Wharton MBA Career Management has launched the Alumni Career Experts (ACE) Program, a program that makes it easy for students to connect with Wharton alumni for career conversations, networking and guidance. By offering career insights to current MBA students exploring similar paths, Wharton ACEs get to reconnect with the Wharton community, support the next generation of leaders, and grow their own professional network.
How Does ACE Work?
- The program is structured to be flexible, with the time commitment determined by your availability and based on the recruiting cycle and student interest level.
- ACE volunteers will be searchable by full-time MBA and WEMBA students on CareerPath, Wharton’s online recruiting platform.
- All program notifications will be sent to the preferred email address listed in your CareerPath profile. When a student sends an ACE connection request through the system, you will receive an email notification and be able to take all actions (accept/decline/snooze) via email and never have to log into CareerPath (unless you’d like to!).
- If at any point you feel overburdened by the commitment, we can “snooze” your ACE designation to pause student outreach, or you can do this through the email notifications you receive for 30, 60 or 90 days, or you can email us at mbacareers@wharton.upenn.edu if you have a specific date in mind.
- You also have the ability to add in specific instructions for students to have in advance of meeting with you, such as “attach a resume.”
Benefits to You as a Wharton ACE
- Reconnect with Wharton: Volunteering allows alumni to reconnect with the Wharton School and be an active part of the community.
- Networking with Future Leaders: Engage with current MBA students who are future leaders in your industry and expand your professional network.
- Exclusive Access: Gain access to student and alumni networking events targeted to MBA students and Wharton ACE volunteers.
- Insider Insights: Receive insider information on economic trends and recruiting insights from Wharton MBACM Director messages, keeping you informed of the latest developments in the business world.
- Board of Director Coaching Support: Receive additional coaching support (beyond the 2 complimentary sessions limit) to help you refine your board search strategy, access board resources, and submit your resume to Wharton’s Board Book.
About ACE
Is ACE a formal mentorship program?
ACE is not designed to be a long-term mentorship program, but rather for one-off conversations to help students gain insight and advice for their career exploration and job searches. While some ACEs may be very open to follow-up conversations, regular long-term engagement is not the intent of this program.
What are my responsibilities as an ACE?
Responsive Networking: Commit to responding to student emails and networking requests within a reasonable timeframe (i.e., a week or so) to foster meaningful connections.
Industry Insight Sharing: Informally collaborate with the Wharton MBACM office to share industry trends and insights, contributing to the career development of current students.
What is the time commitment for ACE?
We ask that ACEs volunteer for a full academic year (August – July), providing consistent support and engagement. This spring (Feb – July 2025) is a pilot period for the program. We will reach out again in the summer to confirm you wish to continue in the program.
Are there controls in place to protect my time?
Yes! There are limits set within the back-end system settings to prevent ACEs from receiving an excessive amount of requests.
- ACEs have 10 days to respond to requests before they expire.
- ACEs can have up to 5 pending requests at a time.
- ACEs can have up to 5 active ACE connections (accepted requests) at a time.
- If you have hit your limit of active ACEs, you will not be discoverable until an active ACE connection expires.
How can I recommend someone for the ACE Program?
If you know a Wharton MBA alum who you think would be a good fit for the ACE Program, please email mbacareers@wharton.upenn.edu with their name and graduation year (if known), and our team will take it from there.
ACE in CareerPath
How do I accept or decline an ACE request?
- You can take all actions via the email notifications you will receive and never have to log in. Simply click “Accept” or “Decline” within the email and a new webpage will open confirming the action you took. That’s it!
- If you choose to log into CareerPath, click on “Alumni Career Experts (ACE)”- Manage. There you will see your pending requests. You can click the three-dot action button to accept or decline the request.
- Once you accept a request, you will receive an email confirmation. This will allow you to reply directly to the student who requested you. The same will be true for the student: the email they receive will allow them to reply directly to your preferred email address.
- For decline emails, the students will be able to reply to the mbacareers inbox; your email will not be shared.
Can I provide expectations/instructions for students?
- Log into CareerPath, click your Name in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
- Click “Account Settings”.
- Click “Edit” next to Alumni Career Experts (ACE).
- Update your Mentorship Terms.
How do I snooze myself?
If you are snoozed, you will not be discoverable by students. You can snooze via the email notifications you receive OR via CareerPath. From the email notification, you have the option to snooze for 30, 60 or 90 days, or you can use the steps below if you have a specific date in mind.
If you choose to snooze via CareerPath:
- Log into CareerPath, click your Name in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
- Click “Account Settings”.
- Click “Edit” next to Alumni Career Experts (ACE).
- Click “Yes” under Snooze Mentorship Availability and choose your date.
If at any time you want to remove or update your snooze date, you can do so in CareerPath following the steps above.
How are WEMBA alumni found?
Current Wharton Executive MBA (WEMBA) students will be able to find WEMBA ACEs by adding in the “Program” filter when browsing the ACE directory. See screenshot below.
MBA Alumni Career Management
Access best-in-class tools and personalized career advising to support various stages of career development.
Hire Wharton Talent
Hire current students for internships and/or full-time roles or fellow alumni for experienced roles.