You may suddenly find yourself trying to help your student navigate this new normal on the road to their first job or internship. Even though their search might look a little different, there are many ways you can support your student and keep them in the game.
Here are some helpful suggestions:
- First, if your student is unsure about anything we welcome them to head into Handshake to schedule a virtual appointment. Even if they don’t know what they need to talk about the Boerigter Center team will surround them with the support they need!
- Recommend they learn more about some of the different fields that connect to their major or another area of interest.
- Check to see if your student has taken one of our assessments (PathwayU or CliftonStrengths). If they want to take an assessment they can email assessments@hope.edu. Encourage them to schedule an appointment via Handshake to debrief their results.
- Your student might also want to research different cities and general cost of living. Job/Internship search platforms, such as our recommended resource Handshake, allows the user to search down to a zip code, so they can take the market into consideration while mulling over their options.
- This is a perfect time to virtually introduce your student to anyone in your personal network who works in an area of professional interest. Encourage them to set up informational interviews to learn, explore, and network. They can use our exclusive tool The Hope College Connection to get in touch with alumni and other Hope parents. LinkedIn is another great option!
- Share our How-To Guides with your student. If they haven’t pulled out their resume in awhile or written a cover letter, now is a great time to get started! The Boerigter Center is happy to review and give feedback through an appointment.
- Was your student able to attend one of our webinars? Have your student review our series and/or watch for yourself.
Webinar #1: Career Conversations April 1, 2020
This webinar provides a lot of helpful guidance. We reacted to students burning questions but also reviewed several topics including: the job and internship search process, applying for graduate school, The Hope College Connection, virtual interviewing and utilizing Handshake.
Webinar #2: Career Conversations – How is COVID 19 Impacting Jobs and Internships? April 9, 2020
The Boerigter Center team has been monitoring the labor market closely as new information comes out each day. During this webinar we discussed: the latest trends in jobs and internships, tactical tips for hunting with confidence during this pandemic, and provided resources to learn which industries are hiring and which are freezing.
The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career would love to hear from your student! For more information on any of the above topics, please visit hope.edu/boerigter.