Terry Assistance Program
Whether you’re planning to continue your education in professional school or pursue your career immediately upon graduation, we hope you will take advantage of The Terry Assistance Program (TAP). The TAP List is comprised of Alumni who have consented to give back to the Foundation by lending their personal advice regarding graduate school and/ or career.
The TAP List is a great tool for Terrys at any stage of their educational or professional journeys, and it strengthens our Terry Family by facilitating relationships across schools and Scholar classes. Your primary goals should be
- to make a professional introduction;
- to gather advice.
Remember- every person on the TAP List has willingly (and in most cases, enthusiastically) joined because they want to be contacted by fellow Terrys. You don’t need to feel nervous about reaching out; each of your potential contacts was once in a similar situation. Be professional and respectful, and you may be rewarded with a lasting connection within the Terry community and within your profession.
You can access the TAP List and additional instructions in the Terry Portal.
Access Terry Portal
Expectations
The Terry Foundation is proud to provide this framework for Scholar Alumni to mentor current Scholars in their career fields and to network with each other. While several Scholar and Alumni job placements and internships have been the direct result of TAP List contacts, you should NOT contact TAP participants and ask for a job or internship directly.
By using the TAP List, you are committing to the following:
- I understand that the TAP List is for use by Terry Scholars ONLY, and I will not share or use the personal contact information it contains for commercial purposes, solicitation, or mass communications of any kind.
- I understand that the TAP List is a resource for advice, and I will structure my communication accordingly.
- I pledge to conduct myself in a professional manner when making contact with TAP List participants.
- I pledge to be respectful of TAP Participants’ time as working professionals. I acknowledge that I must be patient and understand that some Alumni may be willing and able to invest more time than others.
- I will NOT ask any TAP Participant for special consideration or favors because I am a fellow Terry Scholar.
- I will NOT ask a TAP Participant for a job or for inside information about open positions with his/ her company.
- I will inform the Foundation immediately if I observe someone using the TAP List inappropriately.
Tips for Using the TAP List
Email Greeting
Even if the TAP profile lists a phone number, always start with an email. Alumni may be busy with school or work, and it is unlikely that you will be able to have a productive conversation by cold-calling. Your main objectives are to introduce yourself and to schedule a time to meet with your contacts. Increase your odds by sending emails to a number of participants on the TAP list.
- Introduce yourself as a Terry Scholar, mention that you found their profile on the Terry Foundation’s TAP List, and provide the following information:
- Your University
- Your major(s) and any areas of emphasis
- Your goals/ desired career field
- Why you chose to reach out to this specific contact
- Request a meeting to get to know each other and to go over your questions. Your greeting email lays the groundwork for your first meeting, so there’s no need to ask a large number of questions initially.
- When possible, a face-to-face meeting is best. This helps your connection get to know you better.
- Provide your availability to help your contact determine how best to fit your meeting into his/her schedule.
- Be persistent, but be patient. Some Alumni may be in a career field where they don’t have a lot of free time. Don’t expect an immediate response to your email – give them some time to get back to you. Also, plan to contact at least 2 or 3 different Alumni. The Foundation cannot guarantee a response every time, since this is a voluntary process. TAP participants agree to be as responsive as possible, but certain times of year may be busier than others. Also, everyone has a different experience and a different path, so it’s worth the effort to hear from several people.
- Email Greeting DOs
- Make sure you are spelling the person’s name correctly!
- Ask if they would be willing to set up a date and time for a visit (either on the phone or in person).
- Provide your general availability to help your contact determine where your schedules may align.
- Be courteous and patient. Your contact may be busy, so you may need to wait several days for a response.
- Email Greeting DON’Ts
- Do NOT begin your email with “Hey…”
- Do NOT ask for a job or for information about open positions within the contact’s company.
- Do NOT ask for special consideration because you are a fellow Terry Scholar.
- Do NOT use slang or informal abbreviations: “I’m looking 4 a job & I would like your help plz.”
- Do NOT use emojis or other aspects of personal messaging J 🙂 lol!!!
Example Email Greeting
Hello _____________.
My name is __________, and I found your profile on the TAP List through the Terry Foundation. I am a [Terry Year] Terry Scholar, and I currently attend [University]. I am studying [Major/ Field of Study], and my ultimate goal is [what you hope to achieve with your education]. I am excited to connect with you because [reason for reaching out]…
Meeting with Your TAP Contact
Keep in mind that as Terry Scholar Alumni, TAP participants want to help you succeed. Always be conscious of the time Alumni devote to advising you (especially if it is during work hours). Be respectful by being prepared.
- Update and provide your rèsumè. If you are meeting your contact in person, email your rèsumè ahead of time and be sure to bring a physical copy with you to the meeting.
- Have a specific objective in mind. When you meet with your TAP contact, in person or on a phone call, you should know ahead of time what you’re trying to learn. Make sure this is something you can only learn through a meeting. Your contact will wonder how diligently you’ve done your research if you ask questions that can be answered by a simple internet search. Again – your objective should not be for them to give you a job. This is an opportunity to learn and to gain a mentor.
- Do some initial research on your contact’s career field and/or employer. Read their rèsumè and/or LinkedIn page if they have either listed on their TAP profile. If you are meeting with someone to talk about graduate programs, it is still appropriate to research career fields along with any schools and programs of interest.
- Come prepared with questions. Warm up by focusing the initial questions on your contact, and show genuine interest in the answers. Give them a chance to talk about themselves. Once you have learned a few things about your contact, you can shift the focus to questions about topics that directly impact you.
Sample Questions
- Be open and honest. Remember, the Alumni have walked in your shoes as a Terry Scholar, and they will want to get to know you as a person. Be prepared to share your interests and your experiences as a Terry Scholar and as a student. Let them know your goals and share any concerns or challenges you may be facing in regard to your career path. Most of all, don’t be afraid of demonstrating what you already know. Have you read an interesting research article or learned something from a recent internship? Open up and share!
- Be courteous and say thank you. Afterwards, follow up with an email to thank your contact for their time. Be sure to personalize your message and thank them for specific pieces of advice or stories they may have shared. If you had a good experience, ask if they will be willing to stay in touch should you have additional questions.
Tracking Your Connections
Please provide feedback to the Foundation. We want to hear about your experience. Your feedback can also help us keep the TAP List clean and updated.
The Terry Portal provides a way to track all of your attempted and successful TAP connections. This tool can help you remember if you have already contacted someone, and you can track whether or not contacts have answered you.
- Navigate to the “TAP Connections” tab
- Type in the name of your contact
- Indicate whether you made an introduction and whether or not you made a successful connection.
- Enter notes about your interaction(s)
