Alumni to the Rescue

Alumni network

Last November, the annual Junior-Senior Career Networking Evening at Holy Cross saw a record number of alumni (60) and students (more than 200) participate in the event, which took place nearly two months after the economy took a nosedive.

The attendance indicates the tough job market facing students. But it also demonstrates the unwavering commitment of alumni willing to offer assistance to students and fellow alumni.

Even a young alumna who was on a business trip on the day of the event didn’t want to miss the opportunity to help, explains Bob Wally ’68, who oversees career networking at Holy Cross. After landing at Logan airport that afternoon, she drove directly to campus in time to meet with students.

“Given the tough economic climate, the willingness of alumni to offer whatever career advice and support they can is truly something special and very characteristic of a Holy Cross graduate,” says Wally, assistant director of alumni relations.

Perhaps that has never been clearer. In what is being billed as the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the College’s Career Network offers a benefit that others looking for employment in the shrinking job market may lack.

The Holy Cross Online Career Network boasts nearly 5,000 alumni willing to provide support and serve as a valuable resource to fellow alumni and students in nearly every imaginable field.

The Alumni Relations office has noticed an increasing number of alumni utilizing the network. The number of inquires that Wally directly received via e-mail doubled from December to January.

“There are a wealth of online career services available to alumni including career advisors, job postings and links to career resources,” says Wally.

Alumni are encouraged to register for the Holy Cross Online Community to take advantage of the services. His office has been proactive in anticipating the needs of alumni and reaching out to them with career services. Most recently, Wally and John Winters, director of the Career Planning Center, offered a program titled “Networking 101” to alumni in financial services in New York City on Feb. 9.

Here on campus, students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the Career Network. Last semester, the Alumni Relations office and Career Planning Center presented a new program for seniors titled “An Introduction to Networking and the Holy Cross Alumni Network.”

“It is at difficult times like these when the added and long range benefit of a Holy Cross education, the strength of the alumni network and commitment to being ‘men and women for others’ is so important,” says Wally.

Student and Alumni Career Network

Alumni Career Services If you are seeking career advice, or if you would like to serve as a career adviser, contact Bob Wally ’68 at rwally@holycross.edu or 508-793-3758.

Related Information:

The power of Holy Cross networks (Holy Cross Magazine)