Amazing Alumni: UD graduate testing recruiting network

After eight years as a technical recruiter, Ryan Drummond has set out to improve the experience for the clients he once served.

Six months ago, he launched what has become two complementary efforts AmazingAlumni.com and AmazingStudentShowcase.com, a web community being tested at the University of Delaware that serves as part professional social network and part career advice content site. Drummond is angling for a slice of a $72 billion U.S. recruiting industry.
Amazing Alumni features regular podcast interviews with alumni, most of whom are University of Delaware graduates, and its sister site features social network-style profiles of candidates, which users can update themselves.
Through his podcasts, Drummond is aiming to build an audience of recent and soon-to-be graduates who will use the network to find employment. On Amazing Student Showcase, he aims to facilitate corporate recruiting, a mix of social media and content marketing for individuals.

Our goal is to tell interesting stories and showcase highly marketable talent.

“It’s different than LinkedIn in that you have third-party recommendations of students, not just a student description in their own words,” said Drummond. “There’s a human element to the database. I personally look at what the person is looking to do and if we can match them up with somebody through our large alumni database.”
Drummond himself is a 2004 University of Delaware alumnus and former captain of the men’s lacrosse team. He became a technology recruiter in 2006 and still works for Steven Douglas Associates.
Like any social network, the power will come in its depth of users, Drummond says. Amazing Student Showcase is still building up its number of profiles, helped by testing with the UD Career Services Center. Drummond is hoping to add student athlete profiles, a community some employers may find attractive.
Once he builds up a big enough catalogue of students and alumni, Drummond wants to charge employers a licensing fee to access the database. He would also like to create a separate catalogue for NCAA athletes. All student and alumni profiles would be free.
“It’s a top-of-the-line kind of profile coming from the perspective of a recruiter,” Drummond added. “Our goal is to tell interesting stories and showcase highly marketable talent.”