It wasn't really a surprise when alumni began ringing their alma maters looking for job help a few years ago. The recession hit nearly every industry and business, leaving recent college graduates without great prospects for their first jobs and older professionals without incomes for, in many cases, the first time in their lives. While some larger universities had already made connections with employers, alumni, and consultants for career services such as resume help, interview coaching, skill crossover training, and job listings for people with 10 or 20 years of professional experience, many institutions found themselves with little to offer older alumni. Additionally, many career offices are not set up to deal with more established alumni needs. This requires a shift in the way career counseling is handled, and some institutions have started putting more career responsibilities in the hands of alumni offices, either by staffing them with job counselors or by merging the two offices. That equals great things for both the alumni who come looking for help, and the institution that's able to offer it in a meaningful way.