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Frequently Asked Questions
Alumni Questions
How do I become an Alumni Mentor?
What does an Alumni Mentor do?
What kind of time should I expect
to spend on the program?
How often can I expect to be
contacted by students?
How much time should I plan to give
to participants?
I don't work in HR, and I'm not
a recruiter. Will students think I'll be able to get them a job at my
organization?
How will I know when my profile has
been viewed?
Can I volunteer to share specific kinds
of career-related information?
How do I become an Alumni Mentor?
To become an Alumni Mentor, you must first be a member of the WMU Alumni Association. The next step would be to register to become a mentor on the Mentor Program registration page. Once you have registered, you will be contacted by the alumni office with more information, including how to access the Mentor Program via the Program Entrance Instructions.
What does an Alumni Mentor do?
An Alumni Mentor is a Western Michigan University alumna or alumnus who volunteers to network with current WMU students or other alumni for the purposes of career exploration and professional development.
What kind of time should I expect to spend on the program?
Each Alumni Mentor will spend different amounts of time on the program. It's entirely up to you and what your schedule allows. That could mean answering one email a week to volunteering to come to campus and give a presentation about your career field. In your mentor profile, you can determine the number of students you would like to contact you per month, so you can set that number to reflect the amount of time you are able to give.
How often can I expect to be contacted by students in the program?
The default number of contacts per month is set at 10 and will not change unless you choose to do so while editing your mentor profile.
Other schools who use the Mentor Program have noted that, generally speaking, only 30-40% of searches for mentors result in actual contacts being made. Keep this is mind when setting this number since often students are "just looking" and may not contact you after all.
How much time should I plan to give participants?
Participants are advised to be respectful of your time. As an Alumni Mentor, expect a couple of hours throughout the semester. Of course, if you are in a hot field or job market, you may receive a few more calls or emails than othe mentors, but you always have the option of limiting the number of people who may view your profile by adjusting that number via your mentor profile.
I don't work in HR, and I'm not a recruiter. Will students and alumni think I'll be able to get them a job at my organization?
Participants are advised not to use the Mentor Program to directly solicit employment from the Alumni Mentors. It is also made clear that while resume critiquing, internships, job shadowing, and informational interviewing are possible outcomes of a student/mentor relationship, they cannot be guaranteed and should not be expected.
How will I know when my profile has been viewed?
If an individual has browsed the Alumni Mentor database and saved your profile for further considerations, it will automatically generate a record in your profile with that person's name and basic contact information.
Can I volunteer to share specific kinds of career-related information?
Yes. You can choose the type(s) of guidance you're willing to provide: employer information, career advising, regional information, resume review, and mock interviews. You can also choose the type(s) of volunteering you would like to do: job shadowing, informational interviews, mentoring, classroom speaking, and internship sites.