Ever heard it’s not what you know, but who you know? I’ve heard this too…and I think there is some truth to that. My name is Angie Carlen. I am the Experiential Learning Coordinator in the office of Career and Employment Services. I manage a great networking tool called the Alumni Mentor Database. The database includes hundreds of successful professionals in a variety of fields who have volunteered to give you insight into how they transferred from the role of student to professional – and the best part is they were all in your shoes at one time so they are familiar with the unique challenges that an IUPUI student could face. Psychology has a number of alumni ready to work with you and the list is growing each semester as Mikki Jeschke and I continue to make additional contacts with psychology alumni locally and across the US. Mentors are available for a variety of resources including:
- Helping you see the connection between your major and career
- Employer information
- Externship Opportunity – a week long opportunity to interact with the alum at their place of employment
- Internship Opportunity
- Informational Interview
- Industry Information
- Job Shadowing
- Relocation Information
- Resume Review
- Tips for interviewing
- Tips for job searching
To illustrate the value this type of mentoring relationship can have, meet Shawn Peters, junior psychology major and John Galloway, 1991 Psychology graduate from IUPUI. This student/alum mentoring relationships started through a connection found on the Alumni Mentor Database. John signed up to mentor psychology majors and Shawn was looking for a professional to talk to about I/O psychology and the field of Human Resources. A couple of emails led to a lunch meeting that lasted for 3 hours as the two talked about their fields of interest and the job market. An exciting and vibrant relationship is budding and they’re both having a blast! In an interview, Mikki Jeschke asked John why he thinks it’s important to develop mentoring relationships with professionals (alumni) in the field and he listed several benefits:
- “Mentors help students build their self-confidence. This will help them to feel more relaxed in future job interviews.
- Mentors allow mentees to do career informational interviews to help them determine the kind of jobs and occupations they want to consider.
- Mentees can expand their knowledge of their academic study area and the real world of work.
- Mentees may find job leads this way.
- Mentees may learn valuable information that can help them with their curriculum choices.
- Mentees may develop a long-term relationship with their mentor and by doing this have a coach that could advise them for years to come as they start their careers.
- Sometimes mentors can open up doors of opportunity that otherwise the mentee would never know anything about.”
When Shawn was asked the same question he added, “I believe it is important to develop mentoring relationships with professionals in the field because they can show you first hand exactly what you will be facing as you leave education and begin your work career. Beyond what we learn in a classroom or a textbook, a professional can give you hands on experience, training, and insight as to how what you have learned can be applied in the real world. Some professionals can even guide you through the steps necessary to search, obtain, and begin working in that chosen career field, while assisting you in avoiding the pitfalls they have experienced. Finally, the mentoring relationship itself could develop into a full time permanent position as the mentor realizes you are a good match for their organization.”
These mentoring relationships can be amazingly powerful and last for months or even years. Most of the time, however, these relationships are mutually beneficial. This is something that students often overlook. “You have something to bring to the table too, says Shawn.” In the relationship that is developing between John and Shawn, John expressed benefitting in many ways. “Shawn is teaching me new technology skills, like how to use Facebook for networking and hiring purposes, he has helped to re-connect me with my alma mater and now I get regular updates on what’s happening in the IUPUI Psychology Department, and I get the satisfaction of seeing my advice being used and it feels good when my mentee is successful. It’s personally very fulfilling to mentor others.”
If you’re interested in developing a mentoring relationship with an alumnus or alumna from psychology, try the Alumni Mentor Database for starters. To access the database, log on to www.jagjobs.org and click on the Mentor Search tab. You are always welcome to contact Angie Carlen or Mikki Jeschke if you are unable to find a professional in the database who matches your career goal. We will work with you to find connections for you in the area that interests you most. |
