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By Maureen E. Moran ’89
Maybe it has been a few years since you ate a meal in
Kimball or heard a lecture in Beaven, but Holy Cross still
has much to offer when it comes to achieving your career
goals.
A newly launched career network offers career advice
and support to alumni/ae managing career changes and making
career decisions. According to Robert Wally ’68,
coordinator of the Student and Alumni Career Network, “our
goal is to provide information, opportunity and support
that will result in enhanced career success and satisfaction.”
More than an element of the program’s name, the
word “network” is key to its mission: to create
a link between those seeking career advice and those in
a position to provide assistance. “With more than
32,000 living Holy Cross alumni,” says Wally, “both
the need and the source of support for such a network
are clear.”
Alumni seeking assistance in achieving their career
goals can access the career network in several ways, including
a Web site linked from the General Alumni Association
Services page of the Holy Cross Web site, available at:
http://www.holycross.edu/departments/alumnidev/alumni/career/
Once an alumnus/a is a registered user, he or she is
then able to utilize this online professional networking
resource. Alums can check an online directory, take advantage
of a career center and message boards, and sign up to
become career advisers through the “Career Planning
Volunteer” option. The Career Planning Volunteer
Indicator identifies those alums who have agreed to serve
as career advisors. In addition, registered users can
set up a permanent e-mail address through the College;
this address can be configured to forward messages to
a work or home e-mail address.
In his role as network coordinator, Wally is available
to offer alums assistance in refining a career-related
inquiry or identifying career opportunities. In addition,
he recommends career advisers–graduates who are
willing to share their knowledge and “lessons learned” with
fellow Crusaders–and facilitates contact between
advisers and those seeking their advice. Wally, who has
a background in counseling and education administration,
also provides ongoing follow-up with alumni/ae and students.
“Holy Cross graduates are a wealth of information
concerning almost any conceivable career path,” Wally
says. “Because of their commitment to being ‘men
and women for others,’ they are willing to share
their time and knowledge with those who are striving to
make their way in a job market that is increasingly characterized
by multiple career changes and high mobility.”
The assistance the network adviser provides is practical
in its scope: informational interviews that offer career
information and insight; resume review and advice; networking
opportunities and personal referrals; and job-seeking
strategies.
“Our goal is not to find a job for someone,” Wally
says. “Instead, we want to make certain those who
seek our advice and assistance have all the tools they
need to make good career choices.”
Funded by the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust,
the career network was launched in June 2004 to expand
the existing practice of offering career advice and networking
opportunities to alums as well as students. Although this
ambitious project has been under way for just a few short
months, Wally has already made significant strides. In
October, letters were sent to 7,400 career advisers with
the goal of updating and solidifying an existing database
of advisers.
In November, Wally organized a Senior Class Career Networking
Evening for the Class of 2005, hosted by the GAA and the
College’s Career Planning Center . The soon-to-be
graduates had the opportunity to network and learn more
about various professions from 42 alums who represented
19 fields, ranging from marketing and sales to counseling,
real estate and social services.
Judithe Andre ’98, a marketing professional who
participated in the November event, was impressed with
the quality of the questions that students posed, as well
as the professional manner in which they approached the
event.
“The students maintained a professional and outgoing
decorum that would be expected of them in any professional
networking environment,” she says. “They should
be commended for aggressively trying to map out the paths
in which they will launch their careers so early in the
year.”
John Winters, director of the College’s Career
Planning Center , has high praise for the efforts of alums
who take the time to share their experiences with both
graduates and students.
“For those students in the early stages of career
exploration, advisers offer firsthand insight into careers
that are of interest to students,” he says. “For
those who have already developed a focus, advisers are
a great source of information and advice regarding a student’s
search for an internship or first professional position.”
As he pushes ahead with an ambitious plan to connect
alums, Wally is already seeing the fruits of his labor. “An
increasing number of alumni/ae have sought assistance
with career networking, and the Student and Alumni/ae
Career Network has responded with personal contacts, the
identification of career advisers, and follow-up to make
certain that alumni/ae are finding the network helpful,” he
says. “Today’s workplace is vastly different
than the workplace of 20 years ago. Because things change
so quickly, we must stay on top of those changes so that
the services we provide alumni/ae and students allow them
to position themselves competitively.”
Wally has high praise for alums who form the backbone
of the network. “It is both encouraging and gratifying
to see the assistance and support that alumni/ae career
advisers offer,” he says. “As we continue
to grow the network, it promises to become an even busier
and more beneficial resource for alums and students.”
For more information concerning the network –whether
as someone seeking career assistance or one willing
to provide it–contact Bob Wally ’68, coordinator
of the Student and Alumni/ae Career Network, at (508)
793-3758 or rwally@holycross.edu.
Maureen Moran ’89
is a member of the GAA Communications Committee and
a freelance writer based in Mansfield, Mass.
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