You have made a great decision to join this vibrant and generous community of Whitman alumni and students! The Whitman Connect platform is intended to easily connect you to alumni who are enthusiastic about supporting your professional and academic growth. Below, we have included information to help you get the most out of this platform. If you have any questions or hit any roadblocks as you begin to use this powerful tool, please contact the Career & Community Engagement Center at ccec_info@whitman.edu.
Using the platform
When you log in the first time, you will be able to create your own profile and indicate your goals as well as areas of interest. Once you’ve created your profile, you will have access to four separate areas of the platform within 24-48 hours (click here for 2 quick tutorials to assist with your networking):
- Members – a list of all active and inactive members, with filters to focus a search
- Communities – a list of online communities developing around shared identities, professional trajectories or Whitman experiences
- Discussions – highlights of recent discussion topics taking place within the online communities
- Events – a list of events open to anyone using Whitman Connect
Use the platform to join communities of Whitties with your shared interests, connect directly with an alum via direct message or scheduled phone call, share or respond to interesting topics that you find in the discussion list.
Building long-term relationships and meeting mentors
Whitman Connect is an excellent way to begin a dialog which can lead to a long-term relationship. In order to successfully build those relationships, you need to use a tone and approach that may not be consistent with your current communication style. In order to help you to feel confident as you begin to reach out to alumni, please reference the resources below.
- This is a great article about sending introductory emails to alumni.
- You’ll ultimately be asking for an informational interview in those introductory emails (whether you use this term or not), so use this piece to get started on the right foot and this more advanced piece to really make the most of that opportunity.
- And finally, don’t forget to cement the relationship by following the steps outlined here after you connect.
Remember that networking is not about simply about your end goal of a summer internship or a post-college job, but an opportunity to connect with someone who can help inform and influence the options that you access and pursue both at Whitman and beyond.
Enjoy connecting!