Common Good & Creative Careers (CGCC) is excited to be launching a new program: Career Coffee Chats. These chats will be either Yale Alums or Industry Experts (also known as “hosts”) who are willing to volunteer their time to speak to current Yale students. Their area of expertise will fall in the categories that CGCC covers: non-profit, government, education, arts and media & communications. The hosts can choose whether they prefer to speak individually to students or in small groups of 3-7. The chats are a one-time engagement where the hosts decide when they want to offer the chats (a date and time of their choosing). These virtual coffee chats will be around 20 minutes long each. They are intentionally informal and allow students to gain insight from industry experts in areas that interest them. Students are encouraged to use this time in whatever manner is best for them.
About Career Coffee Chats
These coffee chats will be virtual and no coffee is actually required! It is an opportunity for students to connect with alumni and industry experts. There will be set dates and times that students can sign up for. Below are some examples as to how one could spend their coffee chat time:
- Asking a few industry- specific questions
- Inquiring about the host’s career path and overall advice
- Brainstorming ways to get into the industry
- Seeking ideas on how to build one’s target list of employers in the specific industry
- Resume or cover letter critique
- Portfolio Review
- Interview advice
How do Students Sign Up?
- Students can sign up for spots through Yale Career Link under OCS Events & Workshops > CGCC.
- Career Coffee Chats will also appear on the right side of this page and will include a direct link to sign up in Yale Career Link.
- Sign up’s will be on a first come, first served basis.
- Students simply select the time that they would like to meet and they are all set!
- Only times that are still available will appear to the student.
- You will then receive get a zoom link to join the day of the chat.
- OCS will encourage hosts to include some small group sessions which may be helpful for students who are new to the coffee chat format.
Tips for Students
Students should keep in mind that these coffee chats are intended for them to learn more about an area that they are interested in. These are informal chats but it is always best to be prepared so that you can get the most out of your time with a host.
Steps to Prepare:
- Do your research. Look up the host’s LinkedIn profile to get a sense of their background and current work.
- Consider what are the top 2-3 things that you want to get out of your session together.
- Looking for more sample questions? Go to OCS Informational Interview Page where we have over 15 sample questions from job experience and environment, growth opportunities and seeking advice.
How do Alumni and Industry Experts Sign Up?
OCS invites alumni and industry experts whose experience falls into the Common Good & Creative Careers to consider signing up for a coffee chat. This programming is completely flexible and we are open to fitting your schedule and any range of commitment. Our goal is to build awareness around the broad array of career opportunities in Common Good & Creative Careers available to Yale students.
Host Volunteers: Please complete the host volunteer form which takes less than 2 minutes and allows you to select the date(s) and time range(s) that works for you to volunteer your time for these coffee chats.
Any questions? Contact Robyn Acampora, robyn.acampora@yale.edu.
