The most valuable thing parents can do to assist a student with the career planning and exploration process is to listen and be open to ideas and endless possibilities.
HERE ARE 10 WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
Encourage Your Student to Visit the Office of Career Services
Encourage Career Exploration
Encourage Your Student to Research the Career/Field of Interest
Encourage Internships, Co-operative Education and Volunteer
Encourage Campus Involvement
Encourage Networking
Help Your Student Identify Values
Help Your Student Identify Skills
Help Your Student Identify Interests
Allow Your Student to Make the Decision
1. Encourage Your Student to Visit the Office of Career Services.
Saint Vincent College offers various services and resources:
- Career Exploration
- Interest and Personality Assessments
- Career Planning Assistance
- Resume, Employment Letter, and Job and Internship Search Assistance
- Internship Programs and Cooperative Education
- Mock Interview Program
- Professional Development Series (Workshops on Career-Related Topics)
- Saint Vincent College Career Expo
- Off-Campus Job Fairs and Related Networking Events
- Employment Materials & Career Resource Center
- Valuable employer and career information online at:
Vault Guides
http://www.vault.com/cb/careerlib/careerlib_main.jsp?parrefer=6085 - Full-Time, Internship, Part-Time, Volunteer, and Seasonal Jobs Posted to:
College Central
http://www.collegecentral.com/stvincent
2. Encourage Career Exploration
Saint Vincent College Career Counselors administer and interpret assessment tools to help your student identify his/her values, interests and skills. The Strong Interest Inventory allows students to explore major and career options by assessing his/her interests and helps your student understand how his/her interests fit with specific major and career choice. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a tool used to identify a student’s personality type. Through type a student can learn how best his/ her personality fits with specific majors, careers and future employing organizations
3. Encourage Your Student to Research the Career/Field of Interest
Research is the best way for a student to learn about a specific company, career or major area of study. Students can gather information from faculty, alumni, and current students already majoring in your student’s intended major. In addition to shadowing an employer or ‘network’, your student should take the time to read literature and organize an informational interview with someone in his/her network. Information Interview Career Tip: http://www.stvincent.edu/ ONET Career Exploration Site http://online.onetcenter.org/
4. Encourage Internships, Co-operative Education and Volunteer
Internships, co-operative education and volunteer positions are valuable to your student’s overall college career. At Saint Vincent College students can receive credit for an internship, while gaining marketable skills for a future career in his/her field of interest. Internships can be also used to help students explore various career fields. Through an internship a student may recognize his/her passion for a certain field or even learn that the intended area of interest may not be a good fit. Either way, practical experience will bring your student one step closer to meeting his/her career goals and landing that perfect job after graduation. Important Internship Information
- Anyone can gain internship or cooperative education experience
- All students can obtain credit if approved by his/her faculty advisors
- It is not required for all students to take an internship for credit
- Most often practical experiences take place during the summer break
- Many organizations hire students for practical experience
- Many students get paid to do internships or cooperative education
- Employers are interested in communication, decision-making, problem solving skills, and analytical skills, which are gained through internships
- Employers can hire interns for full-time employment after graduation
5. Encourage Campus Involvement
Campus involvement can enrich your student’s college experience in a variety of ways. Campus activities are a perfect way for your student to meet new people, get involved, and have fun in a healthy and safe environment. Saint Vincent College has over 70 campus organizations/clubs and athletics. Becoming involved on campus will also allow your student to gain those skills in the areas of leadership, oral and written communication, organizational, administrative and teamwork. Campus Clubs & Organizations http://www.stvincent.edu/campus_life/clubs List of Varsity Sports: http://www.stvincent.edu/athletics
Introduce your student to people who have the careers/jobs that are of interest to him/her. Suggest your son or daughter contact those individuals in your personal or professional networks as well as his or her own network of contacts. These networks can provide your student with information about the company or available part-time/internship positions. Encourage your student to "shadow" someone in the workplace to increase awareness in his/her intended career field. Networking Career Tip: http://www.stvincent.edu/
7. Help Your Student Identify Values
Values are a set of standards determining choices, actions and attitudes. Understanding values will help students focus on career objectives that are important to them. Values are not right or wrong, but without them students will have a more difficult time reaching his/her goals. It is important to encourage your student to only choose values that define him / her and not someone else. Values will allow students to gain a better understanding of what academic major is most suitable. Also it will give your student the opportunity to begin exploring internships and careers that connect with the types of people and working environments that are most consistent with his/her values.
8. Help Your Student Identify Skills
It is important for parents or guardians to encourage and support each student by discussing your student’s strengths & skills together. Often times, students are not even aware of some of the strengths and skills they possess. Allowing your student to focus on his/her strengths and skills will encourage confidence and maturity and, most importantly, self-awareness. Each of these qualities will offer students the necessary skills to assure a smooth transition to college. These qualities also assist students in the internship and job search. Every employer requires a specific set of skills from each individual job-seeker. The good news is that most job-seekers possess these skills to some extent. The better news is that job-seekers with weaknesses in these areas can improve their skills through training, professional development, or mentoring from someone who understands these skills. The best news is that once your student understands the skills and characteristics that are necessary for the ‘real world’, he/she can tailor the major and career-decision-making process to showcase how well the strengths and skills align with each employer’s expectations and requirements.
9. Help Your Student Identify Interests
It is especially important for students to know his/her interest in order to make appropriate academic and career-related decisions. No matter what an individual pursues he/she will want to incorporate passions and interests into some aspect of every day life. Whether your student gets to use his/her interest in a career or as relaxation, it will be important to the overall quality and satisfaction of his/her life and the lives of family and friends. Identifying Values, Skills and Interests http://www.stvicent.edu/career
10. Allow Your Student to Make the Decision
As a Parent or Guardian, you will want to be involved in your student’s major and career decision. Listen Carefully. Be Patient. Be Understanding. Be Respectful. There might be times you do not agree with your student’s decision. It is okay to provide suggestions about majors and career fields, but let your student be the ultimate judge of what is best. Remember making this decision can be very stressful for your student. He/she will be doing the work, and a student can be successful in any major or career.