Parents as Career Planning Partners: Tips to Help Your Student

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Parents as Career Planning Partners Tips to Help
Your Student

• Presented by
• Rick Smith, Associate Director
• Smith Career Center
• Chuck Scott, Corporate Vice President
• McDonalds Corporation
• Parent of a BU Alum and a current student

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The Smith Career Center Assists Students in

• Exploring and defining career options
• Developing job search strategies
• Obtaining career-related work experience
• Identifying and connecting with prospective
  employers

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Influences on Student Career ChoicesSource
Wall Street Journal (March 2, 2004)

• Parents and other authority figures
• Purposeful career planning
• Job competition in the current market
• Pressure to position ones self
• Anxiety
• Witness to current economy
• Repaying college loans
• Landing the right internship

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What You Can Do . . .

• Listen, encourage, and support
• Be open to ideas
• Help your student find information
• Help develop contacts and networking connections
• Be nonjudgmental

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• Encourage your student to interact with the
  career center early in their college career
  
• Become a partner in the process
• Discuss his/her career choice
• Separate your goals from theirs
• Provide constructive advice
• Learn about the process, job trends, etc.

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Ways You Can Help Your Student
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Encourage Them to Visit the Career Center

• Career Advisors
• Career Fairs
• Workshops
• Internships
• Classes
• Networking
• Online Resources

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Advise Them to Write a Resume

• Use to document education, experience, skills,
  etc.
  
• Identify weak areas that require improvement
• Resources
• Resume writing workshops
• Career Library
• Overnight Review Service
• Resume Critique Day
• Career Advisor

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Challenge Them to Become Occupationally Literate

• What/Who do you want to be when you graduate?
• Skills, abilities, education needed
• Self-assessment
• Resources
• Career Seminars
• Career Library
• Informational interviews
• Job Shadowing

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Allow Them to Make the Decision

• Let them follow their interests and passions
• Major no longer means career
• Changing direction occurs as interest solidify
• Its OK to make suggestions
• Be patient, encouraging, understanding

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Emphasize the Importance of Experience

• Cooperative Education
• Internships
• Part-time and summer jobs
• Community service
• Practicum, projects, student teaching
• On and Off campus involvement/leadership

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Skills DevelopmentSource Recruiting Trends
2003-04

• Communication oral, written, presentation
• Personal attributes work ethic, flexibility,
  initiative, motivation
  
• Teamwork working with others, collaborating
• Interpersonal
• Learning willing to learn continuously new
  skills, analytical skills for the job
  
• Technical aptitude required in position

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Persuade Them to Stay Up-To-Date with Current
Events

• Encourage them to know whats going on around
  them
  
• National and world events
• Business trends and issues
• Resources
• Library
• Web sites
• Magazines, newspapers, etc.

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Current Economic ConditionsSource Recruiting
Trends 2003-04

• Structural alignment
• From the old (manufacturing) to the new
  (knowledge) economy
  
• Productivity and Labor Reassignment
• Goods produced at a lower cost with less labor
• Off-shoring of white-collar jobs
• Health care costs
• Structural collapse of the public sector
• States responsible for social programs

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Expose Them to the World of Work

• Take your son or daughter to your workplace
• Explain what you do for a living
• Introduce them to your colleagues (network)
• Help them identify potential employers

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Teach the Value of Networking

• Introduce them to people you know
• Job Shadowing
• Work experiences
• Resources
• eCareer Network of Bradley Parents
• Alumni Online Community
• Job Fairs

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Help the Career Center

• Let us know when you have summer, part-time,
  internship, and full-time jobs
  
• Participate in the eCareer Network of Bradley
  Parents
  
• Speak in classes, workshops, etc.
• Invite us to your site for a visit
• Encourage your employer to participate in a job
  fair and hire interns

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Bradley University Fairs

• Fall Job Fair September 23, 2004
• Graduate Professional School Fair October 5,
  2004
  
• Majors Minors Fair October 14 , 2004
• Nursing Physical Therapy Fair November 11,
  2004
  
• Spring Job Fair February 2, 2005
• Education Recruitment Fair March 23, 2005
• Social Service Government Career Fair March
  24, 2005

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Questions, Answers, etc.