When Karen Shimamoto (Bio’07) first heard about the Forever Buffs Network (FBN) Mentorship Program, she knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to give back and support a fellow Buff. The program offers a unique opportunity to connect with other Buffs through a guided mentor–mentee relationship.

Shimamoto was paired with Gennah Penalosa (Fin’23), a recent graduate who joined the program looking for help in navigating her new career.

“The program was the perfect opportunity to guide me,” said Penalosa. “In looking through the various alumni profiles, I was astonished to see the diversity of ethnicities, careers, interests and other identities across the community.”

For Shimamoto and Penalosa, one of the biggest benefits of the mentorship program has been the opportunity to see the world through each other’s eyes.

“She has taught me so much. Her approaches to professional and personal situations have helped me widen my perspectives and find ways to be more inclusive,” said Shimamoto.

The FBN Mentorship Program offers participants prompts and guided activities to help make the meetings more comfortable and intentional. For example, one prompt that Shimamoto and Penalosa had was to do a learning activity together. They chose to listen to a podcast episode on leadership in the professional setting which focused on women of color. After listening, they discussed their shared experiences as women of color and the different ways in which they approach leadership. The activity helped them learn about each other and deepen their relationship.

“It’s truly an honor to understand how a recent graduate is experiencing and navigating the workforce,” said Shimamoto. “She is also helping me understand how I can advocate, encourage and uplift women of color professionals.”

Whether as a mentor or mentee, you can expand your knowledge and grow with a fellow Buff. Learn more about how to apply for the mentorship program here. 

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Photo courtesy Karen Shimamoto and Gennah Penalosa

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For Alexandra Lemlein (Comm, Soc’09), Buffs come first. 

As a student she helped coordinate events for the CU Boulder Alumni Association, was a member of the Sigma Rho Lambda sorority and played intramural volleyball. After graduation, she moved to New York City and became vice president of the area’s Forever Buffs alumni chapter for six years. 

Soon, she began expanding her professional network with Buffs by serving as a student mentor and participating in the Buffs Hire Buffs recruiting reception. 

“Having something in common with someone such as being an alum of CU Boulder is a natural way to start a conversation and connect,” said Lemlein. “I love networking with people and especially helping fellow alums with their job search. I’ve had many people help me over the years and it’s important to help others and pay it forward.”

Now she’s helped a young alumna get a job. 

Lemlein is a senior B2B marketing manager for Tubi, a streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. In January 2023, she met Cayla Seligman (Bus, Mktg’19) on the Forever Buffs Network while looking to meet more Buffs. The network, which functions like a LinkedIn for CU Boulder alumni, helps students and alumni connect over their shared CU experiences and seek professional advice. 

Within a couple of weeks, she recommended Seligman for a TV specialist position at Tubi.

“Cayla reached out to me and we chatted on the phone,” said Lemlein. “I was impressed with her eagerness. I understood what it’s like to want to move to NYC and start a great career.”

Tubi hired her in March, and Seligman moved to New York City from Portland, Oregon.

“Find an advocate who keeps you in mind for new opportunities,” Seligman said earlier this year. “They immediately think of your name first.”

Join the Forever Buffs Network at .

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Photos courtesy CU Career Services

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CU Boulder Next, New York

On Feb. 27, CU pride swelled from the Grand Hyatt in New York City during CU Boulder Next. Attendees learned about the university’s latest innovations and inspirations during five BuffTalks presentations, which ranged from smart tattoos to Mars. Other highlights of the evening included a spontaneous opera performance from Grammy winner Wei Wu (MMus’13), alumni-crafted beer and wine, and ample shared CU memories. Audra Dixon (Soc’06) tweeted from the event: “Connecting with @CUBoulder alumni from afar in my new home at #CUBoulderNext NYC. Go Buffs!”

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Get Career Help

Get professional assistance with your résumé, interviewing skills and job search strategy or find clarity on other work-related topics such as negotiating a raise, planning for retirement or improving your online presence.

All alumni receive two free career counseling appointments through Alumni Career Services per calendar year. Additional appointments are $30 per session. New graduates receive free career advising for a year after they graduate. Visit colorado.edu/career/alumni to schedule an appointment.

The Herd and Mental Health

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The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their in-person efforts, so The Herd shifted their focus to encouraging students virtually.

“This was an exercise for Herd leaders in understanding how to adapt to drastic change,” said Kavya Kannan (Econ, PolSci, IntlAf’21), chair of the committee. “Recent happenings have shown us the need for stronger mental health resources, and we hope that this event links The Herd to supporting mental health on CU’s campus.”

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Photo by Glenn Asakawa

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A Q&A with career expert Andrew Hudson (Engl’89) — former press secretary for Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and U.S. Senator Timothy Wirth, jazz musician and founder of Andrew Hudson's Jobs List.

What’s the best attitude for a job search?
Focused confidence: An intense belief in yourself and your skills and the ability to specifically and confidently describe how your experiences and accomplishments will add value.

Your confidence must be consistent across the main “touch points” in the job-seeking life cycle — résumé, short introductory speech (“tell me about yourself!”), cover letter, online profiles and answers to predictable interview questions. (What do you want to do? Why do you want to work here? What skills and experience make you the best candidate?) Be prepared with specific stories about accomplishments that demonstrate your skills, work ethic and professionalism.

Job seeking is a skill. Mastering specific job seeking skills will be useful throughout your career.

If I don’t have a lot of work experience, what do I put on my résumé?
Don’t discount any of your experiences — even those that go beyond your work/ internship experience. If you’ve volunteered or were part of a humanitarian effort, if you were a sports team captain, if you had a leadership role at your summer job or internship, if you’ve won awards, if you ran your own babysitting or lawn care business, if you were required to manage a budget or build a website for your on-campus club… anything that demonstrates professional skill, experience and accomplishment will be helpful.

How do I find a job?
More job offers are made through person-to-person networking than any other type of job search technique. Online job boards are important for prospecting, but all too often job seekers find themselves mindlessly sending off dozens of résumés, then getting frustrated they are not hearing back. Only 25 percent of job search time should be spent on job boards. Only respond to jobs that match your skills and experiences, as well as your criteria for the type of job you want (type of company, job title, location, salary/benefits, etc.).

CU Boulder has an excellent Career Resources Center to help students and alumni with networking, self-branding, interviewing and writing skills for résumés, cover letters and online profiles.

What is networking?

• Power partners: These are people who know you best: Friends, family, professors, colleagues, neighbors or former bosses. They will not only call you back, but will be your biggest cheerleaders. They will open their list of contacts to you, testify to your abilities and actively work to open doors. 
• Remember me: These are close acquaintances who you know well enough to reach out to: Parents of friends, folks you met at an internship, other second-level LinkedIn contacts. 
• The cold call: “Let me introduce myself!” A challenging but necessary networking skill. Let’s say you read an interesting article about the CEO of a local company. Or during your research, you came across a nonprofit you’d like to work for. Make contact! Prepare a short script about why you are calling and respectfully ask if you can visit.

​Is it OK to ask for something?
Always be ready to make an ask. You’ve got their attention. “Do you have a job? Can you introduce me to your recruiter? Is there anyone you can refer me to? Will you review my résumé? Can I call you back in a few weeks to check in?”

This might sound forward, but, guess what? Every person you meet has been in your shoes. It’s OK. You’ll find most people are incredibly helpful.

Parting advice?
Don’t panic! Research different careers that fit not only your skills and experiences, but your passions. Things that excite you and bring you joy. In your first years after college, you will identify things about yourself — talents, strengths and skills — that will lead you in career directions you didn’t expect.

Condensed and edited by Eric Gershon. In our print edition, this story appears under the title "How to Land a Job." Comment on this story? Email editor@colorado.edu.

Illustration by Ellen Weinstein; Photo by Ellen Jaskol.

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Looking for a job or a change in your career? Lea Alvarado is here to help. With more than 15 years of career development experience, she helps CU alums in one-on-one career sessions — the first two sessions are free — and provides career-oriented workshops. Last year she and her team saw 1,118 alums and offered 23 events.

What should be top of mind during a job search?

It is important to know who you are, what you can offer an employer and the type of job you’re looking for. Take an inventory of your accomplishments and achievements and reflect on your skills, interests, values and strengths. To experience a successful job search, everyone should begin by going through some kind of self-assessment process.

What is the full breadth of your services?

All of our services are designed to assist alums with the resources they need, whether they’ve been laid off, are looking to make a career transition or need resources to advance their career. We review résumés and cover letters, assist with interviewing skills and job-search strategies and help people overcome challenges hindering their career success.

We utilize a variety of assessments. We also host two Career Services events a month featuring coaches to help alumni with their job search.

Describe a typical career session.

Sometimes it may look like all the person needs is a résumé review, but it turns into a session about his or her fears of leaping into a whole new career. Fear is something I talk a lot about with my clients. It’s a big risk to follow your heart. Part of my role is to help them create a plan of action, so they can transition successfully.

Has the economy impacted your workload?

Absolutely. But no matter what’s happening in the economy, people will always be in career transition. A lot of people who come to me are employed but unhappy in their work. I’ve also been seeing a trend — people in their 60s who can’t afford to retire and struggle to find work because of their age and other factors. For the first time in our history, we have four generations in the workplace.

Do you have advice for those unemployed?

Many people who have been unemployed for a long time are spending too much time behind a computer sending résumés. Being willing to connect with people through things like social media, meet-up groups and networking events ultimately is how people find jobs.

What is your advice for interviews?

First, research the company. Then, practice. If possible, spend time in advance going over questions. Companies want to know that you’re someone they want to spend time with, so be yourself.

Lastly, be clear in your interview about what makes you stand out and how your strengths fit with the position.

Learn more at colorado.edu/career/alumni.

Photo courtesy Glenn Asakawa

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Need a job-search tool to find opportunities beyond Monster, Career Builder and craigslist?

Add informational interviewing to your repertoire.

Informational interviewing involves finding individuals who are in the field you are interested in and meeting with them by phone or in person. It’s not about asking for job leads — it’s about gaining information about what the person does and about her or his company.

An additional benefit of these interviews is employers get to know you and what your interests are. It can result in job leads or even job opportunities.

Be sure to check out Ask a Buff in our online community Forever Buffs Network to make professional connections with other Buffs, as well as register for LinkedIn.

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The University Memorial Center is a great place for students to network with alums while attending career fairs.

Andy Burwell’s (Fin’98) career in financial planning started with an internship he had while a CU student. And because of that, he has opened his door to help CU students like Jenna Garofalo (Bus’09) get some real-world experience through an internship.

“My biggest reason for wanting to hire was when I was in school someone was nice enough to give me an internship,” he says, noting he hired Garofalo as a summer intern researching market trends last summer. “I wanted to give someone else the same opportunity.”

His internship gave him a sense of direction — and led to a job offer and his career path. In this weakened economy, alums like Burwell are helping realize the goals of the Alumni Association’s new Forever Buffs program: to help alumni and students create stronger professional and social networks and encourage a culture of contribution.

Broaden your Buff network by posting your company’s job openings and internship opportunities in the Career Services job database and in the Alumni Association’s Forever Buffs Network (formerly My CU Network), a social and professional networking site. The Forever Buffs Network also provides a platform for you to reach out through career resources, mentoring tools, discussion groups, chapter links, a Facebook application and robust alumni directory. As part of the Buff family, you can be that person who changes a student — or an alum’s — life.

“In this economic environment, whether you are a student or have been in the working world for 20 years, being able to go back to the alumni base and ask for help, which in other situations most people are not comfortable with, is key,” Burwell says. “It’s great to be in a position to be able to help.”

To help you find a job, the Alumni Association and Career Services are collaborating in unprecedented ways. Career Services Online (CSO), a job database, now is free to CU-Boulder alumni. Other services include job fairs on campus, online networking opportunities and professional development workshops.

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