Company Alumni and Military & Government "Alumni" Group Directory
People who have worked together usually get to know each other fairly well, and can be very good connections for finding that next job. Even someone you didn't know when you were working for the former employer can be a good connection since you probably are very familiar with the corporate culture and may have known many of the same people. Those people can help you evaluate the new connection.
In the lists below, "alumni" means former employees only, unless otherwise stated.
- Corporate/Company Alumni
Groups Directory seem to fall into two major categories: independent
groups pulled together by volunteers who create a Web site, leverage a social network site like LinkedIn, or use a
mailing list like a Yahoo! Group; and those actually sponsored, managed
and/or funded by the former employer.
- Military Alumni/Veterans' Groups Directory connect members of the U.S. Department of Defense services organizations. Members of the military, particularly those who trained, served in combat, and/or were deployed together, share a bond that is life-long, and many organizations support those networks across the country.
- Government Alumni Groups (bottom of this page) are a little sparse right now, but the whole corporate alumni groups list, currently numbering over 250, started at barely 25 a few years ago, so come back if you don't find your government department represented right now. If you know of an active alumni group which is not listed, let us know, and it will be added. If you see a group which is not active or inaccurately listed or described, also let us know so we can fix it. Send info to feedback@Job-Hunt.org.
Additional Networking Resources
If you know of an active alumni group which is not listed, send us the URL. If you see a group which is not active or is inaccurately listed or described, also let us know so we can fix it. Send info to feedback at Job-Hunt.org
If
you don't find one of your former employers in the lists above, don't give
up. Other venues for groups offer to help you connect with former co-workers as well:
- LinkedIn Groups are available for corporate, government, and military/veteran alumni. They connect only LinkedIn members, and often include current employees as well as alumni.
LinkedIn Group members are allowed to send LinkedIn messages to other Group members even if they aren't otherwise "connected" through LinkedIn.
Watch for multiple LinkedIn groups connecting alumni/ae of the same business. The number of members in the group is usually posted on each Group's Profile page by LinkedIn, along with a description. Biggest is not always best, as usual.
- Yahoo Groups has the largest collection of groups of "former employees" - over 1,200 of them, but many of them are not very active. Search through this database for your former employer to see if there is an active group.
- Meetup Groups meet face-to-face. The seem to be a bit more ephemeral than other groups, but do offer the opportunity to meet face-to-face with others who have similar backgrounds or interests. Pick your location and find a compatible group, or start one if there isn't one currently available.
- ZoomInfo collects and consolidates information from across the Web. ZoomInfo offers the capability to search through their database of profiles by name or by organization and manage your own profile.
If you know of an active alumni group which is not listed, send us the URL. If you see a group which is not active or is inaccurately listed or described, also let us know so we can fix it. Send info to feedback at Job-Hunt.org.
Government Alumni Groups
| Organization | Group | Contact | |
| U.S Dept. of Agriculture | OIG - Investigations Retirees | Website | |
| U.S Federal Government | National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) | Website | |
| Government (Federal, State, and Local) | Directory of Governmental Professional Associations and Societies | Website | |
| The Peace Corps | The National Peace Corps Association (PeaceCorpsConnect.org) | Website |
© Copyright, 1998 - 2013, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.
About the author...
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Google+.
Return to Job-Hunt
Home.
