Coffee with a Graduate

has returned exclusively for a number of academic departments. The programme 

randomly pairs

you with a former student from Manchester Met that studied in the same department as yourself. This means you can now be randomly paired with a graduate working in a field you may be interested in to give you sector specific guidance and help you explore general transferable skills for the workplace.

Coffee with a Graduate is currently open for students in the following departments:

What’s in it for me?

Coffee with a Graduate offers you the opportunity to chat with a former student from Manchester Met to hear about their story after graduating, and get advice and top tips. It enables you to build your network and, at the same time,

gain 10 Rise points towards your Rise portfolio after you have successfully completed your virtual coffee with one of our graduates. 

Kamila – Master of Architecture student, who was paired last year with Fabienne, said:

“It was a lovely opportunity to meet and talk to Fab. Her story and experiences, both inside and outside of University, were fascinating to hear about. I appreciated her tips and insightful comments. I would definitely recommend taking part in the programme.”

How does it work?

There is no obligation to continue to meet with the person you have been randomly paired with afterwards; it could be a one-off conversation or the start of regular conversations.

Register by 27 February to get involved with Coffee with a Graduate

What should we talk about?

There are no prescriptive topics you should cover during these conversations; some may focus on personal and professional development and others may be a more casual conversation over coffee. You may want to think about the following areas, as an ice breaker for your conversation:

Who are the graduates that offer this opportunity?

The graduates taking part in the Coffee with a Graduate programme are part of the Manchester Met alumni community who have studied a wide range of courses and gone onto work in a broad variety of industries.  They are people who have achieved a level of experience that is valuable to share

and

are highly motivated to provide help and assistance to you in your career development.

I’d like to connect with someone in my field – how can I do this? 

Coffee with a Graduate is designed to give you experience of growing and making full use of your network. Did you know that only a minority of job opportunities are actually advertised (and these are

the

most competitive) so learning to grow your network will help you to create new opportunities for your career to flourish? The Careers Service can provide

further advice  

on using tools like LinkedIn to develop your professional network.

Thank you for taking the time to consider your involvement in the scheme and if you do have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at

alumni@mmu.ac.uk

.