Warm Intros

Verified GSB Alumni Intro Requests, Stated Honestly

You did a Stanford GSB executive program, not the two-year MBA, and you freeze up over how to name that tie. The honest version actually connects better than the inflated one.

Find My Alumni Connections →

Free · No sign-up · See results in ~10 seconds

A plain LinkedIn search buries the people who would actually help you.

It ranks by prominence, so the most-followed, most-messaged names sit on top. FindWarmIntros surfaces the coworkers who share your school or a past employer - the people most likely to reply - and hands you a ready-to-send intro.

Example - what you’ll see

Someone who works at your target company

🎓 Same university as you · 💼 Shared past employer

🔥 Strongest

A recruiter at your target company

🎓 Same university as you

🎓 Alumni

✍️ Ready-to-send intro“Hi - we both studied at [your school]. I’d love to hear about your path to a company you are targeting before I apply…”

… plus everyone else in your network who can put in a good word.

See who can refer you in - pick your target company:

Short answer: State your exact affiliation in the first line: name the specific program (for example, GSB Executive Program in Leadership, 2023), not just 'Stanford' or 'GSB alum'. Alumni networks and directories log program type, so precision reads as confident, not apologetic. Then ask for 30 seconds, not a job, and point to the one shared thing (program, cohort, or a professor) that makes the connection real.

Why precision beats a vague 'GSB alum'

A vague claim invites the reader to check, and the check is instant: LinkedIn, the alumni directory, and the program roster all show whether you did the two-year MBA or a two-week executive session. When the label does not match, the person quietly discounts everything else you said.

Naming the exact program does the opposite. It signals you know the difference and are not hiding it, which is exactly the trust you need from someone deciding whether to spend social capital introducing you inside their firm.

How to phrase the tie without misstating it

The goal is a sentence that a skeptical reader would nod at, not squint at. Lead with the shared program, name it exactly, and let the accuracy carry the warmth.

Name the program, not the school. 'I did the GSB Stanford Executive Program in 2023' is verifiable and specific. 'Fellow GSB alum' invites a comparison you will lose.
Anchor to a shared, checkable detail. A cohort year, a core faculty member, or a shared past employer gives the reader a fact to recognize, which beats a title they have to take on faith.
Say what you are not, if it is close. 'Executive program, not the MBA, but same alumni network' removes the exact objection forming in their head before they raise it.
Make helping cost 30 seconds. Ask who on their team owns the area you are targeting, or for a one-line forward, never for an interview or a referral bonus in the first message.

Finding the alum inside the firm who actually shares your tie

The hard part is not the wording, it is finding the person at your target firm who genuinely shares your program, cohort, or a former employer, so the tie is real before you ever write it. Guessing from a company page wastes the honesty you just earned.

FindWarmIntros does that finding-and-ranking part for you: it surfaces the real people at a target company who share your school or past employer, ranks them by how strong the overlap is, and drafts an intro that names the tie accurately. You still send the message, but you send it to someone the connection actually holds with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I call myself a Stanford alum if I only did an executive program?

Executive-program participants are generally part of the alumni network, so 'alum' is often technically accurate, but pair it with the specific program name. That precision is what keeps a true statement from reading like an inflated one.

Should I mention it is not the full MBA?

If your target is likely to assume the MBA, yes, name the program type in the same breath. Preempting the objection costs one clause and buys you the reader's trust for the rest of the message.

What if the person I want an intro from did the two-year MBA?

Shared network still counts. Say 'same GSB alumni network, executive program side' and pivot fast to the specific thing you want, so the conversation is about your ask, not a status comparison.

Is a shared professor or cohort worth mentioning over just the program?

Yes. A named professor or a cohort year is a concrete, checkable detail that triggers real recognition, while a bare program label is just a credential. Recognition is what makes someone reply.

Keep going

Find My Alumni Connections →