PEAK

PARTING SHOT //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// STAYING CONNECTED DP2 Career Connections Update from Donnie Brooks Current students at Dartmouth have heard a lot about the "Golden Years" of the 70's and 80's, the days when a phone call and firm handshake could put you in a position to get a job no matter the GPA, major or work experience as an undergraduate. As you can imagine, the size of the fish in those stories has grown substantially. Although the Dartmouth connection is still one of our strongest assets, the economy has created an ultra-competitive landscape for entry-level jobs, internships and admission into graduate school programs. According to the 2012 Dartmouth Graduation outcomes report, which is annually published by the Center for Professional Development (formerly Career Services), only 60% of 2012 graduates had secured an entry level job or internship at the time of graduation. Another 10.3% reported that they were immediately enrolling in a graduate or post-baccalaureate program. With roughly 30% of graduates without plans, it reinforces our responsibility to educate our student-athletes about the realities of the work force, and to make sure current student-athletes are coached in the art of networking, relationship building and using the Dartmouth network. Since the introduction of DP2 in 2011, the Center for Professional Development and DP2 have worked in conjunction to develop programs that focus on core competencies such as building a strong resume, interview skills, proper use of social media for networking purposes and teaching students how to sell the transferrable skills that sports develop. The primary goal of the collaborative is to connect student–athletes with alumni who are looking for ways to stay engaged. One of the most beneficial ways for our students to prepare for life after Dartmouth is for them to conduct an informational interview with a Dartmouth alumnus. When done correctly, the informational interview creates opportunities for Big Green athletes to expand their knowledge around industries of interest, helps them to develop leads for jobs/internships and expands their professional network. Evan Sterneck '14 of the Women's Golf Team has taken full advantage of the alumni network and has found that many alumni want to help. "I've had a great experience speaking with Dartmouth alumni. Thanks to the Career Network, I've been able to talk to and learn from alumni at various companies that I'm interested in. Every alumnus I've reached out to has either taken the time to talk to me themselves or connected me to someone who they thought would be more helpful. They've all been genuinely interested in helping me in any way possible and enjoy hearing about how things are unfolding for me." said Sterneck. Conversely, the interviews also help alumni to connect the present studentathlete experience. In the summer of 2013, David Gardner '05, Steve Callahan '05, and Jason Meyer '06 started Men's Basketball's "Little Green Book". The Little Green Book was created to facilitate meaningful interactions between fellow Dartmouth basketball players - past and present. Due to the initiative, the coaches and studentathletes now have access to a list of more than 75 alumni who have volunteered to make themselves accessible. Gardner, founder of digital agency Colorjar Inc., has taken part in informational interviews with Dartmouth Athletes from all sports. "The Little Green Book is dear to our hearts because we want to help give Coach Cormier a competitive advantage. It's our aim to do more than any other Ivy League program in helping our student-athletes achieve success after graduation." DP2 is currently in the process of working with teams who would like to set up their own Career Connections databases. The database allows for alumni to sign up and only commit to a level of contact that they feel comfortable with. If you have questions about the program or how you can help Big Green student-athletes, please contact Donnie Brooks, Asst. AD for Peak Performance, at Donald.Brooks@dartmouth.edu. P E A K | WI N TER 201 4 31

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