Syracuse University students seeking career advice have a new place to look for it: Twitter. 

On Jan. 14, SU Career Services launched a Twitter account, @WorkingOrange, to highlight the various career paths of alumni, according to a Feb. 7 SU News release.

@WorkingOrange allows alumni to live-tweet for a day or longer about their careers and lifestyles, and offer post-graduate advice, said Kim Brown, assistant director for alumni programs in Career Services.

“I refer to it as job-shadowing people on Twitter,” she said. “Alumni now can so easily share what it means to do their job, how they got their job or even what they studied here at SU.”

The idea was discussed at a weekly brainstorming session of the social media team within Career Services, Brown said. New York University recently set up a similar account, but SU developed its own model to focus on alumni connections, she said.

“It was a no-brainer to reach out to alumni because SU alumni are so engaged on Twitter,” she said.

Brown initially used her personal Facebook and LinkedIn relationships to reach out to alumni and gauge their interest. From the start, there were already 100 alumni interested in tweeting for @WorkingOrange, she said.

Each day, a different alumnus uses @WorkingOrange, representing a variety of careers and ensuring diversity on the account, she said.

Some employers SU has partnered with will handle the account for an entire week, she said, but in general, a new alumnus will share tips each day, she said.

“The goal is to show students what career paths are out there and that your major doesn’t necessarily equate to your career,” she said.

Currently, Brown is working on the logistics of scheduling the guest tweeters to make sure a variety of career paths are showcased each week.

“We want to make sure we don’t have four news reporters in one week,” she said.

The site has featured many guests, including Matt Friedman, a 1994 alumnus and co-owner of a strategic communications firm; Christine Beckett, a 2007 alumna who is an attorney in Massachusetts; and Josh Lukin, a 2002 alumnus who works for Major League Baseball.

Matt Park, a 1997 alumnus, was the @WorkingOrange guest tweeter on Feb. 4.

Park, also known as the “Voice of the Orange,” is the play-by-play broadcaster for the SU football and men’s basketball teams. He is also an adjunct professor at SU’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“Overall, this is a phenomenal idea for current and past students to have a window each day into a different career,” Park said. “Any way to get those conversations started is great.”

Because Feb. 4 was also the day of the Notre Dame basketball game, @WorkingOrange gave followers an inside look at the day-to-day routines involved in broadcasting, Park said.

One major benefit of the @WorkingOrange account is the interaction it allows between alumni and students, said Park, who answered questions and interacted with followers through his guest appearance on the account.

Park said he did not receive many career-oriented questions, since his field is somewhat narrow, but the diversity of the guest tweeters gives students from every major a chance to make new connections.

“This account really creates a very interactive way for our alumni to connect with students,” said Mike Cahill, director of Career Services.

Students following the account might become more fascinated with a particular career they may not have been exposed to otherwise. The account is a great use of the increased presence of social media in networking connections, Cahill said.

Career Services embraces other social media such as YouTube. The center has its own channel, where it posts video interviews with alumni from across the country with different career paths, he said.

“It is a wonderful way to enhance the work of Career Services and the connections we can provide,” he said.

@WorkingOrange is a great tool to reach out and personally network with alumni in a more causal setting, said Brown, the assistant director for alumni programs.

“It can be intimidating to reach out the right way to alumni,” she said. “Tweeting is awesome and takes the pressure off for the students.”

Students do not have to follow closely everyday, she said, but can do so on their own schedule.

SU alumni are very responsive to connecting with students to offer them advice and tips about life on and off the SU campus, said Park.

“My personal philosophy in terms of helping students is that somebody helped me get where I am,” he said. “Any success is derived from a break, so it is my duty and pleasure to pass that along.”

Published on February 19, 2013 at 10:16 pm

Contact Jen: jbundy@syr.edu