In interviews, recent graduates of Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago said alumni, career fairs, employer information sessions, and one-on-one 
meetings with career center advisors were especially helpful during their job searches. In a city of millions, there are many diverse networks recent graduates can tap into:
Alumni – Chicago institutions provide students with diverse career development resources including extensive alumni networks that frequently lead to job prospects. There are more than 400,000 total alumni from DePaul University, Loyola, Northwestern University, UChicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Chicago area and hundreds of thousands of alumni from leading schools in the Midwest. Programs including UChicago’s Alumni Careers Network and Northwestern’s Class Alliance work to connect graduating students with alumni in similar professions.
Professional – Some local universities offer opportunities to directly connect prospective employers to students before they graduate. Undergraduate business school students at UIC, for example, assist businesses with new product development,strategic planning, finance, and marketing and operations through the Small Business Development Center. DePaul’s Cooperative Education 
Program helps to place undergraduates in 1 to 3 year, paid, part-time internships that are related to students’ academic majors and professional goals.
Social – Loyola’s Windows to the City provides a social network to help students meet new people, while exposing them to Chicago’s varied attractions like the Joffrey Ballet, high tea at the Drake Hotel, and a tour of the Goose Island brewery. Chicago also has a regular supply of social networking opportunities tailored to professional interests.
