There are a lot of benefits that come with being involved in your alumni association. Of course, one of the biggest is that you maintain a connection to a school that shaped you at an important time in your life, and can support its ongoing educational and extracurricular initiatives and activities.

But you shouldn’t overlook alumni associations as a networking opportunity as well. Not only do these organizations allow you to reconnect with people you knew in your time as a student, but they also help you to meet other alumni from all different times. This means people at varying stages of their lives and careers who could be valuable resources as you progress in your own path.

Here are just a few of the ways you can use your alumni association as a networking tool.

• Attend events: It’s hard to really get to know people unless you actually go to events. Pick a couple events to attend each year and make it a point to introduce yourself to people and have conversations while you’re there. You don’t necessarily have to attend every event, but even just showing up at one or two a year is a great start.

• Get plugged into the school: You can be a valuable resource yourself as an alumnus who others look to for guidance or assistance. Consider serving as a mentor to current students or recent alumni, or finding ways to contribute your talents or expertise to various school programs. 

• Reach out directly to fellow alums: One of the great features we provide alumni is our membership directory, which makes it easy for you to find and connect with fellow alumni of all graduating classes. If you like to be proactive with your networking, you can use this feature to reach out to specific people to help you expand your network and get to know people who have valuable expertise and large networks of their own.

• Explore hiring options: If you’re in a position where you need to find qualified workers for a position, you can use your alumni association as a great potential recruiting network. You can easily send out messages to fellow alumni informing them of the opportunity, and the connection you have as fellow Chippewa Falls alumni will help you build an initial rapport as you go through the recruiting process.

Alumni associations can be a great professional outlet as well as a social one. Just one more reason why you should take full advantage of your membership!