When Epsa Sharma first heard about Career Connections, Cal Poly’s mentoring and networking platform, she was all in. Having served as career services ambassador for Cal Poly Career Services as a student, Sharma already knew firsthand the power of mentorship. 

“LinkedIn is awesome," she said. "But it’s even more awesome when all Cal Poly alumni can connect on one platform, and you know they’re already motivated to help.” 

Cal Poly Career Connections is a free online mentoring and networking platform for Cal Poly alumni and students that connects participants at any stage in their careers for advice and assistance.

It’s pretty awesome when just a few rounds of helping someone with their resume can change their life.

Epsa Sharma

Business Administration,'2020

A 2020 graduate with a degree in business administration and concentration in information systems, Sharma is quickly becoming an expert on the platform. Sharma was able to enter her field directly after graduation thanks to a job offer she received through an on-campus career fair. As a young alum working full-time she was perfectly situated, she said, to help students following in her footsteps.

Fourth year business student Mia Habib was one of those lucky students. Habib is Sharma’s most recent mentee and the proud recipient of two prime internship offers this past year – offers she said she wouldn’t have gotten without Sharma’s advice and guidance.

“I could rant and rave about Epsa and how much this program has benefited me for at least an hour,” Habib said, "She's that good."

Sharma and Habib were matched through the Career Connections platform, which asks users for their goals and interests and connects them with a mentor or mentee. In this instance, Sharma explained, Habib reached out to her with an immediate request – she wanted an internship and needed interview and resume assistance.

The two set up weekly Zoom calls, discussing first which internships to apply for, then working on resume prep and, finally, conducting mock interviews. The result? Habib accepted an internship with consulting and tax services firm Deloitte and has since been hired on with the company full-time, starting after graduation. The entire experience was a success, from signing up for Career Connections, all the way through to the deep connection that Sharma and Habib now share, Habib said.

“Because Epsa had recently graduated with the same major and concentration and into the same field I’m going into, her advice was immediately relevant to me,” Habib said.

 

I could rant and rave about Epsa and how much this program has benefited me for at least an hour.

Mia Habib

Business Administration,'22

 

“It’s pretty awesome when just a few rounds of helping someone with their resume can change their life,” Sharma added.

The impact of Sharma's mentorship has grown even past Habib’s own student experience. Since their successful internship application prep process, Habib said she’s shared the materials and advice Sharma gave her with friends and classmates.

“I’ve shown so many people the folders that Epsa helped me create, that in a way she’s advised my entire sorority,” Habib said.

Sharma has also inspired Habib to give back through mentorship on the Cal Poly Career Connections platform after she graduates and becomes an alum herself. 

“I’d love to be able to give back in the same way that Epsa gave to me,” Habib said.

Sharma plans to continue to mentor students and is currently seeking her own mentor who can advise her in the next steps of her career path. She also has advice for alumni interested in getting involved, including becoming a mentee themselves. 

“Mentorship doesn’t need to be ‘I need help with xyz’” she said. “It can also be conversations about paths and how they align. Just because you don’t actively need help, that shouldn’t hold you back from seeking a mentor.”

Sharma recommends that everyone seek out the advice of fellow alumni any time they’re going through a transition, whether that’s a changing careers, looking for a new job or seeking a promotion. And if alumni haven’t yet joined Career Connections? Now is the perfect time.

“I think if you’re asking yourself as a potential mentor what you have to offer, I’m still figuring that out as well,” Sharma said. “That’s the beauty of mentorship. We’re all still figuring things out, but as we grow we all gain bits of wisdom, and it’s our duty to share those.”

To sign up for Career Connections, go to careerconnections.calpoly.edu.