BUConnects Unlocks Professional Resources for Students and Alumni
Building a professional network can be daunting, and platforms such as LinkedIn can be an overwhelming place to start looking for jobs, internships, or career advice. For Boston University students and alumni, BUConnects is a platform for those seeking to make organic connections, ask questions, build community within niche fields, and share professional resources.
For students and alumni of the Pardee School of Global Studies, this platform offers a channel to commune with professionals in high-risk fields. Sonia Liang, Director of Pardee Career Services, observed that alumni who work in federal government, intelligence, and security won’t use public platforms like LinkedIn because of privacy concerns. However, due to the exclusive nature of BUConnects, they feel free to interact with students and other alumni on the platform, as it only serves BU-affiliates. Liang shared that she’s personally had great luck using BUConnects to find Pardee alumni to speak at events or act as mentors for students.
The platform is intended to bring professionals together in ways that open up earnest conversations. Students ask questions on the main board that reach the whole community while also having the option to connect directly with alumni or mentors. Students studying International Relations, such as Jasmine Richardson and Jonah Ceresney (both BA ’26), have received helpful responses from the career services staff and alumni, including stories from their career paths, what they learned working in different industries, and response to help get them started after graduation.
It’s an interactive space for students to see what is on the minds of colleagues, learn through conversations, and collectively lead to new solutions. Students have found relief in the ability to talk to those working in specialized fields; since they’re talking to others who understand, they don’t have to explain or spell out industry concepts or questions. BUConnects aims to be a space for more than professional development, but also community building.
Users are invited to curate their experiences in ways that either benefit themselves or to serve others. Users are able to broadcast what they have to offer or are looking for, whether its to act as a mentor, help with interviews or resumes, give feedback on portfolios or cover letters, speak at a panel or event, hire BU students, find volunteer opportunities, or introduce others to a larger network of professionals. When seeking out connections, the search option allows one to find people based on a specific region or shared interests, allowing users to bond over subjects outside of work. BUConnects aims to bring current students and alumni together for mutual support, to strengthen one’s job candidacy, and understand one’s field through experienced eyes.