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17 Jan 2024 | |
Career Development |
Our incredible, diverse, international, intergenerational, global alumni network contains a wealth of knowledge and experience. With that in mind, the BSN Alumni Community Network has been designed to facilitate career support and development among its members. It allows you to:
Volunteering to guide and support a fellow BSN alum or Sixth Form student with their career can be a very rewarding experience. The opportunity to talk and learn from alumni with different professional experiences and backgrounds is invaluable for the recipient. Perhaps you benefitted from career advice from alumni when you were a student at the BSN. Volunteering is a great way to give back!
Career support is available to all members of the BSN Alumni Community Network, including BSN Sixth Form students, alumni (former students aged 16 and above, staff and parents), and current staff and parents.
All you need is a willingness to help and the ability to commit a small amount of time. We are interested in all perspectives from whatever point you are at in your journey, whether you are a recent BSN graduate with experience of university life, an established professional with in-depth knowledge of the job market, or anything in between; whether your career path was straight and logical or took many turns and twists; your stories can have a huge impact.
To become one of our career volunteers, you need to join the BSN Alumni Community Network and indicate on the registration form that you would like to help. There are various categories of support to choose from—see later in the guide for details. You will also be asked to indicate the industry/industries in which you have experience. If you are already a member and you missed these options or would like to adjust your choices, you can edit those sections on your profile.
As a volunteer, your profile is discoverable via a search function on the Career Support tab. Members of the Alumni Community Network seeking career support can search for volunteers with specific experience using the filters below. Multiple selections are possible. If their criteria match your experience, your profile will appear in the search results.
Career Support search filters:
It’s important to ensure that your profile is fully complete and up-to-date. Otherwise, it may not appear in relevant search results. Please pay particular attention to the following sections:
Once a member has identified you as someone to potentially help them in their career, they can send you a Career Support Request which you will receive via email. This will include a personal message; here is an example:
You can click the sender’s picture to visit their profile on the Alumni Community Network (you will be asked to log in first). You have several response options:
You can also find the support request in your messages on the Alumni Community Network (the email icon on the top menu bar).
Please note a record of all career support requests and emails on the Network is stored.
There are several categories of career support that you can offer, to help tailor the support. Read the descriptions below to decide which form(s) of help you are willing to offer.
You should consider entering into a mentor relationship if you are willing to provide long-term guidance and support to the same alum, helping them navigate their career. This is more of a coaching role, assisting the alum to establish and work towards their goals, building their confidence and helping them develop; but you’ll also share your own experiences. You don’t need any special qualifications, but it helps if you are a good listener, sounding board and storyteller. This is a relationship so it works both ways and you have the opportunity to learn new perspectives and insights, perhaps from a member of a different generation.
We recommend using the following framework to conduct your mentor relationship, which can take place over several meetings depending on availability and need.
The Network supports its members to share job opportunities. The Jobs Board is on the Career Support page underneath the Featured Volunteers section. Posting a job is easy; click the ‘Post an Opportunity’ link and complete a short form. The posting will need approval from an administrator so there will be a short delay before it is published.
If you have any questions or feedback about Career Support through the BSN Alumni Community Network, please contact bsn.alumni@britishschool.nl
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