Growing Your Network

Alumni, mentors, and professionals genuinely enjoy talking with students; especially those who show curiosity, preparation, and follow-through. These conversations can help you:

  • Expand your network in authentic, lasting ways
  • Clarify whether a particular field is a good fit for you
  • Discover career paths you didn’t know existed
  • Build confidence speaking about your goals
  • Learn about opportunities to gain professional experience

Making Connections

One of the best ways to find alumni and professionals in your field is through LinkedIn. These two resources can help you identify the right people to start with:

When you find someone you’d like to connect with on LinkedIn, it is always best to include a note along with your connection request. This gives context for who you are and why you’re reaching out. The note can be very short and simple, such as:

“Hello _________, I’m a Suffolk senior exploring careers in financial compliance and noticed you made a similar transition after graduation. I’d really value getting connected and learning more about your path. Thank you!”

“Hi _____, I’m a first-year Marketing major at Suffolk and was excited to see another alum working in sports branding. I’d love to connect on LinkedIn and learn more about your career path. Thanks for considering!”

Setting up a Meeting, In-Person or Virtually

When you find a Suffolk alum or other professional who you think you could learn something from, it’s often useful to set up a time to meet with them and learn more about their career path. These meetings are sometimes called “informational interviews,” and they’re a chance for you to ask questions, share a bit about yourself, and potentially begin a longer-term professional connection.

It can be intimidating to reach out to someone you don’t know well, or perhaps at all. Just remember that almost everyone who receives this type of request is flattered, and typically willing to do whatever they can to help. Your message might look something like this:

“Dear _________,

I hope you’re well. My name is _____________, and I’m a sophomore studying Political Science at Suffolk. I found your profile through the alumni page on LinkedIn, and was very interested in your transition from nonprofit advocacy into municipal government.

If you are willing, I’d greatly appreciate 20–30 minutes of your time for a virtual coffee chat to learn more about your experience and any advice you’d offer someone exploring this field.

I understand you have busy schedule and I’m happy to work around your schedule.

Thank you,
[your name]

Prepare for the Meeting

Once you have scheduled a time to meet, it’s important that you do some work to get ready for the conversation. You are responsible for making sure the time is spent productively, so be sure to:

  • Review their LinkedIn profile
  • Look at their company/organization website
  • Be ready to share a brief intro about yourself
  • Prepare 5–7 thoughtful questions, for example:
    • What initially drew you to this field?
    • What surprised you most about your career path?
    • What skills matter most in your role?
    • If you were in college today, what would you focus on?
    • How do professionals break into this field?
During the Conversation

Be sure to keep your meeting to the pre-established 20-30 minutes, or whatever you agreed to initially. Listen more than you speak, take notes, and consider asking a closing question such as “Is there anyone else you recommend I speak with?” This can help you start a chain of helpful conversations that will quickly expand your professional network and your understanding of a particular field.

Be sure to avoid:

  • Asking directly for a job
  • Asking questions easily answered on Google
  • Talking only about yourself
After the Meeting

Send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Be sure to include something specific about what you learned or took away from the conversation. This doesn’t have to be long, and might look something like:


Subject: Thank you for your time and insight

Hello ________,

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me this afternoon. I really appreciated your openness in sharing your path from communications into brand strategy, especially your advice about developing analytical skills alongside creative work. Hearing how you navigated those early career decisions made the process feel much more approachable.

I plan to do some more research about the data visualization coursework and internship opportunities you mentioned. Our conversation helped me think more intentionally about how I can start building those skills now rather than waiting until after graduation.

I hope to keep in touch, and I’ll keep you updated as I continue exploring this path.

Thank you,
[your name]

Staying Engaged

Networking is about relationship-building. Meeting with someone once might give you a lot of insight, but real professional connections take time, interest, and engagement. This doesn’t mean that you need to email this person once a month! But you might consider:

  • Connecting on LinkedIn if you haven’t already
  • Sending a brief update 2–3 times per year
  • Sharing a milestone (“I just accepted an internship in public policy; your advice really helped!”)
  • Engaging thoughtfully with their LinkedIn posts

Structured Ways to Expand Your Network

The Career Center offers many structured programs and events that can help you find new colleagues, mentors, and future members of your network. These include: