To make the prospect of leaving school and entering the “real world” less daunting for graduating seniors, the UCLA Fund’s Senior Class Giving Committee has launched a new program called Career Conversations.
The committee decided to start the program this year to give students an opportunity to network and learn how to find a job they will love, particularly in a difficult economy, said Monica Kenney, adviser to the committee.
Students can get tips from recent graduates on everything from what references to use on a resume to what to wear to job interviews, Kenney said.
Each dinner is based on a specific industry so that seniors can obtain advice and information about their field of choice.
The committee, comprised of students who fundraise and organize events to benefit undergraduate education at UCLA, plans to expand the program in coming years.
Organizers hope to keep the size of dinners small to maintain an intimate atmosphere, and to offer more dates and industry themes, Kenney said.
Feedback from students and alumni on recent dinners has been overwhelmingly positive, she said.
“The seniors can get answers to all the strange little questions they have about looking for jobs, and the young alumni get to reconnect with one another and with students,” Kenney said.
Carlo Chupina, who graduated from UCLA in 2007 and now works in human resources at the UCLA School of Law, was one of the alumni who participated in the new program’s marketing dinner.
“I think most of us graduated seniors have faced a fear of the unexpected after finishing our bachelor’s, especially in this economy. … My reason to join this program was to share my experiences as a recent grad with these soon-graduates,” Chupina said.
Chupina urged students at the event to start looking for jobs before graduation and to maintain a strong focus on GPA to prepare for graduate school ““ lessons he learned through his own experiences as a graduate.
Chupina said that the dinner he attended was a success, and that feedback from students was positive.
“We had a great time. We all felt connected,” he said. “The students, I felt, were thankful to have us share our experiences.”
Totran Nguyen, another speaker at the event, graduated in 2007 and now works in sales and marketing.
Nguyen said he gave students advice on everything from choosing their first job to negotiating salaries, and said that the dinner was an opportunity he wished he had had as a senior.
“It’s not intimidating since it is not a panel of speakers, but rather like a conversation you would have with a friend.”
Fourth-year Communication studies student Jayme Farrell-Ranker attended the sales and marketing dinner and said that the relaxed atmosphere helped students and alumni feel more connected.
“I really felt the bond between alumni and students; it was evident that the alumni supported the students and wanted them to be successful post-graduation,” she said.
Farrell-Ranker added that she was reassured by the tips alumni gave on life after college, and she said that the advice she received ranged from how to make and maintain friendships outside of school to proper etiquette for job interviews.
The alumni also eased her fears about finding a job she will like, Ranker said.
“They reassured me that everyone is in the same boat and if you don’t have a job right after graduation, that is normal,” she said.
Kenney said she was encouraged by the positive feedback from seniors, and hopes that the dinners will continue to be a valuable resource in the coming years.