GW News

Historic Gift
Research Investment

Tuition Affordability

A Faculty for Writing
Development and Alumni Relations
Alumni Newsmakers

Taking the Fast Lane
Crossing History

In Tune with TV

In Memoriam
Alumni Bookshelf
Artists' Corner

 


Archives
Subscribe
Contact Us
Advertising
Alumni Association
Law Alumni Association
GW News Center



Students and alumni mingle during the career networking event held in the Marvin Center’s Great Hall on Nov. 15, 2007, during the week of activities surrounding the Inauguration of President Steven Knapp.

Julie Woodford

Matt Moog, BA ’92, founder and CEO of Viewpoints Network, credits The George Washington University Career Center with “playing a pivotal role” in his professional life.


Reginald Grier, MS ’73, EdD ’79, MPA ’89, shares advice with GW students at a career networking event.

Julie Woodford

As a student, Moog attended a Career Center presentation about entrepreneurship featuring Crystal Ettridge, BA ’80, co-founder of Temps & Co. Moog followed up with a note thanking Ettridge for sharing her inspirational story. Upon receiving the note, Ettridge called Moog and offered him a paid internship. The relationship blossomed, and Temps & Co. paid for half of Moog’s tuition in his senior year.

As graduation loomed, Moog attended a Microsoft recruiting session for MBA and engineering students. Though he majored in political science, Moog and Anne Scammon, BA ’81, MA ’92, director of career learning and experience at the Career Center, convinced the recruiter that he had the entrepreneurial initiative the company needed. Moog worked at Microsoft for four and a half years before moving on to other ventures.

This fall, Moog returned to campus through the “How Do I Become A…” lecture series to discuss the entrepreneurial drive and experience required to create an online service company. Moog, who benefitted from a Colonial connection nearly two decades prior, now wanted to help current students and young alumni.

However, for most individuals, career success is not that simple— particularly during difficult economic times, when alumni networking and career services become all the more important.

Seeking and Offering Help

Although university career centers focus on student needs, alumni frequently inquire about the availability of services and recruiting opportunities.

“Our alumni were drawn to Washington, D.C., because of the opportunities available at GW and in our nation’s capital,” says GW Alumni Association President Richard Crespin, BA ’93, CEO and co-founder of The Delve Group Inc. “Networking and career advancement are important to us, not only as students and recent graduates but also throughout our working lives.”

Currently, the GW Career Center and each school-based career center offer select services to alumni (see “How GW Can Help You”). However, GW recently embarked on a plan to provide GW students and alumni with more.

In the fall, the GW Alumni Association created a working group to analyze current career center offerings and build toward the future. The group, chaired by Frank Kent, MA ’82, director of human resources at Americas at TANDBERG Inc., is collaborating with the Office of Alumni Relations, the Career Center, and the school-based career centers.

GW’s alumni network of 220,000 individuals in more than 145 countries is a tremendous resource for students and graduates. The goal of the working group is to harness the power of this network to facilitate lifelong learning and career connections.

“This initiative is going to take a long time to get it where we want, but I don’t think there is any better work to do,” Kent says. “A career transition is one of the key points in a person’s life, and I think we can do some great work to help alumni in this regard.”

This sentiment is echoed by alumni who volunteer their time and expertise. Those lending a hand include GW graduates with relevant experience in career counseling and human resources, such as Aspasia Apostolakis Miller, BBA ’82, director of career services, students, and young alumni at the Northwestern Alumni Association.

“When you assist a student or fellow graduate, you are strengthening the alumni community,” Miller notes. “The stronger the alumni community is, the better off the University is, and the better off all GW degree-holders are.”

There are several ways GW alumni can support students and fellow graduates in their career networking and development (see “How You Can Help GW” sidebar). The many alumni who recruit GW students and alumni for internships and jobs may be altruistic, but it also makes good business sense.

“As a graduate of GW, I know what GW demands, I know the culture, I know the type of students that excel,” says Antwanye Ford, BS ’87, MS ’93, president and CEO of Enlightened Inc. “Being an alumnus with a successful business gives me a competitive advantage in recruiting against larger organizations. I stress my GW connection to the students.”

Ford sees significant opportunities not only in recruiting students but also in expanding business partnerships with fellow GW graduates. “In business, trust is a key factor,” he says. “When we build business relationships with GW alumni there seems to be more of a commitment to successfully work together and to further the reputation of the school.”

Building for the Future


Steven Frenkil, BA ’74, a partner at Miles & Stockbridge, P.C., chats with students at a GW career networking event.

Julie Woodford

Having completed an inventory of available alumni career services, the GWAA working group now is setting its sights on maximizing current offerings, exploring new programs, and analyzing how to match services and volunteer opportunities with the needs of alumni at different stages of their lives.

Ideas being investigated include speed networking events for alumni and students, establishing relationships with private career counselors to provide alumni services at a reduced fee, and augmenting online capabilities for employer recruitment and career networking.

“The success of this initiative will depend not only on the service and tools provided by the University but also on the quality and quantity of alumni input and engagement,” explains Adrienne A. Rulnick, associate vice president for alumni relations and development. “We constantly assess the University’s services and are committed to exploring all avenues to improve what we offer GW alumni. We also want to ensure physical distance does not impede enthusiastic alumni from connecting with one another or getting involved in the life of the University.”

Electronic resources allow alumni around the globe to connect with fellow Colonials. Those who are looking for more personal interactions can interact with students and alumni in the Washington, D.C., area or at regional events throughout the world. The Office of Alumni Relations has developed a Web page (www.alumni.gwu.edu/career) that consolidates the career-related services and programs available to GW alumni.

The alumni association and University staff members working on this initiative recognize that enhanced alumni career services will benefit individuals while strengthening the GW community and bolstering the University’s prestige at the same time.

Jim Core, MA ’96, is a prime example of how career services can benefit both the individual and the University. After graduating from GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs, Core moved to Seattle. Four years and one failed dot-com later he returned to the nation’s capital without many promising job prospects.

“Lisa Stephenson at the Elliott School Career Center welcomed me back to D.C. and helped me like I had never left,” Core says. “The job market was tough after Sept. 11, but the staff introduced me to key alumni for informational interviews, helped me understand the job market in Washington, and gave me advice on how to transition back into D.C.”

Core settled in at the U.S. Department of State, where he currently works as a program analyst. And Core now stays in touch with GW by serving as a delegate to the Elliott School Alumni Association.

Kent, the working group chair, is motivated by theses stories as well as by the groundswell of support he has found during the first few months of GW’s career services initiative. As a human resources executive he has felt the highs and lows of economic cycles and is keenly aware of the value of university career services and alumni connections during difficult times.

“We want to bring it forward as a GW community value to help one another as we advance in our careers,” Kent explains. “We can build something here that will be a great and an enduring service for the GW community.”

Matthew Lindsay, MBA ’07, is GW’s director of alumni communications

How GW Can Help You

Job Seekers

 
Individual Service Description of Service
Career Networking Programs Connect with other alumni for career assistance
Career Consulting One-on-one appointment with a career consultant
Mock Interview Interview practice and feedback from a career consultant
Resume/Cover Letter Critique Have your resume/cover letter reviewed
Career Resource Materials Obtain written and/or electronic career resources
Job and Internship Postings Enjoy free access to online job/internship postings
Career and Job Fairs Attend career and job fairs
Career Programs Attend various career development workshops
On-Campus Recruiting Interview on campus with recruiting organizations

Employers

 
Recruiting Service Description of Service
Job and Internship Postings Post full-time, part-time, internships, and/or temporary positions
Career and Job Fairs Publicize and recruit for your organization
On-Campus Recruiting Recruit students for internships and full-time professional positions
Information Sessions Conduct an information session alone or in conjunction with on-campus interviews
Co-operative Education (Co-op) Hire students into temporary work that combines substantive, paid, and career-related work experience with academic study
Resume Referral, Resume Books Receive resumes of students that meet specific hiring criteria

Service offerings, fees, and restrictions vary among the GW Career Center and school-based career centers. Visit www.alumni.gwu.edu/career for more details.

How You Can Help GW

1) Post jobs and internships with your organization on GWork.

2) Join the GW Alumni Association group on LinkedIn.

3) Mentor students and alumni through the Career Advisor Network.

4) Participate in events and connect with GW alumni in your region.

5) Host students for a Dinner with Alumni.

6) Volunteer to advise students on their careers.

7) Reconnect through the Alumni Online Community.

8) Attend a Career Fair to recruit students or network.

9) Sign up to assist students with their resumes.

10) Support a GW Career Center through a financial gift.

Visit www.alumni.gwu.edu/career to learn more about these opportunities. Contact the GW Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-ALUMNI-7 or alumni@gwu.edu to get involved and share your ideas.