Kalamazoo College Career and Professional Development FAQs

What if I'm not a "K" alum, student, faculty, or staff member?

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Regardless of their past or present affiliation to the College, the Guilds welcome new members interested in getting involved.

Members of this greater K-Community enjoy benefits of Guild participation including the opportunity to tap into a pool of educated and talented potential employees for internships and new hires and the possibility of working with students through classroom projects that benefit the community.

Why are the Guilds on LinkedIn?

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:00:00 -0400

After careful consideration of the options for a "home" for the Guilds of Kalamazoo College, we decided on the public platform of LinkedIn.com, allowing anyone access who might be interested. This intentional choice has the potential of connecting the multitude of "K" alumni already using LinkedIn with students, faculty, staff, and community professionals around common interests--globally. It’s almost as if LinkedIn were created for the Guilds of Kalamazoo College!

New features are rolling out for LinkedIn "Groups" that will continue to help us help our constituents make connections for their professional development.

Quick Facts:

LinkedIn has over 135 million members in over 200 countries (about ½ of all members are outside the U.S).
Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.
A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second.
It is free. (Upgraded memberships are available for a fee, however they are not at all necessary for full Guild involvement)

http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/

What is LinkedIn?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:00:02 -0400

LinkedIn is a free professional networking website that is similar in format to social networking sites such as Facebook. When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional expertise and accomplishments. You can then form profile connections by inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you. Your network consists of your connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know, linking you to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts.

http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/

What do I do once I find someone I’d like to talk to on the Guilds/LinkedIn?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Example: You do an Advanced Search on LinkedIn and find a Kalamazoo College alumn(ae/us) who works or has worked for an industry/organization you are interested in. Now what do you do?

Depending on your level of connection to an individual, you might send her a message directly, ask to be introduced through a connection, or search her name on Google to see if you can find contact information. Guild members have the option to “Allow group members to contact me” in the “My Settings” tab of their view of the Guilds. If the person you wish to contact has checked that box, you do not have to be connected to them to send them a message through LinkedIn.

Remember, not everyone to whom you reach out will write back: don’t take this personally. Try and craft your message with a specific “ask”. After introducing yourself, instead of saying, “Do you have any advice for me?” which may overwhelm your potential contact, try something like this:

“I have recently applied to Pfizer’s posting on their website. Do you think it’s best if I follow up next week? Do you have any tips in getting through the first interview—should I be granted one?”

“I am fascinated by the work of the Peace Corps and have attended information sessions held by recruiters. When I noticed that you served in China, which is where I’m also interested in serving, I wanted to know more. Could we perhaps meet for coffee sometime this month? I’ll be in your area next weekend.”

“I’m hoping to work in Industry/Field after graduation, and I know that getting experience this next summer is key. I saw that you completed an internship with Company. Did you find this experience beneficial to your future employment with Current Company.

How many Guilds are there?

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

There are currently five Guilds; Business, Health, Justice & Peace, Law, and Sustainability. There are also two placeholders for future Guilds: Education and Art.

How much do I have to share on the Guilds to be a member?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When you initially set up a LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn will ask for your first and last name, email address, locale, and current professional pursuit. You will never be asked for phone or postal contact information, and you retail control over who sees what information on LinkedIn. In today's web savvy world, a motivated internet search will most likely reveal more about you than your LinkedIn profile. Who can see my profile and what will they see?

What kinds of student questions make great discussion posts?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The best questions are those which invite professionals in the Guilds to offer specific ideas and suggestions based on their own experiences. General questions, or those that require lengthy answers, may not generate as much discussion.

Example:

Best Way to Spend Your Sophomore Summer? (September 30, 2010)

Dear Lawyers and Members of the Law Guild:

My name is Haley Madel, and I'm a Sophomore at K pursuing a Political Science and History Major (with a pre-law focus). As it is now the fall of my Sophomore year, I have been wondering lately how best I can spend the upcoming summer. What opportunities do you think provide the best value to pre-law students? Do you recommend an internship, job experience, volunteer experience, or another opportunity? How ought a student go about finding and pursuing these opportunities? What experience has best helped you in your work with law?

Thank you all for your time and your participation in the guilds! I look forward to hearing (and implementing!) your advice.

Who can see my profile and what will they see?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Your profile is visible in varying degrees to LinkedIn members who've signed in to Linkedin.com:

LinkedIn members in your network (i.e. within three degrees of connection to you) can see your name and full LinkedIn profile. If your contact settings allow InMail, certain premium account holders can also see this information.

Members outside your network only see a shortened profile without your name.

The only contact information ever visible on LinkedIn is your email address, and only 1st degree connections can see your email address.

IMPORTANT: A public version of your profile is called the public profile. It appears when people search for you on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc. You can control what profile information shows in public search results with your public profile settings.

How much does this cost?

Being a member of The Guilds of Kalamazoo College is absolutely free. There are no fees involved.

That being said, LinkedIn is a business and does offer "premium" accounts that give users access to additional content. However, none of this content is necessary to fully participate in the Guilds.

How can alumni benefit from and contribute to the Guilds?

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Guilds of Kalamazoo College are designed for alumni to lend their passions, expertise, and time to help shape the experiences of current and future Kalamazoo College students. At the same time, alumni can build their own professional networks and keep a meaningful, life-long connection to “K”.

The Guilds offer alumni numerous opportunities to connect with students, faculty, staff and other alumni around interdisciplinary issues that challenge humankind. The Guilds’ “communities of practice” around Business, Health, Sustainability, Justice & Peace, and Law are all looking for the knowledge and professional experience of alumni and friends of the College.

Get as involved as you like! Here are a few suggestions:

Join the Guilds of Kalamazoo College:

1)     Go to http://www.linkedin.com and type in First name, Last name, Email and a Password under “Join LinkedIn Today”
2)     Type in current Country, ZIP Code, Company, Industry, and Job Title
3)     Verify your account via the on-screen instructions
4)     Join the Guilds of Kalamazoo College by clicking on this link http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=3160798

Offer your expertise:

Share professional experience, information and networks related to your Guild’s interdisciplinary theme through the Guilds LinkedIn group and/or in person.
Attend a Guild event on campus.
Invite Guild members to visit your workplace.
Foster new conversations by posting related articles, links and opportunities in “Discussions” and “Jobs”

Recruit others:

Convene a regional gathering of current and prospective guild members in your area.
Invite other alumni to join the guild that would best benefit from their particular professional expertise. The more “masters” we have, the better for our “apprentices”.
Connect other interested experts with the Guilds through your professional networks. All are invited!

The CCPD is here to support you as you take these steps toward active engagement. We’d love to hear from you about how your particular talents and expertise can dovetail with the needs of the Guilds. Please contact us at career@kzoo.edu if you have additional questions.

How do the Guilds help "K" faculty?

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

“Joining” the Guilds of Kalamazoo College allows faculty members to connect with current and previous students, network with field experts for classroom visits, connect students with alumni, and discuss current issues and events in their field of interest. Several faculty members have already found value in LinkedIn’s platform. Getting connected with the Guilds is similar to joining a listserv; members can participate as much as they see fit.

What is a Pre-Guild?

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Pre-Guilds serve as gathering places for individuals interested in developing future Guilds at Kalamazoo College. Pre-Guilds are not fully staffed or funded, but as the capacity to offer CCPD staff support grows, we anticipate adding both an Education Guild and an Art Guild to the five Guilds currently active at “K”.

In the meantime, please feel free to use the LinkedIn subgroups for the Education Pre-Guild and Arts Pre-Guild to post questions, discuss ideas, and make connections. These connections will lead to opportunities for professional networking, collaborative action, leadership development, and life-long ties to Kalamazoo College.

What are the Guilds of Kalamazoo College?

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Unique to Kalamazoo College and housed in the Center for Career and Professional Development, the Guilds convene students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College around common professional interests. In a contemporary take on a medieval tradition, Guilds foster mentoring relationships in which professional “masters” share their experience, knowledge, and connections with student “apprentices.” Alumni and others offer online and in-person mentoring, job-search or grad school application tips, externship and internship opportunities in their organizations, and connections to professional networks and entry-level positions.

The Guilds galvanize participation around interdisciplinary fields and issues that encourage participants to identify and follow their “passions to professions.” Four charter Guilds were launched in early 2008: Business, Health, Justice & Peace, and Sustainability. In spring 2010, a fifth Guild – Law – was added. As the capacity to offer CCPD staff grows, we anticipate adding both and Education Guild and an Art Guild. Currently, these two “Pre-Guilds” are not staffed or funded but offer a space to to post questions, discuss ideas, and make connections.

Guilds foster intergenerational connections through face-to-face interaction as well as virtual communication, using the professional networking platform LinkedIn to connect the campus with Guild participants around the globe. A common LinkedIn group, The Guilds of Kalamazoo College, hosts a subgroup for each Guild. Since all Guild participants have access to one another through a single LinkedIn group, connections can be made between Guilds and collaborative interdisciplinary programs (the Business and Health Guild co-sponsor a discussion on “Careers in Sports Management,” for example).

For students, Guilds connect elements of their K-Plan (a highly individualized undergraduate curriculum of rigorous liberal arts scholarship and opportunities for experiential education in both domestic and international settings) into a more integrated educational experience and develop professional relationships useful after graduation. These intergenerational networks benefit alumni professionals as well, and involvement in the Guilds offers a meaningful lifelong connection to the College and a way to contribute time and talent at a level of their choosing, from answering a question posted on the Guilds’ discussion forum to hosting a K-Intern for the summer in their organization.

Faculty and staff find opportunities in the Guilds to integrate classroom and community experiences within a curriculum that values learning through study, action, and reflection. As alumni and community members bring their real-world professional wisdom to campus – to classes, meetings, extracurricular presentations, and online webinars – the Guilds are a bridge between campus and “life after ‘K’.”

For more information on the Guilds of Kalamazoo College, or to join the on-line discussions today, visit the Guilds of Kalamazoo College.

How do the Guilds help students?

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Guilds of Kalamazoo College allow you to:

connect with other like-minded students, alumni, and passionate professionals interested in discussing Guild-related topics.
learn about professions from “real world” experts
make connections that can lead to summer opportunities and job leads
learn about and engage in your own professional development
see the intersection between a passion for “K” and a passion for a profession