What They Should Do
|
How You Can Help
|
Explore interests and abilities through courses and campus activities; keep balance in mind.
|
Affirm what you know to be your student's strengths and interests and encourage exploration of new areas.
|
Focus on writing and communication skills.
|
Make sure your student has read the Pirate Read book she or he has been asked to read during the summer prior to Freshman year. Students will be asked to discuss and write about the book in various classes.
|
Create a first draft of a resume and bring it to The Career Center for review.
|
Encourage your student to create a first draft of a resume before coming
to school, or at the least, develop a list of activities, awards,
honors, and jobs so that the information will be easy to assemble into a
resume. |
Setup profile on ECU CareerNET.
|
Ask your student if s/he has filled out a profile on ECU CareerNET, the
Career Center Employment database. It takes only a few minutes and
provides access to jobs and internships. |
Test the waters with an internship or job shadow.
|
Do you have contacts at any companies in your student's expressed area of interested?
|
Attend a Career Fair.
|
Ask your student when the Career Fair is to be held. You can find the dates on our website under the Student section.
|
What They Should Do
|
How You Can Help
|
| Talk to professionals in career fields of interest. Review the Career Success Guide for tips on informational interviewing. |
Consider your network of colleagues and friends and share names and contact information with your student. |
| Get to know faculty in their area of interest. Make an appointment during office hours to
get to know faculty; discuss the career field of interest. Participate in class discussions. |
Encourage students to talk to you about their classes. Ask them what faculty they find the most
interesting and approachable. Suggest
they meet faculty during office hours. |
| Continue to work on resume or develop anew. Develop the first draft using the Career
Center's Optimal Resume software |
Suggest your student make an appointment at The Career
Center to review their resume. |
| Look for internships. Obtain a summer position in field of interest. Internships can be found through a variety of
sources. Some academic programs require internships and employ faculty or advisors to serve as Intern Coordinators. |
Ask your student if anyone in the department fulfills
that role. If not, he or she can pick up
intern search tips at The Career Center. |
| Attend a Career Fair. |
Are Career Fairs in your student's radar? Ask what businesses are scheduled to
participate. (Employers attending the Career
Fair will be posted on our website.) |
| Establish a relationship with their academic advisor. |
Many students see their advisors only when it is time
to register for classes. Advisors are
tremendous resources and are available to assist students in a variety of
ways. Suggest that your student connect
with his/her advisor well before the registration period begins to allow a
relaxed appointment. |
What They Should Do
|
How You Can Help
|
Develop
a plan for an effective job search. Set
deadlines for important steps. Make an
appointment with a Career Coach to discuss.
|
Ask if your student has met with a Career Coach to
begin planning for a job search. |
| Get to know faculty in their area of interest. Make an appointment during office hours to
get to know faculty; discuss the career field of interest. Participate in class discussions. |
Encourage students to talk to you about their classes. Ask them what faculty they find the most
interesting and approachable. Suggest
they meet faculty during office hours. |
| Join career-related professional associations. Seek leadership positions in co-curricular
activities. Volunteer in a program that
relates to their profession. When students
volunteer in an area related to their career, they develop hands on experience,
create networking opportunities, and get a taste of working in that field. |
Some
academic programs require students to volunteer as part of their
coursework. If your student isn't
required to volunteer, suggest he or she visit the ECU Volunteer and Service
Learning Center to find out what volunteer opportunities are available. |
| Update resume to include internship and/or volunteer
experiences gained to date, school or employment projects, professional
organizations, honors, awards, etc. |
Remind your student that the experiences gained
through internships, volunteering, class activities, etc. provide valuable
practical experience and resume content. |
| Consider if graduate school is an appropriate next
step. If so, research graduate school
options and apply according to established guidelines and deadlines. |
Encourage
frank discussion regarding viability and advisability of attending graduate
school. In some professions, advanced degrees are required; in others, joining
the work force right away is a better option.
Refer to the article "Is Graduate School Right For You?" in the ECU
Career Success Guide. |
| Attend both the Fall and Spring Career Fairs and
practice interacting with employers to gain internships or jobs. Develop a power greeting. A description of a
power greeting can be found on the ECU Career Center website. |
Ask
your student for a power greeting demonstration.
|
What They Should Do
|
How You Can Help
|
| Establish
a reference list; ask employers and faculty if they will serve as references
and/or write letters of recommendation on your behalf. |
Remind your student that he or she should always seek and
receive permission from an intended reference before listing. Note
that requests should be made early in
the semester. Faculty are bombarded with
requests at the end of each semester. |
| Attend both the Fall and Spring Career Fairs with targeted
resumes in hand and dressed in professional business attire. The power of a
suit should never be underestimated. |
Recruiters
expect students to attend Career Fairs dressed in business attire. Ask
your student what he or she plans to wear. If he or she does not have a suit,
consider
providing assistance in securing one. |
| Conduct
a thorough job search campaign. Attend
on-campus interviews and information sessions. Network. |
Networking is an extremely effective job search strategy. Provide your
student with contacts in your sphere. |
Research companies prior to sending resumes. Target resumes to align with job descriptions. Schedule an appointment with a Career Coach for a resume critique.
|
It's
not too late to create a resume. Encourage your student to create a resume and make an appointment at The
Career Center for a resume critique. |
| Review interviewing information on The Career Center website and in the Career Success Guide. Set up a mock interview at The Career Center. |
Encourage
your student to set up an appointment for a mock interview at The Career
Center. |
| Notify The Career Center once upon acceptance of a job offer. |
Securing
a job can take up to six months. Encourage your student to persevere. |
