VIRGINIA FOOTBALL ALUMNI NETWORK
We help Football Alumni help each other through professional mentorship and building connections
Student-athletes at the University of Virginia have one of the most strenuous athletic and academic experiences in college sports. Most players are on campus over 340 days a year preparing for an incredible football experience. These players have their heads down and can find themselves behind the job search curve once they graduate. Many have not used the University’s career services resources and have limited understanding of the working world since they've been so focused on their academic and athletic pursuits. The majority have not had an internship. Many have their minds on an NFL career, but don’t understand that the average lifespan in the National Football League is 3.3 years.
The Virginia Football Alumni Network, affectionately called the FAN, is a group of former Virginia Football Alumni dedicated to network the graduating football student-athlete. Over 180 former players have committed to helping our younger brethren secure interviews and opportunities with great companies across the country.
The program starts with the student-athlete requesting support from the FAN via our custom-built interactive website. The student-athlete will fill out a form with information about them, their vocation interests, and their geographic preferences. A member of the FAN will then personally follow up. From there, resume review (or creation), mentoring, and interviewing skills support are delivered.
Once the individual is ready to interview, the FAN will send the resume, cover letter, and entire interview package to the group of the Network that might best benefit from this student-athlete. Because the interactive website was created to have LinkedIn-style menus, only the helping alumni that best fit based on location and vocation preference will receive the resume package. In addition, industry and regional groupings have occurred naturally. This helps pinpoint where the requestor can find real help networking and finding a job.
HOW IT WORKS
Sign up online to get help finding a job you're excited about.
Current and former players submit some basic information about their background and interests that helps us understand what they want to do next. A member of our team works with each recent grad to review their interests, resume, and more.
Other Virginia Football Alumni are contacted to help.
After the requestor receives mentorship from a member of our team, we send out information about them to our network of alumni. These alumni can then help the individual find job opportunities in their areas of interest.
HOW IT'S WORKING
Over the course of this year, something amazing occurred. Corporate recruiters from big companies have asked to be a part of the distribution. The expectation is to include more. In addition, recruiting companies have asked to be added to the distribution.