PARENTS & FAMILY MEMBERS
The Office of Career Development is here to help your student make life-long career decisions that lead to productive, fulfilling lives as engaged and thoughtful global citizens. We assist students in the transition from student to employee, to graduate student, or to whatever other role they may take on as they leave the Hawk’s Nest upon graduation.
You can play an integral part in this career development process by encouraging your student to visit our office early and often.
Parents and family members are some of the most influential people in a student’s life. A little nudge and positive affirmation from you will go a long way on the path to career success for your student.
Still a little nervous about whether or not your student will be find career success at Hilbert? Check out our Alumni Profile on LinkedIn to see where Hilbert College graduates are working now. (Note: Access requires LinkedIn membership.)
What Parents Should Know
Education consultants and authors Marcia B. Harris and Sharon L. Jones, through the National Association of Colleges and Employers, have published "10 Tips for Parents of Prospective Students," offering insight into how parents can help their children in career planning.
Topics include:
- choosing a career/choosing a major
- choosing to double major/choosing a major and minor
- grade point average (GPA)
- obtaining marketable skills
- leadership activities
- experience
- graduating early, graduating late
- planning for graduate/professional school
- taking time off
- using the Career Development Center
To download a summary of each topic,
click here.
Making College Pay
How can your child get the best return on your investment in their college education: a good job and launch into their first career?
Good grades and the right major are important blocks in the foundation of finding a job after graduation. There are, however, other steps students can take to increase their value to potential employers:
- Complete an internship
Getting real working experience may be the most important thing a student can do. Many employers look within their own internship programs when they need to fill entry-level positions, so good performance in an internship could end with a job offer. Internships give students a realistic look at the prospective job, company, and career.
- Visit the Career Center
Research shows that tapping into the resources offered by career services can increase the likelihood of getting a job offer. Through practice sessions and critiques, career coaches teach students skills to help them onto and up the career ladder: writing winning resumes and cover letters, interviewing skills, even dressing for success. Plus, career coaches know the employers that recruit on campus and can help students connect with those looking to hire.
- Start the job-search process early
- Find the right major and start to plot a career path during the freshman year.
- Start exploring internship opportunities. What’s better than an internship the summer after junior year? Multiple internships. Freshmen and sophomores may find internships too.
- Get ready to be recruited in the fall. Employers do many of their on-campus interviews—for internships and entry-level positions—in the fall. And while employers interview in the spring, it’s best to be an early bird.