How to Support Your College Student’s Career Journey: 7 Tips Every Parent Should Know

Watching your child transition from college to career is exciting ... and stressful! You want to help, but it can be tough to know how to help without overstepping or straining your relationship.

At HireEdge, we work with college students and recent grads on this journey every day. We've seen firsthand how parental support done thoughtfully as part of a team effort can make all the difference.

Here are 7 actionable tips for parents to help their students launch a successful career:

Tip 1: Encourage Early Planning & Involvement
Career development shouldn't start at graduation. Encourage your student to explore internships, build skills, and attend career events as early as freshman or sophomore year. College pre-professional clubs and extracurricular activities can be another great way to learn about different sectors and hone leadership and management skills. 

Tip 2: Support Their Career Interests Even If They Change
It’s common for students to shift paths as they discover new interests and strengths. Stay open-minded and supportive, even if the field they choose to explore isn’t what you initially expected. Share your own professional insights if you have firsthand knowledge of a related area, or join them in researching companies and opportunities in a new field.   

Tip 3: Review Their Latest Resume
Ask if you can review their latest resume. Your fresh eyes and lifelong perspective on your student can help you see things often overlooked by others. Review spelling, grammar and formatting for accuracy and clarity to help them make their best first impression. And make sure their resume document has a file name that includes their own name (J. Smith Resume.pdf) and not something cryptic (Resume v.3.pdf) that hiring managers won’t be able to identify quickly.

Tip 4: Encourage Networking Even When It’s Uncomfortable
Remind your student that opportunities often come through relationships, not just online applications. Talk about your own positive experiences with networking to help them understand the value. Then put your student in touch with a family member or friend for a career-related conversation to help them practice networking skills with a familiar contact to build confidence. 

Tip 5: Promote Professionalism Online
A polished LinkedIn profile and a clean online presence are essential. Offer to review their LinkedIn and help them find (or take!) that better headshot photo for their profile. This is not the place for a casual selfie or poorly cropped social media pic. And speaking of social media, help your student audit their social accounts. Show them anything others can discover on their profiles and public posts that they might want to make private. Recruiters will search for candidates online. 

Tip 6: Help Them Practice Interviewing
Offer to practice common interview questions to get them comfortable talking about themselves and answering questions about their skills and experience. Practice builds confidence and can significantly improve interview performance. 

Tip 7: Suggest Professional Career Support
You know your student best, but you may not feel comfortable providing the specialized guidance they may require. Private career coaching can offer the personalized attention your student needs to develop their career launch strategy and lead a successful job search process. And truth is, many students respond better to feedback and advice coming from a professional coach instead of mom or dad.

Partner with Us for Your Student’s Success!

At HireEdge, we specialize in helping college students and recent graduates navigate career launch with confidence. From career strategy and personal branding to strategic networking and impactful interview coaching, our personalized services are designed to help you find your fit, search smart, stand out and get hired in today’s competitive job market.

👉 Request a free 30-minute consultation here today and give your student the advantage they deserve.