news
alumni
F R O M T H E U B A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
The Main Event
Network fuels job search HAT DO YOU GET when you combine determination with opportunity? “A job!” Alexa Manuel, BA ’12, says confidently. The Minnesota native and former UB volleyball player who spent only her last three semesters at UB, deftly employed networking tools to land her first professional job six weeks after graduating. In 2011, Manuel met Tim Lafferty, BA ’86, national sales manager for The PCA Group in Buffalo and president of the UB Alumni Association, at UBAA’s Career Conversations Buffalo event. Held annually in partnership with UB’s Office of Career Services, Career Conversations connects alumni with current students and recent graduates. Unlike a typical job fair, Career Conversations facilitates informal discussions about career paths and networking. “I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I knew that if I went in with an open mind, something good may come out of it,” Manuel says of the event. “My goal in life has always been to be one step ahead of everyone else.” Flash forward to January 2012, when the freshly minted alumna discovered an opening at The PCA Group. Using Lafferty’s business card she kept from
Alexa Manuel with Tim Lafferty.
Ways to connect As a UB alumnus, whether you’re a member of the Class of 2012 or from decades ago, you have myriad resources at your disposal:
38 UBTODAY Fall 2012
www.buffalo.edu/UBT
UB Connect: The online community for alumni contains a comprehensive alumni directory. Start searching today!
LinkedIn: Feel at home as a member of our alumni-only professional networking group.
Career Conversations: These networking opportunities are held annually in Buffalo, Albany, Rochester and New York City.
Career Conversations, Manuel confirmed that the employer was in fact where Lafferty worked, and she applied. Less than a week later she was interviewed by Lafferty, made it to the second round, and is now sales and marketing coordinator for the IT solutions company. “There are certain things that make people memorable,” Lafferty says. “Our common interest in UB athletics, her confident manner and, undoubtedly, Alexa’s height were things that, after our conversation I went ‘Wow.’ She’s a college volleyball player, how do you forget someone with that kind of persona? So when her resume came through, I said, ‘I remember her.’ And I remember the positive conversation we had, so it was easy to say ‘come on in.’” Lafferty adds that “helping each other is part of the UB alumni culture, not only with the alumni family, but also at The PCA Group. Personally, no matter where I am, I want to help UB graduates and students, so meeting them is something that piques my interest.” In fact, he says, roughly a third of his firm’s employees are UB grads. Manuel shared her networking success as a speaker during the May 2012 Career Conversations Buffalo. “There are no promises, but, nine times out of ten if you understand networking and the power of it, and how to use it, the sky’s the limit,” Manuel says.
Chapter events: Meet other alumni if you live or work near one of the 25 regional UBAA chapters around the U.S. Or, if you live outside the U.S., you’ll want to get in touch with one of the international chapters.
UB Mentor Network: UB alumni in countless industries are eager to lend career advice.
Many school-based alumni networking opportunities exist as well. Check them out on your school’s website. To get started building your network, visit the alumni connections tab at www.alumni.buffalo.edu.