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Alisa Steinberg graduated from Emory in 2005, then went on to law school at the University of Georgia. She graduated last spring, jobless, even though she’d already been on the hunt since fall of 2008. Law positions were few and far between, and her resources dried up over the summer.

“I graduated in May and took the bar, and there just wasn’t too much job activity,” Steinberg says. “UGA Law wasn’t really giving me career help. I just wanted to see what else there was.”

So Steinberg headed back to Emory a few weeks ago to meet with a career adviser at the Emory Alumni Association (EAA).

Steinberg is far from alone. As job prospects continue to shrink, more alumni than ever before are turning to their alma mater for guidance, and it’s not just recent grads, either. EAA’s Career Services, which handles alumni two years or more post-graduation, has seen complimentary coaching appointments double from last year. The Goizueta Business School has added two more staff members to its career services department to meet the demand.

“I definitely have seen an increase in alumni,” says Janet Hutchinson, assistant dean for career services at Emory’s School of Law. “This time last year is when we started to see more alumni traffic — more people making appointments and a lot of e-mail traffic.”

Steinberg recently landed a position at a small law firm, but many Americans are not so lucky. The nationwide unemployment number stands at a looming 9.7 percent. In a report released this year, the National Association of Colleges and Employers predicts that overall hiring will decrease by another seven percent in 2010, and 28 percent of companies surveyed plan to attend fewer career fairs. On top of this, many jobs that are available aren’t being publicly listed due to a large amount of resumes coming in, according to career counselors at EAA. Career coaching can be the best option for navigating the treacherous job market.

Carolyn Bregman (’82L) is director of Career Services at EAA. She says she has seen alums from every decade seeking advice.

“Alumni are turning to their alma mater because they understand it’s a wonderful resource for connecting with other alumni and because resources are available at a moderate cost,” Bregman says.

Emory alumni can access career counseling through EAA, and graduate programs such as the Business School, Rollins School of Public Health and the Law School offer resources for alumni looking for a leg up on the competition.

Tailored to Emory’s vast diaspora, career counseling can fit any schedule or location with one-on-one advising by phone or in person. There are also Coach Chats, conference calls between career experts and alumni on a chosen topic. Recent sessions have touched on the psychology of networking, developing a professional story and surviving a layoff.

The alumni association will debut its webinars, or web seminars, later this year in topics such as resume-writing. If none of these are enough, alumni can get one free session and then reduced rates on career coaching. Coaches provide not just the usual interviewing tips, but also advice on transitioning between industries or going out on your own.

Jodie Charlop (’85C), executive career coach at EAA, emphasizes that career counseling is not just for the unemployed. She focuses on alumni in the eight-plus year range, and has seen a “significant uptick” in people seeking career advice.

“The [economy] has really got a lot of people reflecting about how to be proactive with their careers,” Charlop says. People are stepping back to examine if their career is taking them where they want to be, she says.

Dave Poston (’92C) had already been his own boss for five years when he called Charlop for career coaching. He came from a very entrepreneurial family and was always driven to go out on his own. But, he says, “Owning a business was nothing like I’d imagined. When you’re your own boss, you don’t have a peer to use as a sounding board. You have questions that go unanswered. I probably had four years of questions that I just threw at her.”

Poston has used Emory’s services for about two years now, checking in a couple times a month. Meetings run the gamut — from advice on finances to practicing business pitches.

Bregman and Charlop say many of the questions they field deal with networking.

“Networking is challenging for everyone,” Bregman says. “You are putting yourself out there when you’re feeling vulnerable, like if you’ve been laid off or looking for a first job. That’s why tapping into the alumni network is important.”

Emory, too, provides a forum for networking. Launched last year, E-Connection functions as a blend between Facebook and LinkedIn, but exclusively for Emory alumni. The site already has 4,600 registered users.

“Networking allows you to connect with people and be more than a piece of paper,” Bregman says.

Associate Director of the Career Center Don Cornwell says when working with students and alumni under two years out, he too sees people struggling with networking.

“Students get caught up in the trap of depending too much on web sites to apply,” Cornwell says. “Spending more time in building relationships uncovers the hidden job market.”

But, he says, that “takes a lot of time, energy and effort. Especially when clicking on web sites is a lot easier and faster.”

For alumni under two years out, the Career Center still can help. They work closely with companies who want Emory talent. Last week’s Career Center-sponsored Career Fair saw 10 percent fewer companies than years past, but Cornwell says it was still a strong showing of 50 diverse employers. Though there aren’t firm numbers on attendance yet, Cornwell says a number of alumni took advantage of the event, too.

Cornwell says it should get better by graduation this year. He points to Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke’s claims that the recession will end soon.

Charlop remains optimistic: “Everybody goes back to work. It’s just a lot more networking and research to find fewer jobs.”

Besides, grad school is always an option.

— Contact Bridget Riley.