Alumni | Springfield College

Career Center Resources for Alumni

Stay Connected and Make a Difference

Congratulations on earning your degree from Springfield College! At the Springfield College Career Center, our mission is to educate, inspire, and empower students and alumni to effectively make well-informed career decisions. We understand that career planning is a lifelong process. As alumni, you are able to engage with the Career Center in several ways. We value your continued participation.

How the Career Center Can Help You Connect With Current Students:

Whether you are looking to conduct on-campus interviews, advertise an internship, or post an employment opportunity, the Career Center is eager to support your hiring needs.

  • Self-post an employment opportunity directly through JobConnect, the Career Center’s online portal. The Career Center is eager to support your hiring needs.
  • Share your expertise through an informational interview. Consider hosting students for a day at your place of employment or even consider sponsoring a networking reception.
  • Provide a job shadowing opportunity.
  • Schedule on-campus interviews, participate in job fairs, employer panels, and career-related events.
  • Perform on-campus networking. Many programs hold professional development symposiums and networking events. These programs afford students an opportunity to learn about your field of work and your personal career path, plus advice about entering your career industry.
  • Please contact the Career Center at (413) 748-3222 or email us at career@springfield.edu to explore ways to partner with the Career Center. 

How the Career Center Can Help You

The Career Center offers a variety of programs and services to guide alumni in their job search and career transitions.

Services include one-on-one appointments with a career counselor for the following topics:

  • Resume and cover letter critiques
  • Job search advice
  • Networking
  • LinkedIn
  • Graduate school advisement
  • Mock interviews

Please contact the Career Center at 413-748-3222 or via email: career@springfield.edu to schedule an appointment or for more information. Alumni have lifetime access to the Career Center. During the academic year, appointment priority is given to current students. Alumni appointments typically schedule two to three weeks in advance. Individual career counseling appointments and services for alumni are available up to six hours every two years. Most career-related matters are addressed within this framework. If alumni desires more intensive career coaching, please access our external resources by clicking the "External Resources" link located in the gray box in the upper right corner of this page. 

Welcome to Handshake

Current students can join Handshake for free and begin connecting with employers immediately. Alumni who do not have a Handshake account already will need to complete the Handshake Alumni Registration which includes an email verification process. As an alumni you can use your own, personal email address if your Springfield College email address is not active or is not your primary email address. Springfield College will automatically be pre-selected as the institution and then you’ll be asked to create a Handshake password. Once the email address has been verified, your account information will be submitted to the Career Center for approval. When the account has been approved, you can use all of the functions Handshake has to offer. If you have any questions, please contact the Career Center at (413) 748-3222.

Students using the computer

Savvy Tips for A Well-Conducted Job Search

As you conduct your employment search, it is critical that you are well-educated about potential scams and fraudulent jobs that sometimes exist in today's society. Whether you are using Handshake or any external site or job board, always utilize your best judgment and thoroughly research positions, and their agencies, in their entirety prior to applying. 

The Springfield College Career Center subscribes to standards set forth by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Please review the suggested tips and recommendations while conducting any type of job search. Visit the weblink for the full article. 

Unfortunately, not all employment opportunities are legitimate; entities may pose as employers as part of a scam to elicit personal information from or otherwise defraud their victims. Career centers and students alike must be vigilant about fraudulent employers and should identify steps to take to verify the legitimacy of an employer.  

  • Research company websites thoroughly: Does the company have a website? Does the website match up with the posting? Does the website look legitimate? Look to see if the organization is using a company domain versus a general Gmail or Hotmail account. Match the e-mail address to the company domain. Watch for e-mail addresses that are similar looking, but not the same. Look for “stock photos,” grammatical errors, and poor use of English language.
  • Be leery of non-approved employment flyers on college campuses and other establishments.
  • Use social media to research each employer, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn. Research the company on websites such as Glassdoor.com for feedback and complaints.
  • Be cognizant of unsolicited e-mails that are not specifically directed to you. Many employers have access to resumes via career centers. Therefore, reach out to your career center should you have any concerns or questions.
  • Keep your private information private! Don’t share personal information, e.g., social security numbers, banking information, credit or debit card numbers, PINs, passwords, birthday, address, mother’s maiden name).
  • Never process ANY financial transactions. For example: Some companies offer opportunities to “make money really quick.” They will offer a “one day only special.” Their intent is to defraud you by sending or wiring money to your bank account. They will ask you to cash the check or send the monies to other accounts. Once your bank or financial institution processes the scammer’s check or financial request, you may be informed the monies are invalid or “not real.” In the meantime, you are held responsible for the funds the bank has sent at your direction to other accounts.
  • Fraudulent companies are phishing for the unsuspecting, including you. Be aware of what you share and post online. If you feel uncomfortable or aren’t sure about certain companies or employers, talk to your career center.

Bottom line, if you have any questions, talk to someone before pursuing any opportunity. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM NACE

Explore the Career Center at Springfield College