A Career Planning Course for Parents and Family of Bucknell Students
Your student has just left for (or returned to) college, but doesn’t know what he or she wants to major in or choose as a career. Don’t worry. This is not unusual, even though you might wish for more direction.
Choosing a career is a process. It is a process students (and adults) need to go through. Students go through the different stages at different speeds. The steps include:
- Discover Your Path – assessing skills, interests, purpose and values
- Build Your Story – declaring a major, deepening involvement on campus, exploring career options
- Expand Your Connections and Experience – networking, shadowing, internships
- Launch Your Career – organizing and conducting a job or graduate school search
The CCA staff can answer questions from family members about resources, programs and events, as well as ways students can best utilize them, but they cannot share information about the student’s interactions with the office unless the student has granted signed permission. For more information, see information about FERPA. The CCA staff can be reached at career@bucknell.edu or 570-577-1238.
Careers 101
Parents & Family of First Year and Transfer Students
During this year, students are formally and informally assessing their skills, interests, abilities, values and purpose. They will do this through the courses they take, campus activities, discussions with friends and faculty, and exposure to and exploration of different ideas and experiences.
Relevant Sources
- Support your student’s exploration of new areas of study and interest.
- Affirm the skills and abilities your student has consistently demonstrated. Sometimes students overlook these strengths.
- Talk with your student about the courses and activities they are enjoying. Students discover new things about themselves at college. Your willingness to listen will keep you in the loop.
- Support responsible involvement in campus activities while maintaining academic success.
- Encourage your student to seek assistance from the Center for Career Advancement (CCA) to help define skills, interests, purpose and values, as well as get started with a resume and/or LinkedIn profile.
Career 201
Parents & Family of Sophomores and Transfer Students
Generally, during this year, students have declared or will declare a major and are exploring career options more seriously while learning what is expected in different industries.
Relevant Sources
- Don’t insist on a decision about a major or career choice immediately. If you sense that your student’s indecision is a barrier to positive progress, encourage them to go to the CCA. Sometimes students have difficulty deciding because they fear they may close off options or make a wrong choice.
- Suggest that your student talk with faculty and career advisors about potential majors.
- Don’t assume majors in philosophy, English, or history means your student will not get a job. Liberal arts courses sharpen skills that employers value, including strong written and oral communication, problem-solving, research, and critical and analytical thinking.
- Connect your student with family members, friends and colleagues who work in fields that interest them. Informational interviews with professionals can be extremely valuable at this stage.
- Encourage your student to participate in a micro-internship (short term project) or job simulation with employers to gain experience. Parker Dewey and Forage are two providers of these opportunities.
- The CCA offers credited career courses for students who want more structure in their preparation – a general half-credit course as well as quarter-credit courses in exploring or applying to law or health profession schools.
- If your student is interested in finance careers, they should prepare in the fall for their internship search and attend sessions or appointments offered by the CCA and employers – the recruiters begin hiring for junior-year internships during the spring of sophomore year.
- Students should learn more about the industries and career fields that interest them to understand relevant recruiting timelines and expectations. If they haven’t explored the career communities, now is the time.
Career 301
Parents & Family of Juniors, the “Mid-Career” Student
During the sophomore year and throughout the junior year, it is important for students to experiment with possible career options. They can do this through internships, cooperative education programs, summer jobs, campus jobs and volunteer opportunities on campus or in the local community.
Relevant Sources
- Encourage your student to use the resources available through the CCA to learn the tools and strategies needed for an effective internship or research opportunity search.
- Students can use Hiration to get started with creating and refining their resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letters, as well as to practice interviews.
- Reinforce the importance of gaining exposure to and experience in their field of interest.. Broadening experience through involvement outside the classroom is a valuable use of time.
- Internships or summer experiences in some competitive fields may pay little or nothing. A valuable opportunity also may be located far from home. Discuss financial expectations with your student before they make a commitment. Encourage them to explore funding opportunities through the CCA and across campus.
- Do not conduct the internship or summer job search for your student.This deprives them of an important learning experience – and may make a poor impression on a prospective employer. It is helpful, however, to provide networking contacts or the names of people who may be willing to help.
- Students planning to attend law or health profession schools should connect with the appropriate advisor to understand application timelines, required coursework and the application process. The pre-law advisor and pre-health advisor each offer quarter-credit courses for juniors and seniors that cover the application process.
- The spring of the junior year and the following summer are good times for those thinking about graduate school to speak with faculty members in their intended field of study, develop a list of programs, prepare for required exams and begin drafting personal essays.
Career 401
Parents & Family of Graduating Seniors
The senior year is when a job or graduate school search becomes more focused. It is also a time when students are busy in more advanced courses in their majors and have responsible roles in campus and/or volunteer activities. Seniors are balancing many different areas of their lives.
Relevant Resources
- Encourage your student to use the CCA throughout the year. The career center offers extensive resources and opportunities to interact with employers and alumni. It provides assistance with resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, mock interviews, prelaw and prehealth advising, and graduate school advising. Handshake offers students and alumni the ability to search full-time and internship opportunities, find relevant upcoming events and schedule appointments. Students continue to have access to alumni and parent networking resources.
- Refrain from repeated questions about your student’s job or graduate school applications. Be positive when interacting.
- Offer to share information you find about your student’s career interests or relevant job listings. Pay attention to cues that you may be becoming overly involved, and allow your student to lead the process.
- Do not call potential employers and intervene on your student’s behalf.
- Be prepared to support your child through the ups and downs of the job or graduate school search. It can be a bumpy road. Not every desired job or graduate school acceptance will come through. Reassure your student that for every door that closes, another one opens.
While this is an exciting time, full of exploration, experimentation, and learning on many different levels, students at the same time are developing a record of achievement which will be evaluated by employers and graduate schools as they move beyond college. Key components of that record include:
- Academic Achievement – A tangible indication of a student’s ability to learn and perform effectively.
- Responsible Work Experience – Many employers seek students who have related internship, summer, cooperative education, or part-time job or volunteer experience.
- Responsible Involvement Outside the Classroom – Extracurricular activities provide an opportunity for career-related skills such as working in a team environment, leadership, planning and organizational skills, priority-setting and time management.
Parents & Family of Students – FAQ
As a parent or family member of a student at Bucknell University, you are an important guide and mentor. Below are some frequently asked questions about the best ways to support your student as they think about career decisions and pursuing opportunities while at Bucknell and beyond.
When on campus, visit the Center for Career Advancement (CCA) in the Botany Building, pick up some business cards, and become familiar with our programs and services. Review our website. If your student is anxious about the future, offer a card or our web address and encourage them to call 570-577-1238 or e-mail us at career@bucknell.edu
The first year of college is the optimal time to start using the career center, after your student has had a chance to settle into life at Bucknell.
- Ask your student casually if they have visited the CCA. Assure them that career services is not just for seniors and that a meeting with a career coach can take place at any point during their college career. They can schedule appointments on Handshake.
- For wiser career decision-making, encourage them to take advantage of the CCA’s career coaching and advising services regarding majors, careers, graduate and professional school options, as well as skills, interests and personality assessments.
- Encourage them early on to use CCA online career resources, including information about careers, document and LinkedIn profile reviews, interview practice and a network of enthusiastic alumni willing to talk about jobs and careers. The CCA also provides drop-in hours for help in getting started, and reviews of resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.
Career decision-making is a process, and best not delayed until senior year. Challenge them to become “occupationally literate” and more self-aware as they engage with these complex decisions.
Ask if they know what they want to study or pursue as a career.
Let them know it is fine to not know yet but there are actions they can take to help them find a direction. Talk about the the personal interests, strengths and talents you see in them.
Actions to recommend:
- Make an appointment to take self-assessment inventories at the CCA and discuss results with a career counselor.
- Enroll in a quarter-credut or half-credit career course to explore and pursue their career interests as part of their academic schedule.
- Talk with favorite faculty or staff members.
- Research a variety of interesting career fields and employers through reading about them or talking to professionals about their career paths.
- Attend the programs and events that the CCA offers throughout the year
Allow your student to make their own decisions.
This may be one of the first really big decisions your student has had to make. Be patient, sympathetic, and understanding, even if you don’t agree with their decisions.
Too much prodding can backfire, but do check in occasionally. It is okay to make suggestions, but let your student be the ultimate judge of what is best.
Expose your student to the world of work
Take your student to your workplace. Explain what you do for a living. Help identify potential employers.
Help them understand misinformation about majors and careers.
Myth: A student must major in something “practical” or “marketable”
Truth: Students are best off following their own interests and passions. Employers look for skills just as or more often than major for most positions. Occupations fluctuate in terms of demand and it is more important than ever for students to be aware of their transferable skills and how to communicate them best to employers.
Myth: Picking your major means picking the career you will have forever.
Truth: That is no longer true. A major does not necessarily determine a career. It is not unusual for students to change majors and for professionals to change job roles and industries as they advance in their careers. Plans will develop and change. It is okay to change majors – and careers.
Advise your student to write a resume and develop a LinkedIn profile
This can be a “reality test” that helps students identify gaps or weak areas that need improvement. Encourage them to start with the resume and LinkedIn profile resources on the career center website, as well as review their materials with a CCA staff member. If you know professionals in the field in which they are interested, connect them with your student to seek their feedback on their search documents.
Emphasize the importance of internships and gaining experience – Having relevant experience in today’s competitive job market is critical. Micro-Internships (short-term, paid projects with employers), shadowing, internships, summer employment opportunities and/or volunteer work will give your student an opportunity to sample career options, learn more about what they are interested in and gain valuable skills.
Why an internship? Internships provide experience AND help develop communication, problem-solving, and administrative skills. They are also used by employers as a recruiting tool for full-time opportunities. Doing well academically is not enough; experience in a professional work setting with a supervisor and mentor can be valuable in many ways for success in the job search.
Encourage your student to meet with an advisor.
The Pre-Health Professions and Pre-Law advisors work in the CCA and offer quarter-credit career courses for students exploring and pursuing health and law, as well as individual appointments and drop-in hours.
Students interested in graduate school should pursue research opportunities and meet with faculty in the discipline in which they are interested. The CCA coaches are also available to assist with the process of deciding and applying to graduate or professional school in the context of their career plans.
Encourage extracurricular involvement
Involvement outside the classroom often leads to development of interpersonal and leadership skills – qualities highly valued by future employers.
Persuade your student to stay up to date with current events –
Employers expect students to know what is going on around them. Students can access The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal through the library. Encourage them to read online publications related to their career interests. Discuss major world and business issues with them.
Networking
Introduce your student to people who have careers and jobs that are of interest to them, if possible. In addition, there are many Bucknell alumni and parents who are willing to talk with students about what they do or about their organization/industry. Suggest your student contact people for information about possible summer internships or experiences. Encourage them to “shadow” someone in the workplace to increase awareness of interesting career fields.
Let the Career Center know about opportunities for college students or alumni.
Email us at hireabison@bucknell.edu when you have a summer or full-time job opening and we will be sure to feature it as connected to Bucknellians. Sponsor a micro-internship through Parker Dewey. If your company hires interns, have your employer post internships and jobs in Handshake. Participate in a career event on or off campus, or be a speaker at a career workshop. We welcome your involvement!
The CCA staff can answer questions family members have about resources, programs and events, as well as ways students can best utilize them, but they cannot share information about the students’ interactions with the office unless the student has granted signed permission. For more information, see information about FERPA. The CCA staff can be reached at career@bucknell.edu or 570-577-1238.
