respond in a polite and timely manner. I have gotten many responses and have done my best to keep up with them and feel that I have made some great connections.
32. The non-intensity of the process is really nice - alums can respond or not, and it can be just a few lines. Likewise, for a student it's great, since the profile is already out there and set!
33. I have been very pleased thus far with the response rate of an initial contact.
34. I've received a lot of general contacts but very few concrete suggestions to move forward with.
35. I have gotten more responses than expected, which is great.
36. It's nice to simply hear from people.
37. The short blurbs are nice, I imagine, since they are easy to skim. It's also nice that, once we are in touch, the interactions are completely between the student and the alum.
38. It's working out well for me- I've gotten lots of contact numbers and offers for advice.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

1. Encouraging advice as much as actual jobs/experience. I think advice is implied, but in this economic climate it is probably more likely to get advice than an actual position.
2. It requires engagement on both sides so this is hard. It seems that besides targeting emails to hit marketing people if the student is interested in marketing is the most the Career Center can do besides encouraging both sides to engage.
3. Perhaps, try to match students more with people directly related to their potential career path. Although the alum with whom I spoke was very helpful and resourceful, it may have helped a little more if he could relate directly with my goals.
4. At this point, the program has worked for my purposes with it, and I'm not quite sure what I could recommend.
5. It would be nice to know a bit more about when the profile go out and how we can edit them when new circumstances arise so that the profiles don't become outdated.  My plans have changed, for example, but I don't know if the profile I originally sent out is still the one being sent. 
6. Even though I really appreciate general support and advice, it would be even more helpful if alumni with solid job leads could respond. But that's probably more related to the economy than any failure on the part of Engagement Wanted or of alumni.
7. I'm not sure - I can't really think of anything!
8. I haven't received a response in many weeks, though I had received three pretty soon after the program was launched. I dont know why this is the case, but sustaining interest could be something to improve upon.
9. I do not know much about how it currently works, but it might be nice for students to know when they can expect to hear from alums.
10. I think it's been pretty effective in my experience so far. Definitely start the junior class earlier though.
11. I'm not sure what the 'instructions' are to alumni but (see below) I think that more 'guided' advice on what to write, how to approach students, etc. might be helpful.
12. Send out the profiles more often.
13. There is not enough accountability on the side of the seniors.  Make respondees more accountable, perhaps by screening or some sort of checked agreement in order to participate.... I know some of my own friends are guilty lapsing to reply to alumni help.
14. Make it even bigger/increase the promotion among alumni and parents to recruit even more people willing to take part.
15. Make it more job oriented, rather than primarily focusing on advice.
16. I'm sure this is very difficult, but it would be helpful if you could find a way to set up people of similar interests.  I'm sure that this would take a lot of work, and I've been very happy with the program thus far.
17. I don't remember email etiquette being as stressed as much as how to create an effective profile, which I think ended up being as, if not more important, than the profile.
18. More focus by field/"looking for?"--so alums with specific areas of expertise can more easily be matched to students.
19. Nothing. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but this has worked about way better than I thought it would and I have no issues with it.
20. Create a database including the alumni information that particular majors keep track of- I know the physics department for instance tries to keep tabs on physics graduates- and have a cross-referenced spreadsheet of alumns and their jobs, maybe whether they're participating in engagement wanted, or what their advice is (if they have a profile), so that students can search for people who either a) graduated with their major and the jobs they're in now or b) for the job they want and how the alumns got there.
21. I have no idea how many alums are in the network and how many receive our little blurbs about ourselves. I think just expanding the network so even more alums have a chance to help is the best way to improve the program.
22. It might be nice to send things out in general fields (Government, education, health/medicine, art/history), in order to increase the chances of getting specific assistance.  'City-specific' tips might be helpful (in DC, for example, it's ALWAYS better to know someone...)
23. Insist to alums that a single email is not enough. Much like seniors were criticized for not responding to emails, I've now had Engagement Wanted alums not respond to my emails. This is really frustrating. Also, as much as advice is helpful, most of it can be given to you at the Career Center or found online. Alums should have connections to offer and REAL suggestions. If I wanted information about a career path, I would have emailed that alum asking them about it. Engagement wanted was not necessary for the information they are providing.
24. Seniors should get a little guidance to respond to all messages if that is to be assumed.  It might also be good to draft sample letters that express thanks for contacting, asking more questions, etc.
25. I would be more interested in having people contact me about jobs, so maybe getting more employers involved...?
26. It would be great if alums could offer real jobs...But, of course, that is asking a lot, especially with the economy being what it is.
27. I have been very pleased thus far. Maybe giving out more advice on what to do once someone contacts you. For example, I called a friend of a friend of my contact for career advice, the man I called had no relation to Carleton, and I was very unsure of how to approach the phone call. I got advice from the career center, but some short pieces of advice for making good phone calls, sending good emails etc. might be helpful.
28. I've been wondering if alums are getting too many emails - at first, I got a LOT of responses, but now I haven't gotten any for at least a month. I think maybe we're overworking the alumni network by sending five emails per week - maybe every other week, or even every month? I know one alum in the system, who said that even though he pretty much has a standard pre-written email that he sends out to students, it just was too much to do that and then have conversations with the ones who responded. It would be sad if we "maxed out" our network! Also, from a student's perspective, it was pretty daunting to hear from 4 people in a week and a half and to feel obligated to start conversations with each one, in between classes and everything else. Often I felt that thanking them wasn't really enough - I had to ask follow-up questions or describe more about myself for each email, which really did take a significant amount of time!
29. It would be helpful for those who indicate they might be able to talk to some people and get your name or resume out to give some brief status updates every once and a while.  I don't know exactly how to implement something like this but as students we do not want to be a nag of any sort but we are also trying to figure out job and career options on a somewhat confined time schedule and it would be helpful to have just a note every once and a while so that we do not bother the contacts.
30. Match us with alums that are in the same interest fields. If possible, have us read profiles of them, so we can contact them and not have to wait around.  Start earlier...like in the fall.
31. I think it's working quite well.
32. I think it is fine as what it is - a way to talk to people who know more than me.  From reading the comments of parents and alumni, it seems like some on the advice-giving side of Engagement Wanted think that we are expecting a lot from them.  I think that whatever a parent or alumni has to say to me, however unrelated it might seem, is valuable.
33. It seems fairly straightforward to me, actually, despite the complaints I've been reading.
34. I think now that it's been established it will be easier to get people to participate next time around.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

1. Making your goals/interests for employment VERY specific. It's contrary to liberal arts mentality, but people won't know what to give you if you don't know what to ask for.
2. I think that being specific on your profile is the most helpful thing to do. This will help the readers think about whether they know anything that would be helpful, and make them more likely to respond.
3. I was very specific with my ad and while I think I received fewer responses because of this, the responses I did receive were spot on.
4. Be overly friendly in reply emails, and don't expect a job to fall in your lap.
5. Be yourself in your blurb.  Let your sense of humor show.  And be honest about who you are and what you're looking for.
6. I've made sure to respond to every alum who's contacted me, even if that person didn't really have a concrete way of helping me but just wanted to offer insight or be supportive.
7. I'm just glad I actually put in the small amount of work to get into it.
8. I suppose it would have worked better if I had made a more general statement about what I was interested in.
9. Reply to everything and be courteous.
10. Asking the right questions and setting the agenda (or putting your own items on the agenda) is good.  The alum I corresponded with offered good advice to begin with, but it was also fruitful to ask her questions and delve more into what she was saying.
11. Uhh, I followed through on all the advice given to me from alums.
12. Contact promptly, act professionally.
13. Make sure to contact the people who contact you, whether you think they can help you or not. Carleton alumni know a lot of people and are not shy about referring you to them - so even if they cannot personally help you, someone they know might be able to.
14. I have failed to use engagement wanted successfully.
15. I think responding quickly and enthusiastically has been helpful.
16. Don't put off contacting alumni immediately, and respond after each message [right?]. Keep them up to date with what you're doing so they know not to worry about the opportunities or advice they provided you with.
17. Revised my ad at the help session.
18. Be frank. It'll help you to be concise and it will help you to get what you really want or to learn that exactly what you want isn't realistic.
19. I responded to every email expressing appreciation for their time. 
20. My job search was fruitful independent of Engagement Wanted.
21. I have responded with specific questions and asked for help, but the alums I've contacted have basically said, "here's a cool job you should apply for, good luck!" Bear in mind I've already applied for this job or the deadline was months ago and the alum did not know any contacts for this highly competitive organization they suggested. Basically, I think this is a good idea, but I think it needs to be stressed to the alums that not everyone has been "slacking" in their career searches and they need to provide non-superficial advice. Perhaps something as simply as resume forwarding.
22. I don't know if this has to do with engagement wanted, but I say apply for anything and everything because even if you think you're under-qualified, you may not be at all.
23. It is much more helpful for people who know exactly what they are looking for.
24. I have really enjoyed talking with people through e-mail.  All I did was set up an honest, sincere profile and people seemed to respond.
25. I think my "elevator speech" was more specific than others, which makes it easier for people to respond with clear advice/opportunities. I mentioned 2 or 3 possible career paths and about 4 activities or interests that I have had while at Carleton as well as which areas of my major (biology) I like the best. Giving specific career goals, interests, and activities has given my readers a good idea of who I am and whether they know of anything I might be interested in.
26. Thanking each alum, obviously. Also, by asking for additional information from alumni who had advice that related more directly to my interests, I was able to find out about the field and even gain some ideas of where to look for a job.
27. Respond to the e-mails you receive promptly.  Even if it is just a brief note saying that what they are mentioning is helpful but you think you are going in a slightly different direction.   You don't want to burn any bridges that might be good connections later on.
28. RESPOND to emails! No one likes someone who doesn't respond.
29. My ad was rather broad, seeking connections/information in anything related to environmental education or green building, and that has left a lot of room for a wide variety of responses.
30. I always thank the alumni and follow up on any leads that seem the slightest bit helpful - but at the same time, I don't worry about writing a novel every time I respond. Polite and concise are best. Also, having a very specific profile helps a lot.
31. I think it's much easier if you have specific goals that you're looking for-- I think it's less likely someone will contact you if you list yourself as interested in the environment than if you say you are looking for a position with a non-profit in X field.

THOUGHTS ON RESPONDING TO ALUMNI EMAILS

1. It's hard to know how to say thanks, but this isn't that helpful. What's a constructive way to do this?
2. One email was simply advice about how to phrase things on my profile and didn't seem to ask for or require a reply at all.
3. One appeared to simply be soliciting me, i.e., offering a job/lifestyle choice that was a) uninteresting to me b) strange, because I am already employed c) somewhat inappropriate given that the alum was NOT responding to anything that I had written, any of my interests, etc. and the lifestyle choice was completely opposite to everything I had put.
4. It was a general email to a bunch of seniors about 'if you're going to be in chicago...'.
5. I tried to at least respond to all of them but I came extremely busy and one or two may have gotten lost in my email. I feel very bad.
6. Busy during term/they didn't provide concrete advice.  I plan to respond within the first week of break, however.
7. I feel bad about not having responded to one. I really need to do that. It was a phone call and I get intimidated thinking about talking on the phone. But he wants to talk to me, so it's silly for me to be scared. The other one didn't seem to ask for a response at this point, but now that you mention it I should definitely send a 'thank you' response.

DATA

(note: this data represents information from all seniors to request for feedback on Engagement Wanted)

Number of students indicating they have been contacted by alumni:

• 1-3 times: 27
• 3-5 times: 13
• 5-7 times: 6
• 7+ times: 3