Professional Development
We help Football Alumni help each other through professional mentorship and meaningful connections.
Student-athletes at the JMU have one of the most strenuous athletic and academic experiences in college sports. Most players are on campus over 340 days a year preparing for an incredible football experience. These players have their heads down and can find themselves behind the job search curve once they graduate. Many have not used the University’s career services resources and have limited understanding of the working world since they’ve been so focused on their academic and athletic pursuits. The majority have not had an internship. Many have their minds on an NFL career, but don’t understand that the average lifespan in the National Football League is 3.3 years.
The program starts with the student-athlete requesting support from the JFAC via our custom-built interactive website below. The student-athlete will fill out a form with information about them, their vocation interests, and their geographic preferences. A member of the JFAC will then personally follow up. From there, resume review (or creation), mentoring, and interviewing skills support are delivered.
Once the individual is ready to interview, the JFAC will send the resume, cover letter, and entire interview package to the group of the Network that might best benefit from this student-athlete. Because the interactive website was created to have LinkedIn-style menus, only the helping alumni that best fit based on location and vocation preference will receive the resume package. In addition, industry and regional groupings have occurred naturally. This helps pinpoint where the requestor can find real help networking and finding a job
How It Works
Sign up online to get help finding a job you’re excited about. Current and former players submit some basic information about their background and interests that helps us understand what they want to do next. A member of our team works with each recent grad to review their interests, resume, and more.
Other JMU Football Alumni are contacted to help. After the requestor receives mentorship from a member of our team, we send out information about them to our network of alumni. These alumni can then help the individual find job opportunities in their areas of interest.
