How to Connect with Alumni

Over 25 Years of Alumni Helping Students and Other Alumni!

Alumni are a great resource to connect with and consult when considering a major, graduate or professional school, or simply to find out more about a particular career field. The Alumni Careers Network (ACN) is a database of alumni who have volunteered to provide advice about these types of issues. Many alumni also volunteer to assist with summer jobs/internships, full-time positions, and/or to host students at their place of work.

How to use the ACN

The ACN may be searched in a variety of ways: class year, field of employment, geographic location, major/department while at Princeton, graduate/professional degree and educational institution, keywords, or by name of alumna/us. If you want to connect with alumni who are working in a career field that you think sounds interesting, and you want to know what majors were chosen by alumni who are doing that line of work, you may want to search broadly and not limit your search to a narrow geographic location or class year range. If you wanted to find alumni working in arts and entertainment in New York, NY, you could use the city and state fields and select Arts and Entertainment in the Field of Employment drop-down box. For alumni who have volunteered, the system will list their contact information, their employment information, their degree information, and a list of things they've volunteered to do such as give career advice or help with internships.

What do I say, now that I’ve identified alumni to connect with?

While alumni are willing to offer assistance and advice, it will be most helpful if you know in advance just what help you are looking to receive. Vague questions such as “I don’t know what I want to do after Princeton, can you offer advice?” are unlikely to be answered with satisfaction. So, before you even contact an alum, give some thought to what it is you want to gain from the discussion. (Review the information on Information Interviewing if you are exploring majors/careers, and Networking if you want to make connections for internships, jobs, or graduate school.) Ideally you would want to meet with alumni in person, but since this may not be possible contact may be made by email or by phone. Prepare your introduction beforehand if you find yourself at a loss for words when talking with someone for the first time.

Email contact :

In your introductory email indicate your interest in the alum’s profession and organization/company, as well as your desire to talk with her/him about it. State that you plan to telephone in the next 4-5 days to arrange an appointment. Do not expect the person to call you back. Make the follow-up call as you stated you would. Here's a sample email:

Dear Ms. Sage,

I am a junior at Princeton majoring in English. I have been interested in learning more about writing careers, especially in advertising, and found your name and contact information using the Alumni Careers Network. I noticed that you also majored in English, and am wondering how you entered the field of advertising. I have been writing for The Daily Princetonian, and thought that I might look for an advertising internship this summer.

I am hoping that you will be able to speak with me either in person or by phone to tell me more about your career and your background. I am able to come into New York to meet with you, or can call you at your convenience. I can be contacted by email or by phone at 609-258-xxxx. However, I will call you in a few days to set up a meeting or phone conversation.

Thank you in advance for your time and any assistance and advice you can provide.

Jane Spirit

Telephone contact:

When contacting alumni by phone, it is important to state that the reason that you are calling is not to ask for a job but to gain advice and information about a career field or an organization. Before making your call, have a clear idea of what you want to say. Emphasize that you are looking for information to help you evaluate your career/major/graduate school options.

Even if you are looking for a job or internship, put your focus on advice. For example, you might ask what skills and qualifications are most desirable for an internship in his/her organization. Ask if he or she has 30 minutes or so when you might speak about the profession or the organization. Be prepared to explain the type of information you are looking for. Also be prepared to leave a shorter message on voice mail. Here is a sample phone contact:

Mr. Adams, my name is Mathew Marks. I found your name when searching for alumni working in non-profit organizations in New York. I am a sophomore at Princeton, thinking of a major in Politics. Do you have just a few moments to talk with me?

I am exploring career options as well as thinking about an internship direction for the summer. I noticed that your major at Princeton was Politics and would like to set up a time to speak with you about your background. I wondered how your major supports your current position, how you found your position in non-profit, and specifically would like more information about your organization.

I am contacting you to hear your personal opinions about careers in non-profit and would enjoy coming to meet with you in your office for about 20-30 minutes. If speaking by phone would be more convenient, I am happy to call you back at a designated time when we could speak more at length. Thank you in advance for your time and any assistance and advice you can provide.

Sample voice mail message:

Mr. Adams, my name is Mathew Marks. I am a sophomore at Princeton, thinking of a major in Politics. I am exploring career options as well as thinking about an internship direction for the summer. I found your name when searching for alumni working in non-profit organizations in New York and would enjoy coming to meet with you in your office for about 20-30 minutes. If speaking by phone would be more convenient, I am happy to call you back at a designated time when we could speak more at length. Please let me know if you are able to make time to talk with me either in person or by phone. My phone number is (609) 258-xxxx. Or, if you prefer to get back to me by email: xxxx@princeton.edu. Thank you.

 What if I don’t get a response?

Keep in mind that many alumni have demanding jobs/schedules and may not have the time to respond to your email or phone call immediately. If you do not get a response after two weeks, make contact again reiterating your original contact information. At this time you may ask the alum to let you know if it is preferable to make contact at another time.

Other ways to find alumni

While your first resource for connecting with alumni should be the ACN, there are other sources to use. The Alumni Council’s TigerNet system will allow you to search the Alumni Directory, participate in discussion groups, and find information on regional alumni associations. These resources offer Princetonians the opportunity to connect in a variety of ways. The Professional/Careers discussion groups are in a wide range of career fields, with the “career-networking” group being active on a wide variety of career-related topics. Regional associations provide information on social events taking place – a great way to meet alumni during the summer or academic break.

Additionally, alumni often maintain relationships with the residential colleges, eating clubs, and campus organizations in which they were involved. For example, ask the Athletic Director or your coach if he/she can provide you with the names of some alumni who competed in your sport. Or, ask the Director of Studies at your residential college for names of alumni who might be willing to assist with your search for alumni contacts. And many alumni keep in touch with Faculty members so ask your professors and departmental secretaries if they know alumni whom you could contact.