The VOICE

Last night, the hit show The VOICE had its season premiere.  Now, I must admit, I am not a huge fan of the show but there is one aspect of this show that I connect to and that is the mentorship from the celebrities.  It’s amazing to see how these super talented contestants develop and grow over one season, when they appear so prepared at that start!

Mentorship allows the contestants to explore their talent, their techniques, the realities of the industry and so much more.  Similarly, mentorship can do the same for you.  Here at Hofstra University, we have a large and growing community of alumni who are eager to guide, mentor and answer questions for you.  Our alumni remember how difficult it was to declare a major, understand how majors connect with careers, and how to gain relevant internship or work experience.  Whether it is just answering a question, allowing you to shadow for a day, or providing you with industry insight, they want to help.

Being brave enough to ask alumni questions and start a conversation with them; it will open doors for you that you may have never anticipated.  Here are few ways you can start connecting with alumni:

1. A.S.K. is the Alumni Student Konnection, available on the Hofstra Portal under Student Services. This is an online database of Hofstra alumni wherein you can search for alumni by such criteria as major or industry, and then email them.
2. LinkedIn has a very powerful alumni feature that is relatively new.  Currently, there are over 55,000 individuals who are listed on the Hofstra page and from there you can search on particular criteria, read their profiles, and email them through the LinkedIn messaging system.  A good hint here is to classify yourself as a classmate of the person when trying to email, otherwise LinkedIn may block your message.  To view the Hofstra University page in LinkedIn, click on Interests at the top of the page, and then select Education.
3. The Career Center hosts events throughout the year where you can interact with alumni.  For instance, on October 14^th at 6pm (by registration on Pride-CMS only), students can schedule a mock interview with alumni from the Zarb School of Business.  Additionally, there are three upcoming career fairs where many of the employer representatives are alumni.  Check out the Communications Career Fair on October 15^th, the Fall Career Fair on October 22^nd and the Health Sciences & Human Services Career Fair on November 12^th.  Lastly, undeclared freshman and sophomores will soon be able to register for ACE (Academic Career Exploration) Trips in November where alumni host groups of students for a day at their place of employment (already scheduled are Sesame Street and the Ronald McDonald House!).  Be on the lookout for registration information for the ACE trips! 

Just remember, here at Hofstra University there are more than four mentors waiting to turn around in their chairs to help you!

Suzanne Dagger, Director of Career
Development and Assessment