How an alumnus can give a useful talk on campus
You have been asked to speak at your old college. What to prepare, what to cover from your own experience, what to leave out, and how to make the questions the best part of the hour.
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When a college invites an alumnus to speak, the invitation is usually flattering and the preparation is usually rushed. Many alumni build a talk from their company's presentation or from an inspirational story, and many students leave remembering nothing in particular.
The talks students remember are rarely polished. They are the ones where somebody who sat in the same classroom said, plainly, what the first years of work were like. This guide is for alumni who want to give that kind of talk.
What you should come away with
- Your own experience, told honestly, is what students came for
- Cover what you did, what surprised you and what you would change, not what students should do
- Leave out the company pitch, the hiring drive and anything that sells
- Say that your path is one example and that others differ
- Keep your account short and give most of the time to questions
- Agree the details in writing with the college beforehand
Begin with why you were asked. You were not asked because you are famous. You were asked because you sat where the students sit and now work in a way they cannot yet picture. That gap, between what a student imagines work to be and what it is, is what you can fill. You do not need to be senior, and you do not need a dramatic story. You need to be accurate about your own experience.
Before you agree, ask the organiser for the basics in writing: which students will attend, which year and branch, roughly how many, how long the session is, and where it will be. A talk to second-year students who have not started thinking about jobs is different from one to final-years who are in the middle of placement. Ask whether other alumni are speaking, and what the college would like students to take away.
Then decide what you will cover. The topics that tend to help most are these. What your first year at work was really like, including the ordinary days. How you found your first job, including what did not work. What college prepared you for and what it did not. What you would do differently if you were in final year again. Any paths you or your friends took that were not on the placement list. And, if it applies, what you look for when you interview freshers. You do not need all of them. Choose two or three you can speak about honestly.
Tell it as it happened. Say what you did, not what students should do. 'I applied to about forty places and heard from six' is useful, because it is true and specific. 'You must apply widely' is advice, and students have heard plenty of that. If you are sure of a number, give it; if you are not, say 'around' or leave it out. Do not tidy the story into a straight line. Mention the wrong turn, the month you thought you had made a mistake, the thing you did badly. Students are already convinced that everybody else found it easy, and hearing otherwise from someone who got through is often the most useful thing in the hour.
Say clearly that your path is one example. Your industry, your city and your year of graduation shape what happened to you, and the job market has changed since. A sentence such as 'this is what happened to me, other people's paths were different' protects students from copying a route that may not fit them, and it protects you from being treated as an authority on things you only saw from one place.
Leave out the pitch. Do not present your employer's products, recruit for your team, promote a course or advertise your own business. Even a friendly mention can make students feel they are being sold to, and most colleges rightly ask speakers to avoid it. If a student asks how to reach you, send them to the organiser. Do not share your personal phone number or social media handles in the room. If you think a student could be a good hire, tell the organiser afterwards, and let the normal process handle it.
Keep your own account short. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty, and a few notes on a page work better than a long slide deck. If you use slides, put a heading and three words on each one; do not read from them. Spend the rest of the time on questions. Ask the organiser to collect a few from students in advance, because the first question in a quiet room is always the hardest. If nobody asks, you can begin with one yourself: 'The question I wish I had asked a senior was...'.
Prepare for the questions you will not like. Students will ask about salary. You can decline politely, or give a general sense of how pay was discussed in your offer without stating a figure. They will ask whether a particular branch or college tier matters, and the honest answer is usually that it matters at the start and less later, but that depends, and you can say what you saw. They will ask something you cannot answer. Say so, and say what you would do to find out. Nobody expects you to know everything, and 'I do not know' builds trust.
Be careful with personal stories. If you want to speak about a difficult time, such as failing a subject, a bad manager or a period of low mood, share what helped, not a medical or psychological opinion, and do not give advice on matters that need a professional. If a student says something that suggests they are in distress, do not try to handle it yourself. Tell the staff member who is in the room, and let the college's own people take it from there.
After the session, thank the organiser, and tell them honestly how it went and what you would change. If students sent questions you could not answer in the time, give your answers to the organiser to pass on. Consider whether you want to come back next year, or to ask a colleague from your batch to join. Colleges rarely have enough alumni in front of students, and a good first experience is what makes the second invitation easy to accept.