Is this a mentorship program?
No. Huskies@Work is a job shadowing program that connects alumni & students for an opportunity for students to get a glimpse of what a particular career looks like. While some participants do stay in touch with one another, there are no requirements for a matched alumni-student pair to continue their relationship after their initial meeting/phone call.
I’m an alum that’s not in the Puget Sound region, can I still participate?
Yes! Huskies@Work offers opportunities for students to be matched with local alum and non-local alumni. Many alumni and students have found success in connecting by phone or through videoconference. If matched, we ask that you work with your student(s) to determine the best way to meet for this Huskies@Work session.
As an alumni host, what should I expect?
First, thank you in advance for volunteering your time to help a current UW student. If you are matched with a student for the fall 2021 session of Huskies@Work, you will work with them to determine the best way to connect, whether it’s in person or virtually. We will offer tips for making the most of the experience for both you and your student closer to the meeting date.
Possible activities could include an overview of your role/industry, interaction with one or more UW alumni, meeting observations and time for questions and advice.
After the first meeting, you are welcome to continue communicating with your student — and we hope you have interest in doing so — however, maintaining this connection is not required.
For more guidelines, read Huskies@Work: I’m hosting, now what?
How does matching work?
Alumni will be asked in the application to describe their job, company characteristics and more. Students will be asked to indicate their area of study and career interests. We will use these details to build strong matches among applicants with similar preferences.
While we try our best to match everyone on their top priority career interests, due to availability of alumni in certain industries, it’s not always possible to have a perfect match. That said, there is a lot that students can gain from any UW alum. Look for what else you may have in common other than career — major, campus, affiliations, etc. UW alumni can offer a lot of valuable advice on navigating UW, job searching, interviewing and much more.
Am I guaranteed a match if I apply?
While we hope to match all applicants, there are many variables involved, particularly the areas of interest among students and alumni who participate. We will do our best to make as many matches as possible. If for some reason we aren’t able to offer you a match, you will have earlier access to future engagement programming.
When will I hear back about my match?
You will receive an e-mail with match information in late April for spring sessions and late October for fall sessions. Once you receive these details, you can correspond with your student(s) about determining a good date during May or November.
Is meeting in May or November required?
While we prefer that you connect in May or November, we also understand that some exceptions might make sense due to your unique schedule. If you are able to meet later in the previous month or early the next month, we support that flexibility.
How much time should I plan for a meetup?
This can vary broadly depending on industry, job type, location and scheduling. As your Huskies@Work session is taking place over the phone or videoconference, we recommend you schedule at least an hour.
I can’t participate this time, when is the next opportunity?
Huskies@Work currently operates twice a year, once in the fall and again in the spring. Applications open in September and March.
How can I learn more?
Get in touch with the Alumni and Student Engagement team at asengage@uw.edu.
