Family Members

Support Your Student's Career Development

Although your student may be away from home, your support and input still matter - more than you may think! Consider the following tips to support your student as they prepare for their career, and for their life!

• Encourage your student to visit the Career Services Center before they reach their senior year. A wealth of services are available - and they're not just for seniors! We offer many services that benefit students in every class year - including freshman!

• Listen in a non-judgmental way, stay open to new career ideas, and help your student discover career information that will allow them to make informed career decisions.

• Generate discussion with your student around a realistic self-assessment of skills, abilities, and interests, and think creatively about how these characteristics apply to various career fields. Remember, students frequently change majors after gaining additional information and experience.

• Help your student realize what their strengths are and work with them to develop those strengths as a basis for future success.   Don't dwell on their weaknesses; they are aware of their weaknesses already.  Encourage and applaud them as they succeed.

• Explain the value of part-time employment. Research has shown that students who work part-time on-campus tend to out perform their peers who do not work at all, or who work too much. A part-time student job can help your student build important career skills such as effective communication and time management, as well as enhance the work experience section of their resume.

• Let your student make the decisions. While your student will likely appreciate ideas and suggestions, encourage your student to take ownership for making his or her own major and career choices. Keep in mind that picking a major does not necessarily mean selecting a specific career.

• Promote the value of internships. Getting real life experience, through internships, part-time employment, or volunteer work can assist your student in strengthening their credentials while "testing out" their future career.

• Advise your student to write a resume before graduation. Writing a resume can help students to identify areas that require improvement and growth. Recommend that the final draft be critiqued by one of the Career Specialists in the Career Services Center.

• Help your student research career fields, industries, and employers by utilizing our web site, attending our events, and networking with friends, family, faculty, and others to learn first-hand about occupations and opportunities.

• Persuade your student to become involved in extracurricular activities. Students often find that the skills most valued by employers - leadership, communication, and time management - are honed through extracurricular involvement. Additionally, it's a great way to interact with future references on campus.