One of the greatest joys a professional can get is the recognition from their alma mater. Even the smallest recognition is something that is cherished and talked about. This — giving recognition to those who passed out from an institute — is key to leveraging the alumni network of any institute. But it is invariably ignored.
Most institutes have alumni associations which are so large that they are mini-organisations in themselves. The office bearers of such alumni associations are recognised, and that is a strong motivator for them to give back to the institute. Senior and high profile professionals are celebrated by most colleges and universities in the hope that their glory would rub off on the institute.
However, a vast majority of the alumni is often ignored. The only time anyone bothers remembering them is during the placement season, when brochures are sent out and follow-up calls are made to make them and their organisation land at the campus. Regardless of the outcome, the alumni is again forgotten till the next year’s placement season starts.
This is more evident in the smaller and newer B-schools, where ex-students are still in the junior or middle management levels, and no one considers them important enough to reach out to. The reality that the same alumni will reach decision making roles soon, is often ignored.
Which is why it is unsurprising that when anyone from the institute reaches out to their students after they have passed out, out of the blue after years of silence, it doesn’t cut any ice.
What you can do
~ Just passed out : Start with reaching out to the seniors who just passed out of college. They would be glad to stay in touch. An occasional mail about the happenings in the institute, some fun stuff along with news would help them stay informed and give the institute a reason to communicate with them constantly. Invite them back for some cultural event, or talks with new students.
~ Senior alumni : The older alumni would require a slightly different approach but the same underlying fundamental principle of keeping in touch, and being informed of the key happenings in their life.
Try to recognise and celebrate each alumni, instead of focussing only on the high profile ones. You could invite them to the campus, wishing them for key milestones and other such achievements. Essentially, build and maintain a relationship with the alumni and make them feel wanted. When this happens, the alumni would be more than glad to help the institute, especially with regard to placements.
For this, every student of the institute needs to be involved. It cannot be the sole responsibility of a few people in the placement or alumni relations team. Every student must be given a list of alumni, of with they would be responsible for maintaining a good relationship with one person on that list.
This would not only help the institute but also the individual student because they would be building a strong network, which can they can leverage in the years to come.