Members of the military, particularly those who served in combat, share a bond that is life-long, and many organizations support those networks, across the country. Former employees of many companies, engaged in a different kind of "combat," also continue to stay in touch with each other through company "alumni" organizations.

These group are excellent resources for job seekers in two major ways:

1. A great source of job leads.
   Most employers prefer a job candidate who has been referred by an employee. With luck, the job won't even be posted, and you will be hired very quickly. This happens much more often than you might think!
   
   
2. An excellent source of "inside" information on potential employers.
   If you see an ad for a job in a specific company, you can ask the people in your alumni group for information about the employer to determine whether or not the company would be a good fit for you, the process for filling jobs, maybe even about the pay scale and benefits. Hopefully, someone in the group actually works for that employer and can provide you with an introduction (see # 1 above).

Company alumni groups seem to fall into a couple of major categories. Independent groups pulled together by volunteers who create a Web site or a mailing list (like a Yahoo! Group), and those actually sponsored by the former employer.

If you don't find one of your former employers in the list, don't give up - check a sites like LinkedIn, which offers the capability to search for people by company and name, with many additional functions to help you make those connections. Also see ZoomInfo, Ziggs, and Jigsaw for more possibilities. For more company alumni groups, check out Yahoo! Groups for Former Employees - over 1,000 Groups are listed; look for your former employer there if you don't find it listed here

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