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(315) 859-4346
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Alumni Career Exploration Program

What is ACEP?
ACEP is a program of career exploration. It is a database of contact information of alumni, parents, and/or friends of the college who have volunteered to advise students regarding their career interests. The primary purpose of the ACEP program is for participants to provide information about their industry, career field, specific responsibilities, or place of employment. The alumni have volunteered for this program with the understanding that they are providing career information, not jobs. However, many students have gotten jobs as a result of an ACEP interview, either at the organization where they initially interviewed or more commonly from a referral that was given to them at an ACEP interview.

Students select volunteers from the ACEP database during an appointment with a Career Center counselor. You are responsible for contacting and introducing yourself to alumni volunteers via letter, email or telephone. ACEP interviews are generally held during college breaks, and ideally you should arrange for appointments at least three weeks in advance.

Your List of Contacts
Because volunteers change jobs and move frequently, the contact information that we have may be outdated and you may not be able to reach one or more of the people on your list. Please first try to look up the person on your own, then contact the Career Center if you continue to have difficulty.

Visit, Call, or Email?
The first "rule" is to adhere to the request of the ACEP volunteer (if they have stated a preference for how they wish to be contacted, this will be indicated on your printout). Otherwise, here are some guidelines for choosing the type of contact:

The best way to get the most career information and assistance from the alumni advisor(s) is to schedule a face-to-face meeting. A lot of information about a field and an organization's culture can be obtained through observation and non-verbal cues. For instance, you can observe the level of activity of the organization, how people are dressed, etc. Visiting the organization also makes it possible for the person to introduce you to others in the organization who may be of help to you. In addition, people are generally more willing to make the effort to help someone they have met in person than someone they have only "met" on the phone. This often results in more time spent with you and a greater likelihood of additional networking contacts being given to you.

However, it is not always possible or necessary to conduct a face-to-face meeting. Geographic distance may prohibit you, in which case we advise that you set up an informational interview on the phone. This allows you to ask many questions, though without the above-mentioned benefits.

Email should only be used as a first contact or to ask any quick questions before the interview takes place. Many times it is easier to connect with people via email than over the phone. You may choose to email a networking letter to the contact to let them know that you would like to schedule a time to meet. Do NOT email a long list of questions and expect the person to get back to you with answers to them. You cannot conduct an "informational interview" via email. A "quick" question for you may require a not-so-quick answer on the part of the advisor. It is important to be respectful of others' time.

Resources

HamNET Internship Listings Job Listings ___________________ Events Calendar Recent InsideTrack Site Map ___________________

Resume Interviewing Cover Letter Networking