What is CCAN? It's your way to connect with employers, JMU alumni, and parents of JMU students who have expressed interest in sharing information about their career. It's an easy, straightforward way to network.

The art of networking is the process of discovering and utilizing connections between people. Genuine networks stem from friendships or business relationships. Everyone knows other people, and thus has a network. But "networking" involves movement beyond one's immediate network and tapping into other people's networks, perhaps far removed from one's own.  Communicating with CCAN mentors is part of the process of gathering career information from people who are already working in target occupations, organizations, or geographic locations. Both the content of the information and the process of gathering it will help you to refine your goals and possibly discover some new ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can CCAN help me?

It is the process of making and using contacts to gather information, get advice and to open doors for networking opportunities with more people.

Networking is most effective when it has mutual benefits. For example, you may benefit from networking with a mentor because he/she may be able to:

• give you a better understanding about a particular field of work
• give you a job or internship lead
• give you information about a specific job or about a specific employer
• give you advice on how to apply for a particular position
• give you suggestions of other people to talk to in the field or organization

A mentor may benefit from talking with you because:

• you can give them an update on what’s happening at their alma mater if he or she is an alumnae/alumnus
• you can give them a chance to share their opinions about their work and field (something that they may rarely get to do and enjoy doing if they enjoy their work)
• you may be a great candidate for their employer and they may be valued for referring you for employment (some employers even provide monetary rewards to employees who refer candidates that become employees)

How do I access the system?

If you currently have an account on MadisonTRAK, login with your username and password at http://www.jmu.edu/cap/interviewing/students/index.htm and click on the link for Career Contact and Alumni Network (CCAN).
If you do not have an account on MadisonTRAK, register as a new user with the university password (Madison) at http://www.jmu.edu/cap/interviewing/students/index.htm. MadisonTrak will prompt you to set up a username and password and complete your user profile. Upon completion of these steps, you will click on Career Contact and Alumni Network on the main menu.

How do I search in CCAN?

Click on the Search Button and you have the option to target your search based upon any combination of criteria such as industry, major, degree, state, career field, and student group. For example, you may be interested in finding contacts that had a health science major and indicated membership in a sorority while in college and are currently located in Florida.

What does “Include Contacts not from James Madison University” mean on the search screen?

Some mentors registered in the system who selected to work with JMU may not have a degree from JMU, but are perhaps a parent with a child attending the university at this time or an employer representative that recruits students for their opportunities.

What should I do before I make contact with a CCAN mentor?

Preparation before making the contact is important. A good rule of thumb is to define an agenda. Having specific points of discussion will ensure that you have accomplished all that was intended. Consider these tips prior to making the contact:

Keep in mind that the mentor’s purpose is to provide information about their field and organization, NOT to provide an interview or a job. His or her purpose is to open doors to potential job opportunities and to help you in your career decision-making process. (However, you may get lucky and get a contact that knows of an opening!)

Prepare to conduct yourself professionally and to respect the fact that the mentor is offering a service and the generosity of his/her time and advice. You not only represent yourself when you make a contact; you represent JMU. If you make a positive impression on the mentor, you encourage him/her to continue to offer assistance to other students and alumni.

Clarify your purpose. Are you looking for information about a career field or a particular company? Are you looking for advice on how to find an entry-level job in a particular field? Do you want to know how someone's college major relates to her job? Be ready to state your reason for making the contact.

Do your homework so you make a good impression. Learn basic information about the career field and the employer of the mentor. For example, if the mentor has provided the web site for his/her company, DO visit it to learn what the company does. Asking what someone's company does when that information is easily accessible to you creates the impression that you want someone else to do your work for you. If you're interested in a type of work or career field, read about it first (see resources related to choosing a major or career); you'll develop better questions and make a better impression as a result.

If you are seeking a job — whether an internship, co-op, or permanent position at graduation — prepare your resume. You may wish to send it to a mentor both for the purpose of introducing yourself and in order to ask for advice on your resume and on building your qualifications for a career field.

Making the Contact

Each mentor specifies his/her preferred means for you to make contact, whether by phone, e-mail or otherwise.

Draft your email or prepare your telephone introduction. Explain that you found his/her name in CCAN, explain why you wanted to contact him/her, and what kind of information you are seeking.

Email approach: Attach your resume as part of your introduction to the mentor.

Phone approach: When speaking directly, explain why you are calling and ask if the mentor has a few minutes to chat about setting up a future phone or in-person appointment. When leaving a voice message, also explain the reason for your call, ask about setting up a future phone appointment, and state your name and phone number slowly and clearly.  If there is a possibility that the mentor may follow up with you, make sure that the voice mail messages on the number you have provided are of a professional manner.

What questions could I ask while communicating with a CCAN mentor?

DON'T ASK for information that is provided to you in CCAN, such as:

• College major
• Job title
• Name of employing organization
• Other degrees held

DO be prepared to be flexible:

Exhibit the most important communication skill: LISTENING.
DON'T become so absorbed in getting through your questions that you forget to listen. Sometimes just one question begins a conversation that yields everything you need to know.

DON'T use the list of questions below as a script. Customize questions that make sense for your situation and for each individual mentor with whom you communicate.

DO ASK about things that truly interest you, such as:

• How did you get started in your career field and what paths have your career taken?
• What kind of experience, if any, did you get during college, that helped qualify you for your first job at graduation?
• Do you consider yourself a specialist, and if so, what experience and/or education developed you as a specialist?
• What do you like most about your job / your industry / your career field?
• What are the frustrations or challenges in your job / your industry / your career field?
• What professional organizations do people in your job / your industry / your career field tend to join? Are there student chapters or can students become involved?
• I was researching careers using JMU resources and read that people who work as (----------) typically have master's degrees and sometimes have Ph.D.s. Is that true in your organization?
• What is a typical day / week / year like in your job / industry / career field?
• What personal qualities are needed to succeed in your job / industry / career field?
• What skills and abilities have you found to be most important to your work?
• How closely does college major correlate to your job / industry / career field?
• What advice do you have for someone interested in your job / industry / career field?

After The Contact

• Be certain to thank mentors generously for their assistance.
• Ask permission to keep in touch by phone or in writing. You never know when they may hear of an opportunity.
• Organize a personal record keeping system for future use.
• Record important points of the conversation.
• Write down names, titles, addresses, and phone numbers.
• Always follow-up with a thank you note or email to the mentor

If you have further questions about the CCAN system, please contact Denise Meadows, Employer Relations & Recruiting Services Coordinator, at 540-568-6229 or meadowdr@jmu.edu.