Courtesy of ucsb.evisors.com
The UCSB Alumni Mentorship Program (A.M.P.), powered by networking group Firsthand, is now on the UCSB campus to provide students with the opportunity to get jobs through alumni networking.
The website allows users to explore four different platforms: Alumni Mentorship Programs, Career Advice Platforms, Webinars and Evisors. Students can create an A.M.P. profile that is personalized to them and their alumni network.
A.M.P.’s goal is to nourish career development by providing students and alumni with consistent support. The A.M.P. website also provides customer support seven days a week.
Hugo Pegley, Firsthand UCSB Campus Ambassador and UCSB alumnus, said job candidates with the most network connections are the most likely to get a job.
“In our modern and highly-connected world, the best jobs don’t go to the smartest or hardest working candidates,” Pegley said in an email. “They go to the most connected candidates, candidates whose networks have taught them where to apply, what to write on a resume, and what to say in an interview.”
Pegley said the company’s goal is to provide eligible career candidates with job opportunities.
“At Firsthand, we don’t think it’s fair to employers, candidates, or the universities that educate them, that great candidates, with the right skills and motivation, should fall short of great jobs because they lack a network to teach them how to be successful applicants,” Pegley said in an email.
Pegley said A.M.P. chose to come to UCSB because of intelligent students and their desire to find a job soon after graduation.
“UCSB students are among the best and brightest in the nation, so it only makes sense that many of them are highly motivated and want to get ahead in their career search,” Pegley said in an email.
Kiarash Payani, first-year pre-biology major, says that he was “truly impressed” with his experience with Firsthand.
“I was surprised by how many different advisors are available for consultation,” Payani said. “Alumni in finance, business, medicine and many other industries were all there to help me explore my interests and passions.”
Payani said she believes other students can benefit from A.M.P. because it provides connections to prioritize student career objectives.
“This program could definitely help others the way it helps me, simply by providing others with the same resources and connections that they would also need in order to better plan their future careers,” Payani said.
Students interested in booking a consultation can go to ucsb.evisors.com/hugo. All consultations are completely free. Students automatically get entered into a raffle for a $100 gift card upon enrollment. Any further questions can be sent to ucsbfirsthand@gmail.com.
A version of this story appeared on p. 5 of the Thursday, March 3, 2016 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
