Four years ago Susan Potsick Newhouse '93 LAS hit a career wall. After graduation, she worked in a marketing position but found she hated the job. She became a legal secretary, but the position didn't challenge her. Newhouse wanted a career change but didn't know how her current skills could translate to a future job, or even what field was right for her.

On the recommendation of a friend of a friend, Newhouse went to the University of Illinois Alumni Association's Alumni Career Center. What she found there was not only direction but also the skills and confidence to create her own success. Through networking, she found a job working for a market research firm, coming up with ideas for new products for brands like General Mills and Taco Bell.

"I went from typing documents, bored out of my mind ... to being a key player," Newhouse said.

The services she found and skills she learned came only as a result of her connection with the UI Alumni Association. As far as director Mary Anne Buckman has been able to ascertain, the award-winning Alumni Career Center is the only one of its kind in the country.

"We tried to find another place that looked a little bit like us, and it was not the same," Buckman said.

The Career Center is located across the street from the Sears Tower at 200 S. Wacker Drive in Chicago, but its services extend far beyond the offices and library. The center offers advising sessions with three career professionals (Buckman, Claudia Delestowicz and Julie Hays '90 LAS), networking skills development and opportunities, Internet job databases and a host of other services.

When Ellen Zalewski, MPA '91 (UIS), was looking for a job, she used almost all of them. Zalewski purchased the Comprehensive Package, wherein she received unlimited one-on-one professional development workshops, tip sheets and Web site resources, as well as access to password-protected job sites and resume referral. What she found most useful, though, was the time she spent with Delestowicz in one-on-one career advising.

"I think Claudia really understood that everyone's job search is unique," said Zalewski, who is now the assistant to the director of press for the University of Chicago's Chicago Manual of Style.

Hays agrees with that statement. "The advising session really depends on the person sitting in front of you," she said. Zalewski spent her time with Delestowicz talking about resume building and interviewing technique. Other alumni, however, may spend their sessions brainstorming practical ways for how to turn their career goals into viable, enjoyable career realities.

For David Marren '86 LAS, Buckman helped serve that purpose. "She was able to, without cutting off my ideas, get me to focus on what was important," he said. Marren went from director of sales for a start-up, selling extranet software for the financial services industry, to working in commerce for a company whose stock price just doubled.

Buckman and her colleagues will also conduct mock interviews, review cover letters or resumes or discuss long-term goals. They will advise alumni on a per-session basis or as part of a package. They'll even counsel via phone or e-mail for alumni who can't get to the Career Center.

When Elizabeth Forkins Harano '80 LAS had an interview for the executive director position at the American College of Osteopathic Pediatrics the next day, she realized a mock interview might help her presentation. Hays conducted the interview over the phone, providing Harano with advice and tips, like what kinds of questions to expect and ways to answer them.

"It really made a difference," said Harano, who also serves on the UIAA Board of Directors. "That's the job I got."

For Sean Willis '99 ENG, his appointments with Buckman acted as deadlines. "It gave me a reason to be rather active in my search," he said. Willis responded to an advertisement in a specialty publication and is now a technical data engineer for aerospace supplier MCC Products Corp.

However, for Willis and many others the main benefit of advising wasn't the advice — it was gaining the confidence that each had the skills and ability to find a job. "What I gained the most was just that confidence," said Newhouse.

"I thought, 'OK. Maybe this is something I could do. It's not too late.'"

When Newhouse was making her career change, one thing she did was find out what type of career was right for her. She took the Career Interest Assessments, which include the interest and skills confidence analyses and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Though not a crystal ball, the tests gauge the alumnus's personality and interest preferences and help point some arrows in possible career directions.

Delestowicz conducts all the assessments. She cautions alumni to avoid both inaction and hasty action. People have to "do some critical self-reflection," she said. "Don't be afraid to make a decision. ... Recognize that it's probably going to take you longer than you think, but you can do it."

Some kinds of self-reflection develop better in a group environment. That's why the Career Center also offers professional development workshops. Workshops provide tips on interviewing, resume building, salary negotiation and conducting a job search while employed — and those are just a few of the topics offered this winter. Many of the workshops are not only informative but entertaining, like "Separating Fact from Fiction: Alumni Tell Their Job Search Stories," a free event on Jan. 28.

One topic Buckman, Hays and Delestowicz never stray from is networking. "We mention it probably in every advising session, every workshop," said Hays.

At a free lunchtime mini-workshop, "Breaking the Ice at a Networking Event" last November, Delestowicz coached 22 alumni through possible discussion topics, preparing and delivering personal sound bytes, and getting over networking fears. A UIAA-sponsored professional-to-professional gathering, also called P2P, would be held that night, and one goal of the workshop was to prepare alumni for the event.

Some workshop attendees wore suits, others jeans. Some were actively seeking a job, while others wanted to expand their network of contacts. One man came to the workshop because he wanted to "get a feel for opportunities and trends within the industry." Another said he wanted to learn how to "talk to people without feeling like you're selling yourself."

Delestowicz alleviated those fears. "Get some practice in introducing yourself a little more thoroughly," she said. "You're only responsible for half the conversation."

The workshop ended on a high note, as Delestowicz separated the alumni into small groups, giving each group a scenario. One group of four pretended to be in line together at a wedding. One alumna asked an invisible waiter for a cocktail. Her group members laughed.

And each person in the group had three more people they would feel comfortable talking with that night.