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Alumni Association,
CAPS to offer on-line career network
The new network is one of several programs aimed at linking
U of C students and alums.
The U of C Alumni Association and the University’s Office
of Career and Placement Services will launch an on-line career network
early next year.
The Alumni Career Network, a password-protected, searchable database
on the World Wide Web, will allow students and alumni to find contacts
working in their fields of interest.
This initiative, says CAPS director Bob Riesman, AM’88, is
the latest in a series between CAPS and the Alumni Association that
seeks to connect students and alumni in more direct and different
ways.
“Students often report that the most valuable career advice
they get is from U of C grads who have successfully translated their
U of C experiences into fulfilling jobs and careers,” says
Riesman. “The alumni career network will make more alumni available
to more students than ever before.”
The Web-based career network is designed to provide students and
alumni with access to up-to-date contact information from anywhere
they can log onto the Internet.
“All this information on what’s hot or what you need
to do to get a foot in the door changes so often,” says Penny
Sarlas, AB’96, assistant director of regional activities and
career and student programs at the Alumni Association. “Books
and magazines are good, but they’re no substitute for people.
This system can expand the spectrum. It’s information gathering
that’s establishing connections between people who share common
ideas.”
Sarlas is preparing for the launch of the network by collecting
career and contact information from more than 2,000 alumni worldwide.
“The breadth of the people is simply amazing,” says Sarlas.
“We’ve had responses from alumni ranging from a zoologist
to the ambassador to Moldova.”
Riesman notes that opportunities for students and alumni to link
up have increased over the past several years. “Alumni are
uniquely equipped and motivated to provide insightful career guidance,
both to students and other alumni,” he notes.
Career Exploration Night, held in Ida Noyes Hall in October, gives
students an informal setting in which to talk to dozens of alumni
from a variety of fields about their careers.
All third-year students in the College are invited to Taking the
Next Step, a day-long conference held in downtown Chicago in January.
The event features some 50 alumni panelists speaking on such topics
as “What I Look for When I Interview and Hire U of C Students.”
Last May, the Alumni Association and the Alumni Club of New York
organized a career networking reception at the Time-Life building,
giving young alumni the chance to mingle with alumni leaders in
finance, publishing, law, and other fields. Michael J. Klingensmith,
AB’75, MBA’76, president of Sports Illustrated,
hosted the event. Planning for follow-up career events in San Francisco
and New York is under way.
For more information on these and related programs, contact Penny
Sarlas at p-sarlas@uchicago.edu
or phone 773/702-2158. —E.C.
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