Dartmouth graduates continue to be well-represented at companies listed by Fortune Magazine in its annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" rankings. Moreover, many alumni occupy top management positions at such companies on the list as Boston Consulting Group, American Express and Goldman Sachs. Although Dartmouth alumni have mixed views on whether the alumni network had helped them in their placement into the these companies, they attributed their job success to the skills and education acquired at the College.
"It was the Dartmouth experience and part of that was education in a narrow sense, classes and education, and in a broader sense, important values and just how to conduct oneself," said Jeff Bock '72, a partner at Perkins Coie, an international law firm that ranked 48th out of 100 on Fortune's list. In creating the list, the magazine evaluated the policies and culture of each corporation and then surveyed the company's employees.
"I think that while my studies may not have been directly involved with my position, I believe that things that I've learned while at Dartmouth have helped in my position," said Zachary Stein '96, who works as a Marketing Specialist and Community Liaison for Whole Food Markets, which ranked 15th on the list.
While the alumni network did not appear to be a factor helping alums obtain their jobs, the presence of alums working for the company made it more attractive.
"Coming out of business school I tried to use [the Alumni directory] as much as possible, at that point a few years ago. It wasn't very helpful to be honest. It was very cumbersome and the interface wasn't very good. You could search for mining but not marketing," Stein said, joking that it appeared to have been a product of the 1960s.
"I did search out firms I was talking to. I did the research to see what Dartmouth grads were there and they might not have been the right people to talk with," Bock said. Bock added that his experience with the Dartmouth community contributed to how he chose his place of employment. "The company I work with, and this is probably not an accident, it has a lot to share with the character and spirit of the Dartmouth community," he said.
According to Kathyrn Doughty, associate director to Career Services, students respond positively to having Dartmouth alumni in companies and professions that interest them.
"Students are pleasantly surprised when they see that there's an alum in an organization," said Doughty. "If you have a chance to talk with someone in the organization, you have a better understanding of the culture of that organization."
She also cautioned students to conduct research before using the alumni network in their job search, citing recent incidents involving alumni who are displeased by the lack of professionalism displayed by Dartmouth students during their calls and e-mails.
"We see a lot of students applying to companies that they didn't even research. Networking with someone in that organization just advances the investigative research. Students still have to have done their homework before they apply to companies," Doughty said.
Although she believed that the Fortune's list was important, Doughty warned students to apply to companies that better suit their needs and provide a more comprehensive learning process.
"[Students] shouldn't apply to a company just because it is in a 100 list," she said.
