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Volunteer Your Time

The University of Minnesota relies on alumni and professional volunteers to help educate undergraduate and graduate students about career-related issues. Specifically, we find professionals make the most impact when they volunteer their time in the following ways:

• Informational Interviews - Answer student questions about your career area, either on the phone, via e-mail, online, or in person.
• Presentations or Panel Discussions - Share with students your perspectives on your profession and advice for successful career planning.
• Industry Tours - Host a student group within your work place to provide a realistic picture of what daily work in your environment entails.
• Mock Interviews / Portfolio Review - Conduct practice interviews or portfolio reviews on campus for small groups of students.
• Mentor Programs - Mentor a student interested in your profession for one academic year.
• Alumni Society Board of Directors - Serve on a collegiate alumni society board of directors.  Elections are held annually.

LinkedIn
We're using the professional networking website LinkedIn to facilitate connections between our students, alumni, and professionals (It's also a great tool for your own professional development!). To make yourself available to students on LinkedIn:

1. Create a profile on LinkedIn.
2. Join one or more of the following college/alumni groups (students will not be able to send you a message unless you are members of the same group):
   College of Continuing Education
   College of Design
   College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
   University of Minnesota Alumni Association
3. Learn how to get the most out of LinkedIn by visiting the LinkedIn Learning Center.
   

Volunteer Database
To be added to our contact list for class presentations, panel discussions, industry tours, mock interviews, or portfolio reviews, simply contact Paul Zheng, our Office Manager at 612-625-5271 or zheng056@umn.edu.

Mentor Programs
To sign up to become a mentor, find the mentor program for your industry area by visiting the Alumni Association Mentor Page.