Huskies at Work: Career Advice for UConn Alumni

There are plenty of blog posts, personality tests, and news articles out there for recent grads, professionals looking to move ahead in their career, or those who want to transition to a different industry entirely. But it often seems as if it’s a mile wide and an inch deep. Where do you go when you can’t Google the in-depth advice you’re looking for?

John Brady, CEO of Protem Partners, gives some advice for those who want to get to the next level in their career—and haven’t found the answers in a personality quiz or updated LinkedIn profile.

Have a new job? Have a plan.

“I really like to see them set up a 90-day plan to understand not just their goals and objectives, but those of their direct reports, supervisors, and other people around them,” says Brady. “If you can understand where your peers, superiors, and reports are, you can think about your role differently. That sets you up to understand the context of your work within the department or organization.”

If you are part of a smaller company, it might take fewer than 90 days to get a handle on who’s who. In that case, Brady recommends focusing on partners, vendors, or other relevant marketplace players.

Rethink the concept of “time management.”

“Most people talk about time management, but time marches on,” said Brady. “We have to think more about what we do with the resources available to us. In many ways, our office environment and the tools we have at our disposal don’t set us up very well to do our best and most important work.”

It could be as simple as turning off the email alerts on your computer or not checking messages until you’ve completed a task.

“Successful people are doing what will add value at the end of the quarter, the month, the year, and those are the people who get tapped for opportunities,” he adds.

Sign up for a career webinar or workshop. We promise your eyes won’t glaze over.

In addition to sessions on resource management, UConn Alumni offers webinars and in-person workshops nationwide on topics such as: networking for introverts or those in the tech industry; reinventing your career and communicating your value; and conveying ideas in a way that inspires action. Keep an eye on our events page for the latest information.

If you’re a new alum, tap into the resources already available on campus.

“UConn has great resources for new alumni,” says Brady. “Its Center for Career Development offers support for those first two or three years—and it’s one of the more robust programs that I’ve seen. We encourage people to take that level of support first.” The Center for Career Development has a job board, career counseling, and other resources for Huskies who graduated within the last several years.

If you’re not, help other Huskies get a foot in the door.

If you’re an established professional looking to help a new alum get a foot in the door, you can contribute to the Center’s blog or post a job yourself—or use the UConn Alumni Community App to connect Huskies within your network.

If you want to go beyond the basics, UConn is here for you. Protem Partners has an exclusive partnership with UConn Alumni. It offers discounted services and free webinars just for you.

If you do sign up for a consultation, be prepared to answer questions—but don’t bother bringing your resume or LinkedIn profile. “We go out of our way not to ask [for those materials],” says Brady. “That’s how you’ve presented yourself historically, not the way you want to present yourself in the future.”

“We help people who are looking to take their career to the next level—whether that’s an alum looking to take on a management role, increase her sales numbers, or create a nonprofit,” says Brady. “UConn is there for alumni throughout their professional lives.”