Making Career Connections in the 21st Century
When J.D. student Brian Logan Beirne began researching possible career paths, he quickly realized that listening to stories from the trenches would be his most invaluable resource. "I really want to hear about the day-to-day work straight from the horse's mouth," Beirne says. "You can research endlessly but you cannot really envision what your life would be like in a field until you have spoken to people living it."
Enter "YLS Career Connections," a web-based resource that has made the age-old quest of networking infinitely more efficient than it once was. Using the Career Connections website, YLS students and graduates can now find alums interested in sharing career advice. Beirne (who is interested in somewhat non-traditional post- law school careers) has used Career Connections to contact Law School alumni working as lawyers, investment bankers, management consultants, and private equity professionals.
Like all good tools, Career Connections has evolved since its inception in the late 1990s. Originally named the "Alumni Mentoring Network," the database began in a paper and ink—rather than digital—format. Would-be mentors filled out paper forms, detailing their contact information and job experience. Those papers were then filed by geographic region in large binders. Interested YLS students and student organizations looked through the binders for possible alumni mentors and group speakers, often spending hours in the Career Development Office searching for the name and contact information of a graduate with experience in a specific field who would be willing to share career advice.
The group of binders grew and was soon transformed into a digital database accessible across the globe. Alumni can join the password-protected network online and student and alumni members can search from any computer with an Internet connection. Career Connections members can search for fellow members based on a number of criteria, including name, area of expertise, employer type, and geographic location.
The name change from "Alumni Mentoring Network" to "Career Connections" this past year was precipitated, in part, to stress the fact that the connections made through the database need not extend to a mentoring relationship. Some connections are as fleeting as a single email, while others evolve into in-person meetings. Career Connections now includes approximately 1.400 Yale Law School alums who have volunteered to speak with current students and fellow YLS grads about their career experiences and advice.
"Our alumni are an invaluable resource for our students," says Kelly Voight, who is director of private sector counseling and programs and has played a major role in the updating and expansion of YLS Career Connections. "I find myself mentioning Career Connections to students on a daily basis."
Interested alumni can join the Career Connections database online in a matter of minutes by answering a few questions about their career history and filling in their contact information. Those with both traditional and non-traditional legal careers are welcome. Career experience is categorized into eighty-three different areas, including everything from academia to workers' compensation. A "special interest" category helps members find alumni interested in speaking about topics such as changing career paths, while an advanced clerkship search allows members to find alums based on a judge they've clerked for or the type of court, circuit, or district in which they've clerked.
"It's a fabulous resource," Voight says. "It has just grown and grown as far as the number of alumni who are involved, and in its search capabilities."
Interested in joining Career Connections? Find out more at http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/ylscc.asp
Enter "YLS Career Connections," a web-based resource that has made the age-old quest of networking infinitely more efficient than it once was. Using the Career Connections website, YLS students and graduates can now find alums interested in sharing career advice. Beirne (who is interested in somewhat non-traditional post- law school careers) has used Career Connections to contact Law School alumni working as lawyers, investment bankers, management consultants, and private equity professionals.
Like all good tools, Career Connections has evolved since its inception in the late 1990s. Originally named the "Alumni Mentoring Network," the database began in a paper and ink—rather than digital—format. Would-be mentors filled out paper forms, detailing their contact information and job experience. Those papers were then filed by geographic region in large binders. Interested YLS students and student organizations looked through the binders for possible alumni mentors and group speakers, often spending hours in the Career Development Office searching for the name and contact information of a graduate with experience in a specific field who would be willing to share career advice.
The group of binders grew and was soon transformed into a digital database accessible across the globe. Alumni can join the password-protected network online and student and alumni members can search from any computer with an Internet connection. Career Connections members can search for fellow members based on a number of criteria, including name, area of expertise, employer type, and geographic location.
The name change from "Alumni Mentoring Network" to "Career Connections" this past year was precipitated, in part, to stress the fact that the connections made through the database need not extend to a mentoring relationship. Some connections are as fleeting as a single email, while others evolve into in-person meetings. Career Connections now includes approximately 1.400 Yale Law School alums who have volunteered to speak with current students and fellow YLS grads about their career experiences and advice.
"Our alumni are an invaluable resource for our students," says Kelly Voight, who is director of private sector counseling and programs and has played a major role in the updating and expansion of YLS Career Connections. "I find myself mentioning Career Connections to students on a daily basis."
Interested alumni can join the Career Connections database online in a matter of minutes by answering a few questions about their career history and filling in their contact information. Those with both traditional and non-traditional legal careers are welcome. Career experience is categorized into eighty-three different areas, including everything from academia to workers' compensation. A "special interest" category helps members find alumni interested in speaking about topics such as changing career paths, while an advanced clerkship search allows members to find alums based on a judge they've clerked for or the type of court, circuit, or district in which they've clerked.
"It's a fabulous resource," Voight says. "It has just grown and grown as far as the number of alumni who are involved, and in its search capabilities."
Interested in joining Career Connections? Find out more at http://www.law.yale.edu/studentlife/ylscc.asp