Giving recent graduates the opportunity to chat with experienced professionals

How did you hit on the idea of organising an event for recent graduates?

Andi Christen: A few (well about 5 to 6) years ago, we had a brand new board for our Baden chapter. As well as welcoming new faces, we developed a new strategy. One of our objectives was reach out to a good mix of members; both in terms of ages and attracting more women. We wanted to gain as many young new members as possible and so we came up with the idea of organising an event for recent graduates. Our board member, Sarah Ali, is mainly responsible for this. We have now run this event with great success a total of four times and have already reached out to a good mix of members. I truly believe that all age groups benefit from dialogue in our chapter. And of course we are delighted if the events boost our membership figures too.

What can attendees expect from the event?

Andi Christen: Plenty of information and lots of new contacts. The Chapter Baden Alumni sees itself as an active network. And we want recent graduates to benefit as much as possible from that. The event provides them with the opportunity to chat one-to-one with experienced professionals – from a whole host of different disciplines. Through these networking events, we want to set up a kind of mentor system. The conversations will certainly include a lot of tips for getting onto the career ladder, details of the professionals’ own careers and how they combine family and working life. It is important to us that the attendees feel comfortable which is why we attach a lot of value to social aspects. Attending an event does not commit you to anything. We look forward to getting to know you.