How to Connect with Stanford Alumni

1. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/school/stanford-university/

2. Alumni Directory - https://alumni.stanford.edu

3. Stanford Alumni Mentoring (SAM) – https://mentoring.stanford.edu

Find Alum through Stanford University LinkedIn Page

1. From your homepage, type in Stanford University in the search box at the top of the page

2. Select Stanford University from the drop-down menu

3. From the Stanford University page, click on Alumni in the left margin

4. Next choose criteria to search for alumni (location, organization, career focus, major, skills)

5. You can refine your search further using keywords in the search box

Find Alum by looking at an Organizations Page

1. From the homepage, type in the name of a company in the search box at the top (i.e. IDEO)

2. From the drop-down menu, select the company

3. From the organization’s LinkedIn page, click on See all employees or See People from Your School

4. If you choose See All Employees, a list of employee profiles will appear. Click on the All Filters box at the

top. Under School select or add Stanford University.

5. Click on the Apply button (blue) in the top right corner of the page

Send an invitation to Connect with alums

1. To connect with alumni, click on the Connect button from the alum’s full profile page or the Stanford

University page.

2. Send a personalized message (Examples notes can be found in the section below, Sample Email and

LinkedIn Messages)

Alumni Directory

1. Visit the Stanford Alumni Association page at https://alumni.stanford.edu/

2. Click on Find and Alum (red box) at the top of the page

3. Toward the bottom of the page, click on Sign-up for an account. When you register you will be given an

alumni email address and can then access the database.

Search Tips for Directory:

1. Each alum profile contains educational, professional and personal information, including current email

address.

2. Start with a Basic Search when looking for information on a specific alum.

3. Click on Advanced Search to search for alums by location, organization, field/industry, major, etc…

Through the SAA you can also join an alumni group or club. There are groups based on region of the country

or world and groups based on interest area. Reach out to the group organizers to ask if you can join.

https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/groups/main

Stanford Career Education 563 Salvatierra Walk 650-725-1789 careered.stanford.edu

SAM

About Stanford Alumni Mentoring (SAM):

There are over 2000 alumni volunteers from various industries, roles and majors, ready to help! Through SAM,

you can request informational interviews.

Getting Started:

1. Visit https://mentoring.stanford.edu to register.

2. Complete your profile

3. Click on Explore the Network in the index at the top of the page. Search for an alumni mentor using

various criteria including industry, major and/or location or type in a keyword.

4. When you find an alum to connect with, visit their profile page and click on the green button Say Hello.

The system will walk you through the steps involved in reaching out to the alumni.

5. If you need assistance, or have any questions about SAM, you can email mentorin[email protected].

Sample Email and LinkedIn Messages

When you are writing an email to an alum, remember to keep it brief and cover 4 points:

1. Mention how you got the alum’s contact information

2. Provide a summary statement of who you are, and why you are contacting them

3. Request an opportunity to meet, mentioning specifically what you would like to hear from them

4. Closing and thank you

Requesting Informational Interview over Email

Subject: Request for informational interview from Stanford Student

Dear (Name of Alum)

I was excited to find your profile in the Stanford Alumni Directory. I’m a senior studying International Relations

and am in the process of exploring career paths. I’m particularly interested in learning more about working in field

of interest.

Would you be willing to meet for 20 – 30 minutes, on the phone or in person, to discuss your current experience

at organization and how you prepared for a career in field? Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Your Name, B.S, International Relations

(000) 000-0000

yourname@stanford.edu

Request to Connect Over LinkedIn

Dear (Name of Alum)

I am a senior at Stanford University and am studying Political Science. I’m currently in the process of exploring

career paths with the State Department (or name a career field) and would like to add you to my professional

network on LinkedIn. Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

Stanford Career Education 563 Salvatierra Walk 650-725-1789 careered.stanford.edu

Request for Informational Interview Over LinkedIn

Subject: Request for informational Interview from Stanford Student

Dear (Name of Alum)

I’m a junior at Stanford University and am studying psychology. I was excited to find your profile on LinkedIn as I

am interested in pursuing a career with (the Department of State/on Capitol Hill/ with an international nonprofit

focused on human rights). Would you be willing to speak with me for 20 – 30 minutes, on the phone or through

Skype, about your career path and your experience working at (organization)? I appreciate you considering this

request.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Your email / Your phone number

Email Request for Introduction

Subject: Networking Contact Request from Stanford Student

Dear (Contacts Name)

I hope this note finds you well. As you may know, I’ve completed a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at

Stanford, and I am interested in pursuing work in the auto industry. I understand that you have previously worked

with Jon Wagner, the Director of Department at Organization. I would love the opportunity to connect with Jon to

get his advice on beginning my professional career in the field. Would you be able to make an introduction on my

behalf? I would really appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you in advance.

Best wishes,

Your Name, M.S, Mechanical Engineering

(000) 000-0000 / yourname@stanford.edu

Referral Email

Subject: Referred by Josh Schill

Dear (Alum’s Name)

I recently spoke with Josh Schill who suggested I contact you. I’ve completed a master’s degree in mechanical

engineering at Stanford University this past year, and I am interested in pursuing work in the auto industry. I

would love the opportunity to hear your advice on beginning my professional career in the field. Gaining insight

into your work at Tesla would be very valuable. Would you be willing to talk with me for a brief informational

interview either in person or over the phone? Please let me know a date and time that is most convenient for you.

Thank you for your time in advance.

Best wishes,

Your Name, M.S, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University

(000) 000-0000 / yourname@stanford.edu