Pitt offers network for alumni

If you know your Pitt username and password, finding the perfect internship or making… If you know your Pitt username and password, finding the perfect internship or making connections among potential employers might be easier than you think, thanks to a new Career Services Web site.

The Web site, the Pitt Career Network, is a free database of nearly 1,600 Pitt alumni who students can contact to learn about career fields, specific jobs, set up internships and job shadows and make valuable contacts in the working world.

All students need is their Pitt usernames and passwords to browse the site.

The network, which opened in early April, is a collaboration between the Pitt Alumni Association and Career Services.

Unlike PantherTracs, however, employers cannot post employment opportunities on the site, and students cannot solicit job offers. The site is more focused on networking opportunities.

“We like to say that getting jobs is not based on what you know, but who you know,” said Alyson Wallach, a networking coordinator at Career Services.

Having connections with a potential employer increases one’s chances of employment by 70 percent, Wallach said.

Currently, registered alumni represent 49 states, as well as every major metropolitan area in the United States and 27 countries around the world, Wallach said. The network also has contacts at every major employer in Pittsburgh.

“We’re working on adding North Dakota to the database,” she said.

Additionally, every single school and college at Pitt, including branch campuses, is represented among the database.

Student organizations can also use the network as a resource to find speakers for events or panels.

To access the Pitt Career Network, log onto www.alumni.pitt.edu/networking. Links to the site can also be found on the Career Services site, www.careers.pitt.edu, and the alumni site, www.alumni.pitt.edu.