Notice anything about the figure below?  Despite all the discussion about parental (over)involvement, students remain steadfast in relying on parents and family members for career support.  

So what's a parent to do when seeking to provide tools and support while encouraging full independence and accountability?  The parents and students with whom I work identify three approaches to ensure student career development success:

1)  Students - Start early in the academic year (now!) to clarify interests, set career goals, and connect with mentors

2)  Parents - Encourage ongoing student development for long-term success with multiple plans to identify options 

3)  Both (Students and Parents) - Welcome professional services that can provide expert guidance and support

Question of the day:  Our 22-year-old son is set to graduate this May with a degree in Political Science.  He has not expressed any clear path he wants to take professionally. As much as we are frustrated by his lack of focus and planning, we are more worried about his future.  How do we help him find a job?

I’m grateful for this parent’s permission to share her request for help.  As the effects of the recovering economy linger, more and more students are finding themselves living at home and unemployed after graduation much to parent dismay. 

The facts support this continued pilgrimage home.  Take, for example, the findings collected by the folks at Accenture, where more than 2,000 students and companies shared their perceptions of the class of 2014.  When compared with the experiences of recent grads in the working world, more than 38% (or one-third) of the graduating class responded that they were planning to live at home after graduation.  42% of the graduates from 2012 and 2013 said they were also currently living at home (Accenture 2014 College Graduate Employment Survey). 

So what’s a weary and financially exhausted mom to do with no gainful employment for her son on the horizon?  Craft resumes?  Submit job applications?  Collect grad school information?  Cold call friends to find placement?

My response is an enthusiastic YES to all of the above, as long as your student does the work.  Without doing the work himself, there’s nothing to be gained enabling him in this critical process.  Worst yet, you risk sending the message that he isn’t capable.

Feeling torn about the college to career process and how you fit in?  Consider the perspectives of employers and graduate school committees taking calls from a parent.  Is this the best indicator of your student’s ability to communicate with future clients or do graduate level work?

Developmentally-speaking, not all 22 year-olds arrive in the same place at the same time.  Some make clearer career choices earlier while others struggle through a longer period of trial and error.  Wherever your student is on the career development path, your ongoing encouragement and empathy will go a long way to helping him identify his best fit in the world. Setting expectations, encouraging short- and long-term plans, identifying potential contacts and opportunities, and encouraging him to fully utilize campus and professional resources are all appropriate ways to assist. Doing the work for him, overcompensating, defining his career objectives, or even assigning blame are all counter-productive behaviors to avoid.

One last thing:  In my experience, being mom (or dad) is a hard enough gig; adding career coach or college counselor to that job is very seldom a good idea.  Those of us in the profession are the first ones to welcome the assistance of others beside us.  If you do your (developmentally-appropriate) part and insist your son does his, success will often take care of itself.


I really appreciate that you are reading my post. I regularly write about career development and college success. If you would like to read my regular posts, please visit my Facebook page and click the "like" button to follow me.  You can also connect with me via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. 

Have you heard the story about the $5 haircut?  The story goes that there is a small town barber (let’s call him Barber Smith) who has most of the town’s business for many years charging $7 per haircut. 

One day, a new barber (Barber Jones) moves to town and sets up shop directly across from Barber Smith.  Barber Jones promptly places a “$5 Haircut” sign on the front of his store.

As can be expected, many of Barber Smith’s long-time customers stray to Barber Jones to save $2 on a haircut.  Not surprisingly, the cheaper haircuts turn out to be substandard with the cuts growing out uneven and unmanageable. 

Of course, none of this surprises Barber Smith, who puts up a new sign of his own:  “We fix $5 haircuts.”

The moral of the story:  Sometimes the cheapest option is not the best choice.

Sometimes I feel like Barber Smith when meeting clients unhappy with resumes prepared by a service promising to undercut the competition.  In an effort to save money, they have settled for a service unable to provide high-quality goods.  In the end, no one wins as the job seeker fails to get maximum results, and the resume service develops a reputation for falling short of professional standards.

Let's face it:  The hours you have spent working jobs you’ve loved or hated and early years studying and training have been an enormous investment. Your resume should reflect this investment and help you define your value to the marketplace. 

When searching for career development services, be sure to invest your time with a professional who has the formal training and background to identify the right strategy for your job search.  The best will have years of experience in career development including expertise in hiring cycles and recruiting best practices.  More importantly, these professionals have invested enormously into their personal development in order to help you craft a resume that will open doors and interview with confidence. 

The moral of your career development story?  Time spent up front collaborating with the right career professional will not only save you money and heartache in the long run, but will also provide you with the competitive edge needed to stand out. 

 
I really appreciate that you are reading my post. I regularly write about career development and college success. If you would like to read my regular posts, please visit my Facebook page and click the "like" button to follow me.  You can also connect with me via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.