Find an advisor or share your advice
The Career Advisory Network (CAN) is Boston University’s online directory of nearly 8,000 alumni volunteers who are eager to share career advice and networking connections with their fellow and future alumni.
Connect with an advisor
Are you a student or alum looking for advice or career connections? Search the CAN to find an advisor who can help you advance your career. You can filter results by industry, company, location, education, and more!
Find an advisor
If you are new to the BU Alumni Online Community, please contact the Alumni Help Desk for assistance with your username or password.
Become a career advisor
Are you an alum willing to share your advice? Career advisors are alumni supporting their fellow alumni and current students to advance their careers. As an advisor, you can customize your profile to define the type of assistance you can provide, from a quick résumé review or informational interview to job shadowing or long-term mentorship.
Volunteer as an advisor
Learn more about the network from CAN advisor Dana Bernson (CAS’07, SPH’10), CAN advisee Andrea Rodas (CAS’19), and BU Alumni Council Past President Mary Perry (CAS’79, GRS’80, LAW’83).
CAN advisor FAQs
What does it mean to be a CAN advisor?
CAN advisors are alumni who volunteer to be a resource for their fellow alumni and current students. Advisor profiles include education history, contact information, industry, job title, and company affiliation. Advisors are also encouraged to customize their profiles with information about the type of support they can provide, such as résumé review, job shadowing, informational interviews, one-time career conversations, or long-term mentoring. Once an advisor profile is complete, it will be added to the CAN directory for students and alumni to find.
How often are advisors contacted?
Contact rates for advisors vary widely, depending on fields of student or alumni interest, types of support offered, education history, job title, and company affiliations. On average, the CAN is accessed about 300 times a month. Some advisors may be contacted multiple times throughout the year, while others may see less frequent engagement.
Is this a year-round commitment?
Advisors are in full control of the visibility of their profile and can easily take a break from advising by logging in and unchecking the box marked “I would like to be a Career Advisor.”
What are other advisors saying about CAN?
“Elizabeth Sarley (CAS’13) reached out to me via CAN for an informational interview. At the time, I was building my communications department and Liz was the perfect fit. She began as a fellow in the fall, and we were so impressed with her, she was offered a permanent position a few months later. I have continued to watch her grow as we’ve both moved on to new organizations, and I am so proud to have helped a fellow Terrier enter the workforce post-graduation.”
Cara Willis (CAS’08), CAN Advisor
“My very first job at an NYC advertising agency I got through cold-calling alumni via the BU Career Advisory Network. That alum is still one of my mentors today, and I owe everything in the trajectory of my career to the generous alumni of our university and am more than happy to help pay it forward.”
Tom Chirico (SHA’06), Lead, Brand Strategy Story Lab at Twitter, CAN User & Advisor
“The Career Advisory Network—it’s not just a mentoring thing—it’s a library, if you will, of the Terrier experience.”
Mary Perry (CAS’79, GRS’80, LAW’83), BU Alumni Council President, 2017–19
