A Guide to Being an Alumni Advisor: The Next Step Network
Alumni Advisor will be connected with an alum seeking support for one of the following professional topics. Advisors will meet with this alum at least once to provide helpful information related to the topic chosen.
Alumni interested in being an Alumni Advisor can complete the Volunteer Recruitment Form below.
Below is an overview of the topics that alumni can be matched for.
Resume Review
Alumni who are interested in providing general resume reviews or tips for other alumni. These will be matched by current industry or by the industry an alum is currently working to break into. Each Alumni Advisor will be provided with a guide to support their resume review process. Alternatively, each alum seeking support will be given a set of expectations. Here are a few helpful details:
- These are general resume tips & tricks
- Use your experience in your industry
- Use the example resumes from each college to guide your conversation or correspondence
- You have the choice of tracking changes in the document and using email or a meeting (virtual) to chat about any edits you suggest.
- These are set up as one-time interactions, but if you and your assigned alum would like to continue correspondence, feel free!
Cover Letter Review
Alumni who would be interested in providing general cover letter review and guidance for fellow alumni. These will not be matched by industry, as the intent behind the cover letter is to articulate and expand upon an already strong resume or CV document. This review will focus more on the structure of the document and the articulation of already listed skills on a resume. Each alum seeking support with a cover letter will be required to share the job posting they are interested in applying for as well as their final draft resume. Here are a few helpful details:
- This is a general review of a cover letter, focusing on elaboration of skills (in the resume), grammar and spelling, and structure.
- As the advisor, you should receive the alum’s final draft resume, a draft of the cover letter, and the job posting (if applicable) prior to meeting with the alum (if you are scheduling a call vs working together via email).
- You don’t have to schedule a phone or video call; you are free to track suggested changes and work via email if that works better for the two of you.
Mock Interview
Alumni looking to either build their interview skills or practice for an upcoming interview will be paired with an Alumni Advisor who has volunteered to conduct a mock interview. These will take place via video call. Alumni can either set up their own calls or Emily can create a Teams Link for pairs to use. Below are helpful details for Alumni Advisors conducting mock interviews:
- A set of general interview questions will be provided to both the Advisor and the alum requesting assistance with interviewing.
- We recommend that the alum requesting a mock interview share their resume with the Advisor to assist in preparing for the mock interview.
- Advisors will also receive a scoring sheet to help guide the feedback and critique following the interview.
- Each party agrees that this is a one-time mock interview. If the pair would like to stay in touch, that is at their discretion.