Just because the economy has gone south, careers don’t have to follow suit. So says Barbara Hyle of the Center for Career Services, which has launched a biweekly electronic newsletter for Bentley graduates. Bentley@Work features job openings submitted by alumni, companies and recruiters.

“Participation doubled in the second month and is still rising,” says Hyle (pictured), who developed the newsletter as senior associate director of alumni and graduate career development. By the end of the fall semester, the distribution list was approaching 400.

Along with alerting alumni to openings at companies such as Comcast, Liberty Mutual, L.L. Bean and MetLife, Bentley@Work lists networking events on campus, in Boston, and around the world.

“We wanted to help as many people as possible, by providing quality information,” says Leonard Morrison, managing director of corporate relations. “It’s a way to deliver a lot of resources to alumni in a rich, timely manner.”

Offering a dedicated staff resource puts Bentley ahead of the curve in connecting graduates with professional opportunities. Indeed, Hyle was on the case well before the current economic downturn, helping alumni move ahead in their present field or transition to another.

“Bentley provides graduates with lifetime career services and a tight-knit network, in good times and in bad,” she says. Resources include workshops on topics such as career change, self-assessment and interviewing skills; individual career advising sessions; and access to online tools for professional advancement. 

Success Stories

One satisfied CCS customer is Deborah (Maxwell) Millin ’92. In summer 2008, after 10 years at Boston Communications Group, the alumna left her position as vice president of client services to spend time with family.

“It was by far the best decision I have ever made,” she says, “even though people thought I was crazy for not actively job hunting in this economy.”

Last fall, ready to re-enter the work force, Millin tapped CCS for help.

“I hadn’t looked for a job in a decade, and never at the executive level,” she says. “I found a wealth of resources -- including résumé and cover letter guidance, job listings on the Bentley web site, contacts within the Bentley community, and access to technologies within the Career Center.”

In just a couple of months, Millin joined High Street Partners as vice president of client operations. She has since introduced the company to CCS to list jobs on the alumni web site and in Bentley@Work.

Another graduate, Mike Coll ’02, returned to CCS for help with a job change. “The most valuable aspect of the experience was a simple reminder about the importance networking -- using my own contacts and the Bentley community.”

The advice led Coll to a sales-executive position for apparel and marketing specialist Logo Loc Ltd., based in Manchester, N.H.

“Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com are viable resources,” he observes. “But personal contacts and the Bentley network provide warmer leads that generate better results.”