Career Coaching for Alumni
What to expect?
Coaching Sessions Guidelines:
During coaching sessions, your coach will join you in thinking strategically and intentionally about your career journey and offer resources as you take ownership for your next steps. An average alumni engagement is 2-3 sessions focused on building a career plan and accessing resources, followed by periodic check-ins as needed. The scope of alumni career coaching does not include job placement, executive coaching, or mental health therapy.
Career Coaching Goals:
Career coaching is focused on helping you reach your career goals. Together we will clarify your professional goals and create an action plan for success. Whether you are a career explorer (open to exploring new functions and ideas), career accelerator (seeking internal or external promotion), or career changer (looking for an internal or external shift in roles or industry), we will offer resources to support your next steps.
Coaching Appointment Topics:
Tools for career exploration, company research, and effective job search strategies
Resources for refining your resume, building high-impact cover letters, and developing your brand on LinkedIn
Best practices for optimizing LinkedIn, ideas for building your networking strategy, refining your interview skills and compensation package and negotiation techniques
Appointment Length and Format:
When scheduling your first appointment in Handshake, you may select Initial Alumni Appointment (45 minutes). All follow up Alumni Coaching appointments will be 30 minutes.
Appointments may be conducted via phone, Zoom or in person.
We look forward to working with you! If you need assistance, call our front desk at 612-625-3632 or email gbccmail@umn.edu.
Accessing Individual Career Coaching
Recent BSB Undergraduate and MBA/MS alumni:
Recent BSB graduates (graduated between December 2023-May 2024), should leverage the Undergraduate Coaching team for coaching needs.
Recent MBA/MS graduates (graduated between December 2023-August 2024), can schedule an appointment with the coach aligned to their program by using Handshake.
BSB and MBA/MS alumni from Class of 2023 and earlier:
- Reactivate your UMN login credentials (please note, this is not your email account).
Your MyU account is considered active if: you have logged into MyU or your UMN email at least once in the past 6 months or if you have activated an @alumni.umn.edu address.
If you know your UMN account is still active, please move to step 2.
- To reactivate your MyU login credentials contact the Technology Helpline at 612-301-4357 or use the tech Chat.
- Tell the staff member specifically that you would like to "reactivate your UMN login credentials, not your email" (aka “X500”). You will be asked for your birth date, U of M ID # and address at the time of your enrollment.
- Next, navigate to MyU>My Info tab to update your personal email address so you can receive coaching appointment notifications.
- Select Edit in the Email block
- Select Add an Email Address
- Select Home as the Email Type
- Enter your personal email address in the Email Address field
- Select Save