To say that 2009 college graduates are entering an uncertain job market would be stating the obvious. According to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, unemployment is at a 25-year high and employers expect to hire 22 percent fewer graduates this year than they hired last year. Graduates will quickly learn that despite their top-tier education, it isn’t really what you know, but who you know.

Various UR alumni associations provide current students with several networking opportunities, including a University-based Web site and Linked In groups. However, these networking devices are somewhat static and fail to acknowledge that networking is a two-way street that involves relationship building and a back-and-forth exchange of information.

Some universities are using more collaborative means to facilitate networking. For example, the University of Minnesota provides students with the opportunity to participate in a well-established mentoring program that encourages a partnership between alumni and students to achieve career goals. At the end of April, NC State will hold a networking “webinar” in which alumni and current students could share techniques, ideas and resources to help NC State graduates become as competitive as possible in the workplace. Syracuse University organizes alumni shadowing trips, in which a group of students with interest in a specific field visit several alumni in their place of work over the course of a few days and shadow them.

There are now several major university alumni organizations using Twitter to discuss latest alumni achievements, job listings and general updates. This is certainly an approach that can engage current students and young alumni.

The benefit of collaborative networking is two-fold. The first benefit is that it works. Networking is proven to aid in a more successful job search. The second is that by collaborating and fostering relationships with current students, alumni are reinvesting themselves in the University.

Even if the University does not adopt a formal approach, alumni and current students can collaborate to foster networking. Alumni are always willing to talk with students, so any sort of program that is created could easily be self-sustaining. What kinds of networking opportunities would students like to see implemented? We encourage you to share your thoughts.

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Alumni Spotlight

Kenan Warner ‘04
Current City: Washington, DC
Major: Chemical Engineering
Favorite UR memory: Every Dandelion Day
What he’s up to now: I am an Associate Engineer with Groundwater and Environmental Services in DC. I characterize environmental contamination to design and build treatment systems for remediation of soil and groundwater that was impacted by industrial chemicals.
Contact info: kenan.warner@gmail.com