An East Asian studies concentrator as an undergraduate, Pollock decided that he wanted to put his newfound knowledge to use at a company in Japan.

Through Harvard alumni he knew, he lined up informational interviews about a career in East Asia. When he applied to Mitsubishi international, both his interviewer and the person who hired him were Harvard Business School alumni.

"If you share an affiliation, that opens a lot of doors," Pollock said.

Often, some graduates say, all they need from other graduates is advice.

"When a phone call comes in from a Harvard student, a Harvard graduate will be more likely to take the extra five minutes," says Gregory S. Gottlieb, a consultant and recruiting director at Boston Consulting Group who attended Stanford as an undergraduate and the Wharton School of Business.

But why do Harvard graduates go out of their way to help their fellow alumni?

"There is a sense of giving back in the form of advice and counsel," says Alan M. Kantrow '69, chief knowledge officer at Monitor Group in Boston.