Networking
You may access the Alumni Networking Project database by contacting the Center for Career Development and connecting with fellow alumni in your career field. Additionally, we urge you to participate as a member of the network and be available to students and recent graduates as a resource in your career field. To do this, register with the Network by downloading the survey form.
Once completed, please mail it to the Center for Career Development, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY 10577 or fax it to (914) 694-2946.
"YOU HAVE TO KNOW SOMEBODY"... A GUIDE TO NETWORKING
Has your job search consisted of answering ads in The New York Times and mailing out 50 copies of your resume to school districts, with disappointing results? If so, you may need to become more proactive by letting as many people as possible know you're looking for a full-time teaching position. This is the goal of networking , and the best place to start is by developing a contact list which includes:
- Friends and relatives
- Classmates, professors, school administrators, teachers (past or present; yours, your children's, etc.)
- Neighbors, social acquaintances (past or present), group or club members, alumni association members (especially Manhattanville)
- Co-workers, former co-workers and their acquaintances
- Manhattanville's Center for Career Development and School of Education
- Priest, minister, or rabbi, and members of your congregation
- Professional organizations and members, reference books (public and private school directories),professional journals, newspaper articles about education (e.g. NY Times, Wednesdays)
- People you meet at conventions, seminars, speakers at meetings (collect business cards)
- People you consulted or wrote checks to in the last twelve months:
- --tradespeople, dry cleaner, drug store owners
- --doctor, dentist, optician, hair stylist
- --lawyer, accountant, real estate agent, landlord
- --insurance agent, stock broker, travel agent
(adapted from WEBS/Westchester Library System)
Even if you don't know anyone who is a teacher, you're likely to know someone who knows a teacher or school administrator. If you're a parent with school-age children, you should definitely let your children's teachers and other school personnel know of your career objectives. If they know you've been attending Manhattanville's School of Education, you can inform them that you've graduated and have received your state certification. Call or write the other contacts on your list with an update on your recent training and experience. Rather than asking about specific job openings, say you'd like to send a resume in case they hear of an appropriate opening. Perhaps your contact could pass your resume along to an educator. You should also ask for names of other people to contact.
The best time to develop your network is before you need it. If you're just starting your graduate work, get to know your classmates. Many of them may already be working in schools and can provide you with valuable information on school philosophies, learning environments, hiring policies, etc.
Likewise, when you are student teaching, ask for information and advice about your job search from your cooperating teacher, principal and other administrators. You can sometimes find out about the backgrounds of newly hired teachers in newsletters published by the teacher's union. For example, a particular school may often hire teacher aides for full-time probationary positions but seldom choose substitute teachers for permanent jobs. The reverse could be true at another school.
How do you find out what it's really like to teach in the Bronx or any other school district? By conducting informational interviews with teachers at their schools. Each edition of M'Ville Teacher lists the names and schools of graduates who have secured full-time teaching positions. Some of these alumni are happy to speak with preservice teachers about their work, and to share information about their job search and career path. For more information, please contact the School of Education, (914) 323-5214.
Working as a substitute teacher, teacher aide or intern is another good way to broaden your network. You can apply to substitute teach in two or three nearby districts and use this opportunity to find out about various schools. Try to introduce yourself to as many people as possible in the school and make an attempt to get to know other teachers, perhaps at lunch in the teacher's lounge. Be sure to let the administration know you're looking for a full-time position.
Here is just one example of a networking success story:
Cheryl Wilder Devault (MAT, Elementary Education, 1997) met Pat D'Agostino ( MPS, Elementary and Special Education, 1993) while both were working at a summer day camp. Pat had just begun her graduate studies at Manhattanville and recommended the masters program to Cheryl. Cheryl applied and was accepted by Manhattanville. While completing her masters degree, Cheryl had been teaching at Greenwich Country Day school, first as an apprentice, next as co-teacher and then head teacher.
She heard about an opening at the Pear Tree Point School in Darien, Connecticut by calling the Center for Career Development JOBLINE. After taking part in an extensive interviewing process, Cheryl was offered a kindergarten teaching position at the school by the headmistress, Hazel Rich Hobbs (MAT, Elementary Education, 1977).
As an alumna, Hazel was very interested in notifying Manhattanville of her available teaching positions and she looked closely at the Manhattanville candidates who applied. In addition to selecting Cheryl, Hazel also hired Steven Tower, MAT Elementary 1997, who was hired to teach fifth grade. In the competitive field of elementary education, having a connection can make a big difference in whether or not your resume is given the consideration it deserves.