With the post-spring break realization that summer is quickly approaching many students are scrambling to get summer jobs and internships. For these students the Pepperdine Alumni Network (PAN) Online may help them open doors.
“PAN Online is an online portal that connects alumni to students so they can make connections find mentors and find job opportunities Kelly O’Rear, associate director of Alumni Operations, said. It’s a really great tool and it’s very new.”
“I think that connecting students with alumni from Pepperdine is really a great way that our graduates can give back to our students Internship Coordinator Nancy Shatzer said.Shatzer also sees PAN Online as a beneficial success tool amidst issues with the economy and job market.
Statistically we’re still looking at a very hard economy for job hiring but internship hiring is up Shatzer said. If there are internships that alumni are aware of I think they’re going to help our students get to those positions.” However she reminds students that paid internships can be hard to find.
The career center encourages all students to consider using PAN Online for networking whether it be freshmen sophomores juniors or even graduating seniors.
As for seniors it is not necessarily too late to get started but O’Rear advises seniors to begin making contacts on PAN Online now. With only six weeks until graduation “it’s prime time she said.
Younger students, however, have the opportunity of getting started early and will have more time to take advantage of the opportunities that PAN Online has to offer.
Internships really are for juniors Shatzer said. That’s when students should be doing at least their first if not second internship.”
However freshmen and sophomores can also use PAN Online to get a jump on networking.
“It’s never too early to start networking O’Rear said. Start now with connections. The key to jobs these days is networking.”
Tools such as informational interviews are available through PAN Online mentoring.
“Eleven hundred alumni and parents have signed up to become mentors O’Rear said. They are volunteering to take a student in or an alumni to be their resource. There are informational interviews that you can do with your mentors which are great for students who aren’t sure what they want to go into yet.”
In addition to advising students to participate in the mentor module O’Rear encourages students to take this opportunity to make as many other connections as possible.
Regardless of whether or not these connections lead to a job opportunity now they can still be a very important asset in future success.
“You won’t always walk away with the results you think you want but if you go in with an open mind you’re always going to find something O’Rear said.
These connections can open up opportunities for jobs in the future. Keep on making the phone calls and keep on just being open to whatever they have open O’Rear said. Just be persistent.”
Although the job-seeking aspect of making these connections on PAN Online is important O’Rear advises students not to be too job-thirsty during this process.
“When you go in with the mentality of ‘just give me a job’ that is the fastest way to close the door on yourself O’Rear said. Go in with an attitude of ‘let me watch you let me be with you let me see what you do.'”
Properly utilizing these alumni resources is a great way to open doors to job opportunities.
“I think that students in terms of internships should definitely search by reaching out to alumni Shatzer said. It’s a really strong way to do it. PAN Online is going to make a great window of contact.”