SOMAA: Become an Alumni Mentor 

From SOMAA President, Damon Danielson:

On behalf of the Yale School of Management Alumni Association (SOMAA), I invite you to participate in the SOMAA Alumni Mentor Program. We have been extremely grateful for the level of alumni support we have received for the program. Alumni who have been active Mentors have found it to be fun and one of the most rewarding ways to remain connected to SOM.

The objective is to match SOM alumni with current students who have similar career interests. It is our hope and goal that as alumni we will be able to enrich current students' SOM experience and, on a practical level, facilitate their job search and career development by sharing our insights on a range of topics, from interviewing tips and job search strategies to career paths.

Here is a brief overview of how the program will work:

• Alumni will register online and provide a short profile. If you have already registered at the Association of Yale Alumni site, your entry will have already been loaded from the AYA database, which you can then edit. (Any changes to your Mentor Program profile will not be reflected in your AYA information). Register online as a mentor.
• Second-year students will select a mentor from a list of registered SOM alumni, based on his/her career and geographic interests. The student will then be directed to make the initial contact with the mentor. Alumni can elect to mentor up to two students but each student will be limited to one mentor.
• The benefit for students will be access to unvarnished advice from a knowledgeable, supportive person during the internship and/or permanent job search process. Topics may include guidance and insight on career development, interviewing tips and answers to 'dumb' questions (e.g., about terminology).
• Mentors are not expected to directly assist in the student's job search by providing an introduction to the mentor's current or former employers, or by networking on behalf of the student. Students are explicitly advised about this. If a mentee pushes you in pursuit of a job, remind them of this expectation.
• The time commitment is expected to be no more than 30 minutes per week. The mentor's commitment ends at the conclusion of the school year.

Recent student feedback for the mentorship program has been very positive:

"I like the idea of being paired up with an SOM alum. First, it makes me feel like we have fans out in the work force who are interested in the same things that we are, and, at the same time, are willing to reconnect with current SOM students. I feel it help builds community within the SOM network…"

"I cannot stress enough how helpful the sounding board/ ‘ask anything’ aspects were to my development. It was also helpful just to hear from someone who had been through this before that it would all turn out OK."

The Mentor program allows our students to tap into the unusual success and diversity of our alumni community, which differentiates SOM from other business schools. It is critically important for alumni from all sectors, industries, and fields of expertise to get involved to share their wisdom with future fellow alumni. We hope you will consider participating in this important program. Register online as a mentor.

Thanks for your ongoing commitment to help grow and strengthen Yale SOM!

Regards,

Damon Danielson
SOM '86
President, SOMAA