Smith Career Connect

Join Smith Career Connect

Smith Career Connect is where students and alums come together to talk about careers. You can grow your network, receive tailored mentorship, and browse job listings by alums who can help you secure the role—all in one place.

This platform is exclusive to the Smith community. It’s a built-in network of Smith alums who are eager to help you navigate the next stage in your career, whether you’re still exploring what path is right for you or need help making connections in the industry of your choice.

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Smith Career Connect

Why should I join?

A trusted network. Everyone in Smith Career Connect is part of our community and has demonstrated a keen interest in the professional growth of our students. 

Simplified interactions. Students and alums can make connections, share files, book and attend audio and video calls without leaving the platform—no need to exchange personal information or use third-party apps to participate.

Meaningful connections. About 2,000 alums have already signed up and are eager to help students and recent graduates explore and succeed in their career journey. Students will spend less time cold calling and more time receiving personalized mentorship.

Creating an Account

All Smith students have been preloaded into the platform for a seamless signup experience.

  1. Go to Smith Career Connect.
  2. Select Smith Account Login to continue using the SSO system. 
  3. Add your Smith credentials to gain access.

After creating your account, you’ll be asked to provide details about your working experience, career interests, and goals. This process is relatively brief and we recommend you answer all the questions simultaneously. These answers will inform the connection, career, and employment opportunities Smith Career Connects recommends to you.

Getting Started

On Smith Career Connect you can:

  • Explore career paths. Based on the interests you include in your profile, the platform will suggest career paths, show potential salary ranges, and share academic and experience requirements.
  • Connect with alums. You can send private messages, schedule meetings, and share files all with the assistance of templates to facilitate and enhance your networking experience.
  • Browse open jobs. Find a curated list of opportunities (vetted by Lazarus Center staff) and Smith Career Connect will recommend alums who are willing to help you secure these roles.

Featured Alums

Ayana Gonzalez ’98 Senior Consultant at Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. I can help with: Industry insights.

Ayana Gonzalez ’98

Sociology

Senior Consultant at Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.

I can help with: Industry insights.
Kiera Collins-Joseph ’24 Math Tutor at America Reads*America Counts Key motivators: helping others, problem solving, planning/organizing.

Kiera Collins-Joseph ’24

Math Tutor at America Reads*America Counts

Key motivators: helping others, problem solving, planning/organizing.

Benay Weintraub, M.S. ’19

Kinesiology and Exercise Science

Head Coach, Women’s Tennis at California Institute of Technology

My key motivators: Helping others, working with others.
Karen Mitchell ’97 Geology/Earth Science Assistant Chief Flight Instructor at Laconia Flight Academy My key motivators: Helping others

Karen Mitchell ’97

Geology/Earth Science

Assistant Chief Flight Instructor at Laconia Flight Academy

My key motivators: Helping others
Kit Wang ’81 Biochemistry Priest-in-Charge at The Episcopal Church I can help with: Job shadowing, industry insights.

Kit Wang ’81

Biochemistry

Priest-in-Charge at The Episcopal Church

I can help with: Job shadowing, industry insights.
Jenny Malave ’10 Sociology Director of Data Analytics and Reporting at Holyoke Public Schools My key motivators: Helping others, problem solving.

Jenny Malave ’10

Sociology

Director of Data Analytics and Reporting at Holyoke Public Schools

My key motivators: Helping others, problem solving.
Abbey Harlow

Abbey Harlow ’08

Arts Administration

Owner at Harlow Nonprofit Consulting

I can help with: Work-life balance, choosing a career path.
Patricia Galfano

Patricia Galfano AC’04

International Relations & Affairs

Teacher at NYC Department of Education

My key motivators: Being creative.
Kate Bussard

Kate Bussard ’98

Art: History of Art

Curator of Photography at Princeton University Art Museum

My key motivators: Problem solving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Smith Career Connect is an online platform where students can connect with alums to discuss career paths, find mentorship, participate in interest-based group discussions, and explore job opportunities.

Only Smith College students, alums, and faculty/staff are eligible to join. All members share a strong commitment to supporting the professional development of Smith students.

This easy-to-use tool lets you connect with Smith alums who are working in a wide range of professional areas and have diverse career experiences. They have volunteered to be informal mentors and are waiting for your questions.

Smith Career Connect makes it easy to find the right alums and will also help you navigate the networking process, including text suggestions when you’re crafting a message.

Within the platform you’ll also find interest-based group conversations and short, action-based learning modules that you can complete on your own.

Ultimately, this is an educational tool where you can find full support as you prepare for life after graduation.

1. Go to https://careerconnect.smith.edu. 

2. Click the “Join Today” button

3. Click “Smith Account Login” to use single sign-on

4. Complete your profile
Sync your account with your LinkedIn profile or add your experiences manually. We also recommend adding a favorite photo, filling out the “About Me” section, and selecting which areas you want help with. 

5. Explore the platform and join relevant groups
There are numerous interest-based groups that you can join for larger conversations.

Within Smith Career Connect you’ll be able to search for alums based on your individual needs. Each profile will have a  large “Message” button that initiates a conversation. The system will then guide you through the process.

Smith Career Connect is an exclusive opt-in platform for students and alums to have career conversations. In most cases, students will act as mentees and the alums volunteer to be informal mentors when called upon for support. Recent alums may bridge that space, as they’re still seeking early-career advice but can also share insights with current students.

The Network, also a Smith-supported platform, is a resource for all alums. It houses the alum directory and the new Career Hub, which is where alums can connect with one another for professional or personal reasons, access skill-building opportunities, find job listings, and more. Read about the Network in more detail.

Other networking platforms, LinkedIn for example, are valuable tools but they lack the focus and personalization that we’re able to offer with Smith Career Connect and The Network.

No, all interactions — messaging, file sharing, and audio/video calls — can be handled within the platform, so there’s no need for third-party applications or sharing personal contact information. However, if you choose to take a conversation out of the platform, that’s up to you and the alum.

For assistance with any technical or account-related issues, you can reach out to careerconnect@smith.edu. 

Smith Career Connect is a new networking platform exclusive to the Smith community. As a recent alum, you may have even used it as a student. Typically, alums on this platform are volunteering to be mentors. However, alums who graduated within the last five years will likely use this platform to both mentor current students and find valuable connections with alums who have more experience. This is the place to share your early-career insights and ask your own questions. Here are some of the most common questions recent alums have about the platform:

Smith Career Connect is an online platform where students can connect with alums to discuss career paths, find mentorship, participate in interest-based group discussions, and explore job opportunities. It serves as a centralized space for student-facing career support within the Smith community.

By joining, you’re helping to build a trusted network of Smith alums who are willing to provide mentorship, offer industry insights, and help with job connections. It’s a one-stop hub for students to make meaningful professional connections within the Smith community, but it only works with your active participation!

If you didn’t create an account as a student, here’s how you can set one up now:

1. Go to https://careerconnect.smith.edu. 

2. Click the “Join Today” button

3. Click either “Continue with LinkedIn” or “Signup with Email”
Do not click the “Smith Account Login” as that is for students only.

4. Complete your profile
Sync your account with your LinkedIn profile or add your experiences manually. We also recommend adding a favorite photo, selecting your key motivators, and answering some of the career questions. These are optional steps but really help bring your profile to life and help students find the right alums.

5. Explore the platform and join relevant groups
There are numerous interest-based groups having conversations, waiting for your input!

For the most part, students will handle the initial outreach. That said, within your profile you can set up automated emails that go to students who have similar interests based on your profiles. That email may spur an initial conversation that wouldn’t have happened otherwise! We also recommend joining interest-based groups where conversations are happening among numerous students and alums.

Smith Career Connect is designed to be a career education tool. As a recent alum, you are still navigating your early career and may find it helpful to reach out to more experienced alums on Smith Career Connect. You can message them in the same way current students can message you.

We also recommend The Network, which has a new Career Hub. This is a space for alums to connect with one another for professional or personal reasons, access skill-building opportunities, find job listings, and more. This is a resource available to you throughout your career. Read about the Network in more detail.
 

No, all interactions — messaging, file sharing, and audio/video calls — can be handled within the platform, so there’s no need for third-party applications or sharing personal contact information. However, if you choose to take a conversation out of the platform, that’s up to you and the other person.

Smith Career Connect is an exclusive opt-in platform for students and alums to have career conversations. In most cases, students will act as mentees and the alums volunteer to be informal mentors when called upon for support. As a recent alum, you may bridge that space, as you’re still seeking early-career advice but can also share insights with current students.

The Network, also a Smith-supported platform, is a resource for all alums. It houses the alum directory and the new Career Hub, which is where alums can connect with one another for professional or personal reasons, access skill-building opportunities, find job listings, and more. Read about the Network in more detail.

Other networking platforms, LinkedIn for example, are valuable tools but they lack the focus and personalization that we’re able to offer with Smith Career Connect and The Network.

You can be as proactive or reactive as you choose. Basic participation would include keeping your profile up-to-date and responding in a timely manner if/when a student reaches out to you. 

It helps to remember that this is a learning experience for students, and you may be their first professional connection. You may not be satisfied with a student’s answer/approach or may not hear back at all. This is just another way you can help! Your kind feedback is appreciated as they practice networking and learn what professional interactions should look like.

Outside of one-on-one connections, we also highly encourage you to join one or more of the interest-based groups and engage with the conversations happening there.

For assistance with any technical or account-related issues, you can reach out to careerconnect@smith.edu. 

The Network remains the central virtual hub for alum connections but Smith Career Connect serves as a space for Smithies of all generations to come together for conversation and mentorship related to careers.