On behalf of the SOM Alumni Association (SOMAA), welcome.

We appreciate that the job market you will face – for summer internships or employment upon graduation – will likely still be difficult. We want to encourage you to remember that you are connected to a community of alumni who are anxious to help as you search for your next challenge after SOM. Some of us also graduated from SOM during troubled economic times. Most of us have faced uncertainty in our careers. We understand that it is often awkward to ask for help from people you do not know. In order to ease some of that discomfort, we would like to offer some suggestions as you reach out over the next several months.

• Know what you want or need from the alumni you are contacting. Ask for advice about a specific issue, job, position or industry. Don’t expect the alumni to help you figure out what you should do, or where you should do it. o Contact a variety of people, at multiple levels and organization. Don’t just contact the person with the biggest job at the most recognized company. This person is likely to be contacted a lot, and may not be able to respond to everyone.
• Make your first contact based on your strengths – by phone or by email. But understand that alumni will have different styles themselves. They may prefer to continue your discussion by email or by phone, according to their preferences. If you email, but don’t hear back, try calling. Or vice versa.
• Please keep in mind that while we all want to help, some may not be able to at this time, for a variety of personal and professional reasons. Please do not let this discourage you.

Many of you chose to attend SOM because of its small class size and strong community. We want to assure you that this community extends beyond your immediate class. We hope that you will feel comfortable reaching out for the assistance offered by that community.

Sincerely,

Monty Cerf '83
SOMAA President


Helene S. York '88
Vice President