The final year of your degree is not a time to sit back and coast to graduation. It’s time to take action and explore life after graduation, argues Maria Gallo, author of The Alumni Way.
“With only one year to go, the graduation gown seems well within your grasp. Your final year grades are certainly important, especially with the potential for postgraduate study or work internships on the line. While your studies might intensify, so should your time to think about your life after graduation.
It’s never too early to consider your life as a member of your university’s alumni community. Do keep the eye on the prize: graduation day is important, but the day after graduation you might wake up wondering: what’s next? You don’t need to shut the door on university to open the door to the real world, especially after all the time, energy and money invested in your degree.
It’s time to make the university work for you after graduation and no better time that to start early. To squeeze every possible benefit from your university career, here are three steps to take during your final year:
Reflect and research
Your degree details are easy additions to your CV. But what helps you stand out from others? Think back to university life so far. List your achievements and extracurricular involvement. Write down examples of your transferable skills and experience. Take time to carefully craft a CV with reflections that will help it stand out. What’s missing? Perhaps this is the time to join a club or sports team, or get engaged in volunteering to add that additional dimension that creates a talking point at interview.
Explore the university’s resources available to you after graduation. You might get access to career services, mentorship programmes or online career support. Join an online alumni community and LinkedIn alumni group so you don’t miss any events or post-graduation perks. Final-year students are often invited – and encouraged – to join these alumni groups.
Speak to alumni
The single greatest way for your university to work for you after graduation is through your alumni network. This is your shared connection with thousands of alumni who were once final year students like you. Check to see if your university offers a mentorship programme for students paired with alumni from the same area of study – this is a great way to start building your network.
Check out the profiles of fellow alumni on LinkedIn or through the online alumni community. Filter by alumni who graduated from the same degree as you, or alumni who work in a company, industry or a city that interests you. Reach out with a kind and courteous direct message. Ask for an online informational interview: about 15 minutes of their time online to learn how your fellow graduate got from their final year to their career today.
Ask alumni to tell you their career stories. You will realise the path from graduation day to interesting career is not often a straight line. Don’t ask for a job but do ask insightful questions. As a career exploration exercise, this also gives you terrific job interview practice. Alumni can be your advocates to help you get your career off the ground. They have learned a little bit about you – and your initiative – so they will likely keep you in mind for future career opportunities.
Supercharge your network consistently
It is your network, not just your degree, that helps you build your dream career. Challenge yourself to make at least one new connection at every event you attend, even online. Reach out after an event with a personalised note on LinkedIn. Be proactive to make an impression.
Most importantly, be consistent in building your network. Take an hour each week to keep up to date with interesting career services programmes and conduct informational interviews with alumni. With the hidden job market – positions that aren’t ever advertised – building a network of alumni who can keep you in mind becomes even more important to your future career.
Before putting university behind you, pause and ask yourself: How can I make university work for me for the rest of my life? And remember that you can always give back with kindness.
There are the two golden questions that help to restore balance in the college ecosystem: ‘How can I help you?’ and ‘Who should I speak to next?’ Whether you are attending a career webinar or meeting fellow alumni, these questions show your willingness to give back.
If you can remember life before university, there are likely to be neighbours or friends thinking about going to university. With your experience so far, you can share your experience to inspire others. “
Maria L. Gallo is a strategist and speaker on alumni potential. She is a Visiting Research Fellow with the Centre for Social Innovation at the Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. Her latest book is The Alumni Way: Building Lifelong Value from Your University Investment (Policy Press, 2021) and you can access the free Alumni Way Workbook to begin to build your alumni network even before graduation.
The Alumni Way by Maria L. Gallo is available on the Bristol University Press website. The book is available for £19.99. Order here.
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog site are solely those of the original blog post authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Bristol University Press and/or any/all contributors to this site.
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