Business First

‘Inside info’ invaluable to students

Mentoring University of Mississippi students interested in investment banking was the perfect way for Andrew Laws to give back to his alma mater.

“There’s an immediate impact and the time commitment is minimal,” said Laws, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, of his participation in a UM program that connects students with alumni volunteer mentors in a variety of professional fields. Formerly known as the Career Alumni Network, the online resource was relaunched last year as Career Links. The networking tool is a joint project of UM’s Alumni Office and Career Center.

Toni Avant, Career Center director, said among all departments on the UM campus, the School of Business Administration is taking a more active role in getting alumni involved in the program, which can put students in touch with some 500 alumni and friends representing about 40 industries from around the country

“It’s not a system provided to help students find jobs,” she said. “It’s geared to give students advice on careers. We’re hoping it will become a popular resource.”

Laws knows firsthand how valuable the service is. In 2000, when he was about to graduate from Ole Miss with a bachelor’s degree in managerial finance, the advice he got from UM alumnus Stephen Johnston of First Union Bank in Charlotte, N.C., proved invaluable.

Laws didn’t know Johnston but had been given his name and contact information by Herb Dewees, then executive director of the Ole Miss Alumni Association.

“I called [Johnston], and he stepped out of his role as a banker for about half an hour and gave me some tips on how to make my resume stand out,” Laws said. “As a result, I was able to get into a training program with First Union and subsequently get a job there. Without that mentoring, I wouldn’t have had a prayer. I wouldn’t have known what types of things I needed to highlight on my resume.”

Laws, who worked for Morgan Keegan in Memphis, said that because of his experience with Johnston, he immediately signed on to become a mentor when he heard about the Career Alumni Network from Bob Seibels, who was helping develop the program as 2000-01 Alumni Association president.

“[Career Links] provides our young alumni some way to get started,” said Seibels, a 1966 UM graduate. “This is an opportunity for students to get something that’s really helpful. It is very impressive if on an interview you know a lot about the company … and the service is free.”

There are about 2,500 students registered to use the program. Both Avant and Seibels hope to see more involvement from both alumni and students.

Alumni and friends of the university who’d like to become a Career Links mentor should visit the Career Center Web site and click on Career Links for instructions.—Deidra Jackson.