Ask Alumni

Ask Alumni is the University of Melbourne's career networking platform. All current students can join now to connect with alumni from across the globe.

No matter where you are or how much time you're able to commit, you can explore potential career paths, expand your network and get industry insights from experienced professionals one conversation at a time.

How to join?

Sign up to create your account

It only takes a few minutes to sign up and you’ll gain immediate access.

Search our network of alumni

Search by your preferred area of work, company, job title and more.

Send a request to connect

Send up to 10 connection requests per month.

Get advice

It’s flexible and casual - chat over a coffee, phone or video call with no commitment to meet again.

Featured content

Why join Ask Alumni?

  • Gain insights from professionals in less time than other ongoing mentoring programs
  • Connect with multiple alumni to gain a broad perspective
  • Increase your confidence in networking and professional communication skills
  • Gain confidence in your career direction
  • Find out about your career options including alternative career paths and graduate study
  • Have your CV or job application checked by someone with industry experience and practice your interview technique
  • Learn how to successfully adjust to the working world
  • Develop your career plan and align your goals to your values

FAQs

  • All enrolled University of Melbourne students who have a University student account are eligible. This includes students who are on exchange or studying via distance education. You can use Ask Alumni at any time during your studies. When you graduate, you can continue to take part as an alum, either to receive advice from other alums, or to mentor a current student.

  • Alumni in this program are former University of Melbourne students. They were once in your shoes and are uniquely placed to provide you with relevant career advice and support. All alumni can take part so you will see mentors from a range of backgrounds and at different stages of their careers.

    Mentors in this program are all volunteers, therefore they have the right to accept or decline any meeting request received by a student. Alumni do not always provide a reason for declining a request.  Simply send another meeting request – there are thousands of alumni to connect with.

  • When you send a request to connect with an alum, you’ll need to specify what time and format you want the meeting to be in. Meetings can take place:

    • In-person at a location that suits you both
    • Video call e.g.Zoom, Teams etc.
    • Phone call
    • Messenger e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat etc.
    • Email conversation

  • The great thing about Ask Alumni is that it’s designed to be flexible and casual with no set time commitment. You can choose to meet with an alum for a one-off career conversation, with no pressure to meet again after. If you’d both like to continue meeting multiple times, that’s fine too.

  • Once you’re on the Ask Alumni platform, you’ll be able to search for alumni and view their profile information. Profile information includes their:

    • employment
    • educational background
    • topics they can provide advice on

    Once you find someone with experience you are interested in, you can send a request to connect with them. When sending the request, you’ll need to suggest a time and meeting format. You will also need to include a short message with a subject title indicating a general topic of discussion.

    You can have up to ten requests pending at any one time.

    Your meeting request will be 'pending' until the alum accepts or declines it. If the alum doesn’t respond to your request within three days they will receive an automatic reminder. If they don't respond within 10 days your meeting request will be cancelled.

  • You can connect with alumni to discuss any number of career-related questions, and we recommend having a clear idea of the questions you’d like to ask before you meet. A 'career research' interview format is best, where you have a series of pre-prepared open-ended questions. An open question will start with a HOW, WHAT, WHY, WHEN and cannot be answered with a yes or no.

    You must also abide by the  Ask Alumni Policies and Procedures and  Code of Conduct at all times. Failure to do so may involve your removal from this program.

  • Your personal information and contact details are only shared with administrators and select mentors who you choose to connect with. 

    Other students can't view your profile, and alumni can only view your profile after you request a meeting with them. Once you send a meeting request, that alum will be able to view your profile before they decide whether to accept or decline your request. If they decline your request, they will no longer be able to view your information. 

    For the purposes of ensuring the program continues to meet all expectations, program administrators can also view your profile information and your activities. 

    The information you provide on Chronus, our third-party provider, is stored in their Australian-based server. You can find more information about how your data is used and stored by Chronus in their  Privacy Policy and by the University in the Mentoring at Melbourne  Terms and Conditions.



Testimonials

"Accomplished professionals in the Ask Alumni network can provide exactly what I need as a graduate student facing graduation soon. This experience has been very informing and helpful in me planning what direction I am headed next after graduating from the University of Melbourne."
Jingheng, Master of Engineering

"Through his experience George was able to offer invaluable advice that helped me feel more confident about the job search process - it was nice to hear things from a different perspective. Although George was the first alum I contacted he definitely will not be the last - this process has made me feel more at ease about entering the workforce and the prospect of future employers offering mentoring."
Anna, Doctor of Dental Surgery

"I was inspired by my alumi's profile and what she has achieved since graduating from the JD. She was very reassuring and gave me practical tips regarding work-life balance and volunteering ideas. We also spent time discussing the anxiety that comes with law school. She reminded me that it’s about running your own race and provided me with solid advice about how to manage that sort of stress."
Alaryss, Juris Doctor

"The experience was the highlight of my day. I never expected to find an alum with similar interests. I would definitely recommend the Ask Alumni program to other students. There is much to learn from the alum and their rich experiences."
Edward, Bachelor of Commerce