Volunteer Alumni Career Fellows (VACF) are MBA alumni who give MMS students advice on resumes, cover letters, interviews, and so forth. As a student, I was able to have three sessions with two different alumni.

My first session via Skype was an informational interview. It was the first time I had done an informational interview, so I was VERY nervous. Skyping with someone who you’ve never met or talked to? Kind of frightening. But thankfully, my VACF was awesome. She was friendly, kind, and gave me immediate feedback. Here are some of the questions I asked her:

• What kind of work did you do before your MBA?
• Why did you choose your current company?
• What is your company culture like?
• How should I dress for a marketing job interview? (She was in marketing for financial services.)
• What are some of the most important skills needed as a marketer?
• What kind of person do I seem like when you first read my resume?

My second session was a mock interview. I prepped for an advertising company, and it was great because I could find out what I was doing right and in what areas I needed development.

My last session was with another VACF, and this time I got to meet him in person because he was on campus to do some recruiting and interviews. (Another great thing about the alumni is that they give you real input because they have insight from the hiring side!) The interview was in one of the Career Management Center’s actual interview rooms, so it felt very realistic. It could have been scary, but with the previous mock interview, it wasn’t that bad.

Although I’m now done with my three official VACF sessions, the alumni are still open to staying in contact, and they said that they would go over my cover letter and get back to me soon. I just love how the program connects me with such willing volunteers – this is what I came here for!