Support Current Stags in Their Career Exploration.
Fairfield’s Career Exploration program (first-year students and sophomores) is a valuable opportunity for first-year and sophomore students to learn directly from successful alumni and parents about their studies and activities while in college and how they navigated the transition from college to career.
Fairfield’s Career Exploration program matches first-year students and sophomores with alumni and parents for career conversations after the spring semester concludes. Students have an opportunity to receive insightful advice, learn about various professions, and make new connections. For hosts, the program is a chance to support today’s Stags in their career exploration.
Career conversations can occur with one or more students, either in-person or virtually:
Schedule time for a student to visit your office for a half day or full day
Fairfield alumni have so much to offer today’s students! We hope that alumni from all industries will volunteer as mentors so we can match all students who register for this rewarding, impactful program. Whatever your field, you’ll have the opportunity to introduce careers, industries, and share your own personal career experiences.
Month
Details
February
Alumni will receive an e-mail with a link to the online registration page. Complete a profile form and register to host one, two, three, or more students virtually or at your organization.
April
Matched alumni mentors will be notified of the student(s) who will shadow them. Alumni who are not matched will also be notified. Matches are based on students’ choices of industry and location.
Alumni and students make arrangements to connect virtually or in person.
May
Career Exploration meetings take place after final exams.
Alumni mentors may choose to have the student(s) visit in person for a full day, half-day, or lunch meeting. Alumni can also schedule a virtual meeting or series of meetings.
Topics for Discussion
Share how you decided on your major and career direction
Talk about the courses and activities that helped prepare you for your career
Review your career path since graduating from Fairfield
Discuss potential career paths within your organization and the industry
Present an overview of a typical work day
Talk about some of the projects and tasks you are working on
Have the student join you for meetings
Tour your organization’s facility or talk about your hybrid work environment
Review the student's resume
Schedule time for Q&A
First-Year Students and Sophomores
Career Exploration is an opportunity for first-year students and sophomores to learn about a typical day on the job by accompanying Fairfield alumni through their workday, in person or virtually. Students begin to understand the skills and experiences necessary to succeed in a particular field and gain a realistic picture of the everyday aspects of a workplace.
Students from all majors participate in Career Exploration, including marketing, finance, psychology, biology, communication, engineering, nursing, media and film production, information systems, and international studies.
The format and schedule varies, but a typical Career Exploration experience may include:
Learning how your alumni match transitioned from college to career
An opportunity to see your match’s workday activities
Informational interview with the alumni host
A tour of the workplace
An opportunity for a resume review
Companies that participate in the Career Exploration Program:
Allianz
Apollo Global Management
Bloomberg
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA
CT Office of the Attorney General
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Goldman Sachs
Hartford Wolf Pack
IBM
Inspira Marketing
Ion Bank
Legacy Theatre
NBA
New York City Department of Education
Northwell Health
Pfizer
PwC
RBC Capital Markets
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Hartford
Tracy-Locke
U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense
Westport Public Schools
Yale New Haven Health - Bridgeport Hospital
Yale University
Month
Details
March
First-year students and sophomores will receive an e-mail from the Career Center with a link to the online registration. The online application will assist in matching students to an opportunity based on career interest and location.
April
Students will be notified of their alumni match and contact them immediately to introduce themselves.
May
May Students participate in a brief, mandatory Orientation session to learn about the program goals and procedures, and how to best prepare for the experience.
Students meet with their match virtually or in-person after the spring semester concludes.
Student Expectations
Students who are matched will attend a brief, mandatory Orientation session to learn tips for making this a valuable experience.
Prior to the Career Exploration meeting...
If students are matched, they are expected to fully participate in the program. If, for any reason, students cannot participate after being matched, notify the Career Center immediately so we can match another student.
Contact the alumni mentor to schedule a convenient date within three days of your match notification.
Research the organization and prepare a list of questions to ask the alumni host.
Update your resume.
Be sure to respond to all correspondence from the alumni mentor in a timely manner.
Plan transportation and allow plenty of time for traffic, etc. if meeting at the workplace.
During the visit or call...
Have a notebook, pen, and copies of your resume available.
Dress and speak professionally.
Be on time (or 5 minutes early).
Actively listen, learn, ask relevant questions, and take notes.
Ask if your alumni match can review your resume.
Ask for business cards or contact information so you can follow up with them.
Ask to connect on Linkedin.
Take a photo of you and your alumni host in front of a company sign.
After the Career Exploration Day...
Send a thank you note to your alumni host and anyone else you met during the Career Exploration day.
"I enjoyed learning about the job my mentor holds and the journey it took to get her there. It gave me an idea of what kind of job I would like to hold in the future and what I need to do to ensure I get there."
- Val Geslak ‘26 English, Sociology & Anthropology Double-Major
Jennifer Claydon
Class of '07
Read Jennifer's Alumni Testimonial
"It was really nice to hear about the opportunities my mentee was considering and to spend the time talking through options. Sharing my experiences and those of my co-workers (also in psychology), hopefully helped her to see many avenues for future study."
- Jennifer Claydon ‘07 Psychology Assistant Director, Training Program Assessment, Yale University Biological and Biomedical Sciences Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning
