Alumni Career Panel & Mixer

Alumni Career Panel

Spring 2025 Dates Coming Soon

Location TBD

Alumni Career Panel & Mixer connects students with Viterbi Alumni and industry professionals. This event includes a panel of distinguished Viterbi Alumni who share their career journey, information about the extracurricular activities they were involved with on campus, and advice on how they landed their internships & full-time jobs. You will also be able to network with them after the panel and obtain job search tips and suggestions. Food and beverages will be served.

Interested in becoming a panelist? Click below:

Become a Panelist

Date: TBD (Spring 2025)

Time: TBD

Location: TBD

Format: In Person only

The Purpose of Networking is to build contacts and develop long-term professional relationships. The connections you gradually develop can provide insight into job opportunities that you may not have known about without your networking contacts. This event will be focused on networking, developing professional connections, and maintaining relationships. If you are interested in meeting with a particular employer, we suggest attending recruiting events, such as career fairs, Trojan Talks, and OCR events. It is important to differentiate between these two concepts and develop the professional skills needed for both types of events.

Building Professional Connections

People hire people! Networking is integral in the job search. It truly is about "who you know."
There's a hidden job market. Not all positions are posted online, instead filled internally or via networking.
Internal referrals (formal or informal) boost your chances of getting a job.
Informational Interviews help you connect with professionals to obtain personal insight into a particular profession.

The ability to build professional relationships and contacts through networking differs from attending a career fair and pitching yourself to a recruiter as to why you are a good fit. The Viterbi Career Connections team encourages Viterbi students to meet with employers at recruiting events and build professional contacts during networking events. We highly encourage you to attend both recruiting and networking events.

It is essential to recognize that recruiters are more likely to connect with you only for a specific job opportunity, and the duration of your relationship will be short and focused on hiring when attending a fair. Networking contacts are more likely to connect with you based on shared interests and or mentor/mentee relationships that are more long-term, providing you with information and guidance throughout your career.

Networking is so much more than finding a job; it is about building your connections and exploring your options!

Learn more about organizations in and outside of your desired industries.
Get the inside scoop on what a company or job is really like from someone who works there.
Connect with professionals in your field for career guidance, potential mentorship, and/or referrals.
Set up follow-up informational interviews.
Practice your networking skills.

Preparation is key. Make the most of your experience at the Networking Event:

Update your resume using VMOCK and the Job & Internship Tool Kit
Add a resume to your profile for the virtual event.
Create a professional introduction that is short but showcases your unique skills and interests.
Create a document with questions and your professional introduction to copy and paste during chats for the virtual event.
Prepare questions to use as icebreakers and within the flow of conversation.
Remember to ask the person how you should follow-up with them, and take their contact information (Email, LinkedIn).

• We recommend that participants wear business casual, smart casual, or business/informal (at least your top half for the virtual event!)
• Chat with as many people as possible and collect contact information (You will randomly connect to someone in the industry booth.)
• Remember to ask the person how you should follow-up. (Email, call, LinkedIn, other - everyone has their own preferred way of communication.)
• Follow up with the contacts you've made within 24-48 hours, or whatever you both agreed to during the conversation. (There is no standard answer because everyone has their own preference.)

Remember: any contact is a good connection regardless of their background and position!

Below are some additional links and videos for you to feel confident and prepared to network:

Spring 2024 Panelist Information

Panelists this year will have backgrounds in Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering Backgrounds. These panelists work for the following companies:

Viterbi Career Connections Cancellation Policy

All cancellations must be made in writing to vcareers@usc.edu at least three business days in advance of the event. Any cancellations after that time will be considered a no-show. Students who no-show to events may lose the privilege of RSVPing for future events with limited spaces. Your registration can not be transferred to another student.

Published on August 17th, 2021Last updated on May 20th, 2024