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Alumni Job Shadow Program

Help current Stags explore possible careers


Fairfield’s Alumni Job Shadow program matches juniors and seniors with alumni and parents for career conversations during winter break. Students receive valuable advice, learn about various professions, and make new connections. For hosts, the program is a chance to give back and support today’s Stags as they explore careers.

Career conversations can occur with one or more students, either in-person or virtually:

  • Schedule time for a student to visit your office for a half-day or full day
  • Set up a video call for an informational session
  • Meet for a conversation over lunch
  • Invite your fellow alumni colleagues to join you

Registration will open for alumni and parents in September and students will begin to register in October.


Questions?  Email us at careers@fairfield.edu.

Alumni & Students | Bank of America

What Mentors Can Expect

September: Alumni receive an e-mail containing a link to the online registration page.

October: Alumni complete a profile form and register to host 1-3 students at their organization. 

November: Matched alumni are notified of the student(s) who will shadow them. Alumni who are not matched are also notified. 

December: Alumni and students make arrangements to connect.

January: Job Shadow occurs. 

To help ensure a successful Job Shadow experience, we recommend alumni share, in advance, an itinerary of what students should anticipate the Shadow Day to be like.

You may choose to have the student(s) in person for a full-day, half-day, or lunch meeting.  You can also schedule a virtual meeting or a series of meetings. 

You can follow these suggestions for topics of conversation:

  • Share how you decided on your major and career direction
  • Talk about the courses and activities that helped prepare you for your career
  • Review your career path since graduating from Fairfield
  • Discuss potential career paths within your organization and the industry
  • Schedule time with Human Resources to talk about future opportunities and hiring trends
  • Present a typical workday
  • Talk about some of the projects and tasks you are working on
  • Have the student join you for client and internal meetings
  • Tour your organization’s facility or talk about your hybrid work environment
  • Review the student's resume
  • Assign a brief project relevant to their career interests or major
  • Schedule time for Q&A

Students are interested in learning about opportunities in:

  • Advertising
  • Counseling/Psychology
  • Engineering*
  • Finance*
  • Marketing*
  • Media Production
  • Medical Professions
  • Nonprofit
  • Nursing*
  • Public Health
  • Public Relations
  • Publishing
  • Sports Management/Marketing

*Alumni are needed in these fields. If you have a position in the field, please consider registering to be a mentor.

Spending time with these future physicians rekindled my enthusiasm for my medical career which spans 37 years. I enjoyed reminiscing about my time at Fairfield, what motivated me to pursue a medical career, and how my Fairfield Jesuit education continues to serve me well, especially in difficult situations.”

John Iannarone '77, Urgent Care Physician, St. Vincent’s Medical Center

John Iannarone smiles in front of a white background.

Alumni Job Shadow at St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

Alumni and current students at Google for the day.

Fairfield student and alumni at Yext.

Fairfield alumnus hosts current students at NovaBio

A Fairfield student shadows an alumnus at Lego.

Alumni at WebMD host students for the day.

Information for Juniors & Seniors


Job Shadow Day is an opportunity for juniors and seniors to learn about a typical day on the job by accompanying Fairfield alumni through their workday.
Students begin to understand the skills and attributes necessary to succeed in a particular field while gaining a realistic picture of the everyday aspects of a workplace.
Students from all majors participate in Fairfield’s Job Shadow program, including marketing, finance, psychology, biology, communication, engineering, nursing, media and film production, information systems, and international studies.

 

What Student Can Expect

September: Juniors and seniors receive an e-mail from the Career Center with a registration link.

October: Interested students complete the application that matches students based on career interest and location.

November: Students who receive a match must participate in a mandatory workshop to learn about the program goals, procedures, and preparation for the experience.

December: Contact the assigned mentor to arrange for your Job Shadow experience. 

January: Job Shadow occurs. 

The format and schedule of each experience varies, but a typical Job Shadow day may include:

  • In-person or virtual opportunities to learn about employees’ activities during their workday
  • Informational interviews with the Fairfield alumna/nus host and other employees
  • A tour of the workplace
  • An opportunity for a resume review with the alumna/nua

  • Argo AI
  • Atlantic Health System
  • Bank of America
  • Barclays
  • Barnum Financial Group
  • BIC
  • Biogen
  • Bloomberg
  • Boston Children's Hospital
  • Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Catholic Relief Services
  • Charter Communications
  • Cheddar News
  • Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners
  • Connecticut Children's Medical Center
  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
  • Deloitte
  • Etsy
  • FactSet Research Systems
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
  • Foot Locker Inc.
  • GAMCO Investors
  • Gartner
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Grant Thornton LLP
  • Graziano Associates Marketing Communications
  • Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  • Havas Media Group
  • IBM
  • Indeed
  • Inspira Marketing
  • Ion Bank
  • Ipsos
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • LEGO Systems, Inc.
  • Lenox Hill Hospital
  • Madison Square Garden
  • Marriott International
  • Mars Wrigley Confectionery
  • Marsh USA, Inc.
  • Mastercard Worldwide
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering
  • Mercer
  • Merrill Lynch
  • Meta
  • MIT Medical
  • Morgan Stanley
  • NBA
  • New York Mets
  • New York Stock Exchange
  • No. 29 Communications
  • Northwell Health
  • Novartis
  • Paramount Pictures
  • Pfizer
  • PwC
  • Safe Harbor Marinas
  • Santander Bank N.A.
  • Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
  • Signet Jewelers
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Skillsoft
  • Skywalker Vineyards
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
  • Stanford University
  • TBWA\ Media Arts Lab (The Ad Agency for Apple)
  • The Hartford
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • U.S. Department of State
  • UBS Private Wealth Management

Student Responsibilities


Students will attend a mandatory orientation before the job shadow experience. 

 

Before the job shadow…

  • Once students are matched, they are expected to participate in the program. If, for any reason, students cannot participate after being matched, notify the Career Center immediately so we can match another student.
  • Within three days of your match notification, contact the alumni mentor to schedule a date for your job shadow.
  • Research the organization and prepare a list of questions for the alumni host.
  • Update your resume.
  • Be sure to respond promptly to all correspondence from the alumni mentor.
  • Plan transportation and allow plenty of time for traffic, etc.

During the job shadow…

  • Bring a padfolio with a notebook, pen, and copies of your resume.
  • Dress and speak professionally.
  • Arrive on time (or 5 minutes early).
  • Ask if your alumni match can review your resume.
  • Spend the day actively listening, learning, asking relevant questions, and taking notes.
  • Ask for business cards of anyone you meet with during the day so you can follow up with them.
  • Take photos of you and your alumni host with a company sign and during other activities.

After the job shadow…

  • Send a thank you note to your alumni host and anyone else you met during the Job Shadow day.
  • E-mail photos to careers@fairfield.edu so we can create an album.

"My mentor provided me with valuable advice about the finance industry and information on how I can succeed in the industry as I start looking for jobs and internships in finance. My mentor answered all of my questions and told me what employers usually look for in resumés. He also told me what employers look for when they conduct interviews and how I can make myself stand out against the competition."

Matthew Marcelo '21, Finance Major, Health Studies Minor

Matthew Marcelo smiles in front of a gray background.

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