Job seekers turn to alma mater for help

 After Darin Lonergan was laid off from his job in March, he turned to his alma mater — UMass-Amherst — for advice. What the former General Electric sales and marketing executive got was a 40-minute helpful conversation and ultimately a revised résumé from a career counselor.

“I reached out to the university to see if they provided any support for people in my situation,” said the 1988 grad, who grew up on the Cape and now lives in Connecticut. “I was pleasantly surprised.”
Lonergan’s case represents a growing trend. Given the dismal economy and skyrocketing unemployment rate, local colleges and universities say they’ve had a substantial increase in the number of alumni inquiring about career counseling, networking events and job postings.

“We’re definitely seeing an increased response in people looking for contacts and the opportunity to network,” said Anna Symington, executive director of UMass-Amherst’s alumni association. She said the number of people at alumni events has doubled since the economic downturn.

To meet the growing demand, institutions such as UMass and Boston University have either launched or revamped their online alumni networks. At Boston College, the career center’s counseling and drop-in hours have increased, while a spokesman for Babson College said the school is expanding outreach to alumni about available services.

“We’ve always had [alumni] come in for help with a career change, but now it’s more about finding a job, or it’s people who need to re-enter the job field,” said Theresa Harrigan, director of Boston College’s career center.