A-CAN

Alumni Career Advisors Network

In short, A-CAN is a "sempai-kohai" relationship (Upper Classman, Current Student relationship). Sempai provide information to their Kohai on their professional field.

A-CAN is a program to bring current students in touch with you, the IUJ Alumni to learn from you about careers in your field or profession. A-CAN is not a program for alumni to offer students jobs. It is designed to give students someone to ask questions to beyond the services we offer on campus. It helps keep them in touch with the real world! IUJ asks our alumni to volunteer.

By volunteering, we hope you would give one or two informational interviews a year to current students.
If you can volunteer for this very important Alumni-Current Student network, please indicate so on the Online Directory or send a note to Career Counseling (gretchen AT iuj.ac.jp). We will be in touch. And thank you!

If you need more information before volunteering, please read on:

Informational Interview

Informational Interviews are one-on-one talks between current students and alumni. Alumni serve as "career advisors" to their "kohai," helping them understand your profession as an informational resource. This is NOT a referral or a placement program. It is a support program to help job seekers:

• Learn their options in a broad career field
• Uncover new possibilities
• Gain insights into your field
• Assist in focusing their search in that field
• Learn the jargon and issues in your field

We also need help in the following other Career-related areas:

Info on Job openings at your company, and any internship leads your company or associates might be able to offer.

Host an Intern

Are you interested in hosting an intern during the summer? We have found that if an employee approaches the personnel department with the idea of sponsoring an intern for one to two months, the company is usually willing to consider the idea. We need our Alumni out there to help us increase our internship program! Please send us a note if you are interested in this idea. You need not commit, nor even promise to offer something. But just let us know you are a bit interested in this important internship program.

Offer a Homestay

Housing for our interns is a big problem in Tokyo and other major cities popular for internships. If you have space you could lend or rent to a students for the summer months, please let us know. OR if you would like to host an intern over a school break, please let us know.