Parents’ Guide to Career Development

The most valuable things parents can do to help their student with career planning are:

• Listen
• Be open to ideas
• Help your student find information

Here are eight more things you can do to help:

The Career Services Center is located in the McDonough Building, room 100. Students can schedule an appointment with us or drop into the center between 10 am – 4 pm daily.  Career coaches are ready to help your student develop a career plan that includes success in the classroom, decisions on a career field and select a degree that aligns with their future goals. We also help with resume, cover letters, social media accounts, headshots, and even provide free clothing for professional engagement. We meet with students in-person, virtually and during special events in the Career Services Center. When your student is feeling anxious about their future, encourage them to reach out to the Career Services team.

Many students use their first semester to settle into college life, and so the spring semester of the freshman year is the optimal time to start using career center services. Ask your student (in an off-handed way), "Have you visited the career center?" If you hear, "You only go there when you are graduating," then it's time to reassure them that meeting with a career coach can take place at any point—and should take place frequently—throughout a college career.

The UC Clermont Career Services Center supports students’ career development process through services that:

• Enhance self-awareness of interests, values and talents
• Encourage exploration of future paths
• Provide opportunities to acquire knowledge and experience
• Develop skills for effective self-presentation

Writing a resume can be a "reality test" and can help a student identify weak areas that require improvement. Suggest that your student get sample resumes from the Career Services Center at UC Clermont or from our Career Services DIY Course.

You can review resume drafts for grammar, spelling, and content, but recommend that the final product be critiqued by a career coach.

Ask: "Do you have any ideas about what you might want to do when you graduate?"

If your student seems unsure or has questions you can recommend:

• Meeting with a career coach to complete future planning activities to identify five post-graduation options
• Taking a "self-assessment inventory," such as Future Plans, which are available in the Career Services Center
• Talking with their favorite faculty members about career options
• Researching a variety of interesting career fields and employers

A career decision should be a process and not a one-time, last-minute event.

The Career Services Center will not "place" your student in a job after graduation. Colleges grant degrees, but not job guarantees, so having relevant experience in this competitive job market is critical.

Your student can gain experience by participating in internships, completing job simulations, volunteering in the community or attending a job shadowing event.  

Why an internship?

• Internships are a great way to apply what you’re learning in the classroom to a real-world setting
• Employers are interested in communication, problem-solving, and administrative skills, which can be developed through internships
• Employers look for experience on a student's resume and often hire from within their own internship programs
• Having a high GPA is not enough
• A strong letter of recommendation from an internship supervisor may tip the scale of an important interview in their favor

Internship opportunities can be found on Handshake and in the weekly e-newsletter.

Part of experiencing college life is to be involved and active outside the classroom. Interpersonal and leadership skills—qualities valued by future employers—are often developed in extracurricular activities, and through on campus employment and community service. Your student should check out all that Student Life has to offer at UC Clermont.

Employers will expect students to know what is happening around them. Your student will receive an e-newsletter each Monday to their UC email address. This e-newsletter provides trends and employment opportunities for part-time and full-time jobs as well as internships.

Introduce your student to people who have the careers/jobs that are of interest. Suggest they contact people in your personal and professional networks for information on summer jobs. Creating a LinkedIn profile and connecting with UC Clermont is a great place to start. Encourage your student to "shadow" someone in the workplace to increase awareness of interesting career fields.

Your student can also participate in events throughout the year that are designed to build their network. They can learn about these events in Canvas announcements.

Even though it is helpful to ask about career plans or choice of major, too much prodding can sometimes backfire. It is okay to make suggestions about majors and careers, but let your student be the ultimate judge of what is best. Career development can be stressful and this may be one of the first really big decisions your student has had to make. Be patient, sympathetic and understanding, even if you do not agree with their decisions.