“I’d love to make a career change and am looking for the right opportunity but these darned job boards never seem to help. I’ve heard networking helps but how do I network?”

“I’d like to go to graduate school after BITS but can’t afford to do so without a scholarship. Wonder which schools I should apply to!”

“I think I’d like an MBA from a top tier school but I’d sure like some advice.”

“Everyone tells me I should stay on top of my field of expertise but how? I can’t read everything that comes my way. I simply don’t have the time.”

We’ve all been there. As students and as alumni we’d all like to know what opportunities are out there, how we can further our academic credentials, identify and proactively prepare for industry trends and so on. We’re also constantly reminded by our peers, organizational leaders and society in general about the need to develop ourselves as Leaders.

We, as BITSian alumni, have the opportunity to Communicate & Collaborate to Create success by teaching and learning from each other. This is the primary driver of the B2B initiative soon to be launched by the BITS Alumni Association.

Thanks to low cost electronic communication techonologies such as email, egroups and progressively lower telecom rates our ability to communicate and collaborate across geographical borders has never been greater… but you’ve heard this before so what exactly is it that we’re planning?

The Vision

Communicate using the Alumni Directory:  This would be a database of alumni contact information, educational background, professional and other interests and would allow you to identify BITSians who would be able to serve as effective mentors for you.

Collaborate through Mentoring, Networking and Niche-Focused activities:  If you think you can spare a few hours a month and are interested in sharing your experiences and providing coaching and career guidance for an alumnus or student you are invited to be a Mentor. The BITSAA MBA initaitve is another example.

Create success stories for yourself: Succeed in the academic, professional and social sectors by working with mentors and peers who help and guide you.

Mentor Benefits

·    Development of coaching and mentorship skills that are an integral part of organizational Leadership skills that you can apply in your workplace.

·    Make a significant contribution to BITS and help your alma mater without any financial committments.

·    Expand your network withing the professional and academic realms by working with your mentor.

·    This would be yet another way to ensure excellence for BITS, Pilani, to enhance its brand equity and You would be a part of it.

·    Make friends, gain a sense of satisfaction and hey… you’ll probably learn a thing or two as well!

MentEE Benefits

For students at Pilani

·    An idea of what their alumni are doing several years after college, what their   vocational options are.

·    Receive career guidance from alumni.

For Professionals

·    Opportunities to network for professional enhancement.

·    Career guidance.

·    Apprise junior professionals of industry trends.

what next

We plan to launch a series of initiatives over the next few months and you will receive emails with more information requesting your participation in various mentoring programs, matching your interest and backgrounds to students at Pilani or junior professionals in industry.

what can i do?

Spare just a few hours of your time a month and your mentor would be akin to your friend, through your career path and hers/his – a mentoring chain would be set up as the mentored student becomes a mentor herself/himself.

Respond enthusiastically. If you have any feedback or ideas, let us know, please! Pretty please! To be a part of various B2B initiatives, email smukherjee@gmail.com  ■