Alumni Testimonials
"I had a wonderful experience with Deb and found her to be intelligent, professional, and open. She was obviously well prepared by the Hiatt Career Center and we had a lot of fun together. I definitely plan to continue with Hiatt's mentoring Program because I learn too from today's bright Brandeisians!"
"I think that the alumni shadow program is a wonderful way for young motivated individuals to get hands-on experience and advice about a given field. The beauty of the program is that the student and professional share a common bond (Brandeis) and that makes for a pleasant and informal learning experience."
If You Receive a Match
Matching and First Contact
Students are given a choice to rank alumni based on their interest. If you receive a match, Hiatt will send you an email with the student's information (major, interests, contact information). Students are asked to contact you immediately for a longer introduction and send you their resume.
If you do not receive a match, please know that we will hold your information in our database of alumni contacts and will work to find other ways to utilize your expertise.
Exploration or Confirmation
The Shadowing Experience can follow into two categories:
- Exploration allows students to "sample" their career interests and determine whether they are a good fit.
- Once confident in their choice, students utilize Confirmation methods to uncover industry-specific details and receive job leads.
Depending on the student's preparedness, your experience will shape itself after one of two distinct routes. You can find more about these two tracks in Shadowing Learning Outcomes. (pdf)
During the Experience
We prepare students through a pre-departure workshop. They are given a handout (doc), which you can also use to gauge your student's expectations.
While we have full confidence the students will behave professionally, please use your conversation as an opportunity for a teachable moment. We have also prepared Shadowing Tips (pdf) for you.