Parents

1. Encourage your student to visit the Career Development Center
   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 Development resources. Ask your student (in an off-handed way), "Have you visited the career center?" If you hear, "You only go there when you are a senior," then it's time to reassure him/her that meeting with a career advisor can take place at any point — and should take place frequently — throughout their college career.

2. Encourage extracurricular involvement
   Part of experiencing college life is to be involved and active outside of the classroom. Interpersonal and leadership skills — qualities valued by future employers — are often developed in extracurricular activities. Broadening their experiences also helps them discover more about their talents and interests.

3. Challenge your student to become 'occupationally literate'
   Ask: "Do you have any ideas about what you might want to do when you graduate?" If your student seems unsure, you can talk about personal qualities you see as talents and strengths. You can also recommend they meet with a career advisor, take assessments, and use Career Development resources that help them understand what their occupations of interest entail.

4. Advise your student to write a resume
   Writing a resume can be a "reality test" and can help a student identify weak areas that require improvement. Suggest that your student utilize the Resume and Cover Letter Writing Guide.

5. Emphasize the importance of internships
   The Career Development Center will not "place" your child in a job at graduation. Colleges award degrees, but not jobs, so having relevant experience in the competitive job market is critical. Employers are interested in communication, problem-solving, and administrative skills, which can be developed through internships, as well as technical field experience.

6. Teach the value of networking
   Introduce your student to people who have the careers/jobs that are of interest. Suggest your son or daughter contact people in your personal and professional networks for information on summer jobs. Encourage your child to "shadow" or interview someone in the workplace to increase awareness of interesting career fields.

7. Help the Career Development office
   If your company hires interns, have the internships listed with our office. Share leads when possible and try to connect your employer's human resources department to MVNU's Career Development staff.

Adapted from Thomas J. Denham. Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.