Information for Parents
Parents and other family members play an integral in the career development of students.
This site offers resources to inform your knowledge of the resources available to
your College of Business and Innovation student his/her career development.
The Career Development Process
The Career Development process can be broken down into four interrelated stages. The
College of Business and Innovation's required career courses, BUAD 2000 (Career Development
I) and BUAD 3000 (Career Development II) address each of these stages in a logical
and pragmatic fashion. Hands-on exploration in these classes provides students with
the structure and resources they need to make well-informed career decisions.
Self-assessment Students conduct a thorough examination of their values, interests, personal qualities,
skills and aptitudes to determine the whether certain careers will be appropriate
for their needs.
Develop Transferable Skills Transferable skills are competencies you can use in any job, they’re not technical
and don’t require any education. There are plenty of benefits to developing skills
like these and they can make you stand out from similarly qualified students.
Major/Career Exploration Major and career exploration often occurs concurrently with self-assessment. As students
learn more about their personal make-up, they investigate appropriate majors and career
options where they will be able to practice their values, interests, skills, personal
qualities and aptitudes. Significant emphasis is placed on exploring options that
are consistent with student desires.
Branding & Networking Internships, co-operative education and related part-time employment or volunteerism
allow students to 'try on' careers and do their marketing. This way they affirm their
tentative career choice, gain valuable experience, build their professional network
and increase the likelihood they will be hired when they enter the job market.
Job/Graduate School Search
Recommendations
Encourage your students to become interdependent. When students have academic or career
related concerns, encourage them to contact the Student Services Office, 3130 Savage & Associates Business Complex, 419-530-2087 or the Business Career Programs Office, 4120 Savage & Associates Business Complex , 419-530-5400 for referral information. These two offices will help your student
discover the appropriate resources for their concerns.
Do not pressure students to pursue a given career path. Depending on skills, values,
interests, personal qualities and aptitudes, this may be realistic; however, students
should be encouraged to explore careers that are consistent with their personal make-up.
Ultimately, they will be much happier pursuing careers they enjoy versus careers they
thing their parents want them to enjoy.
Purchase your career-related gift ideas. Need holiday, birthday or commencement gift
ideas? Why not take your student job search shopping? Whether your student is seeking
an internship or full-time employment, s/he will need to bolster their professional
presence. Some suggestions include: suits, cotton shirts, cotton blouses, leather
shoes, belts, or portfolios, dark socks, nylons, simple jewelry, or day planners (paper
or PDAs).
Remind your student of upcoming Business Career Programs sponsored events Refer your
student to the Calendar of Events designed to enhance job search skills.
Become an active member of your student’s career/job search team. By simply talking
to family members about their careers students may become aware of possible career
options or names of people they may contact to inquire about their careers or job
possibilities. Sometimes the most obvious resources are the least tapped.
