Families of Montana Tech students and Career Services share a common goal: to help students prepare for their future career. Career Services offers advice and assistance in developing the life skills to make this goal a reality.
The career planning process can be daunting, and students need support from their families to help them be successful. Take a minute to browse these helpful tips.
Encourage your student to take advantage of Career Services early.
Career Services offers career coaching on everything from choosing a major to finding a full-time job after graduation. Have your student register for DIGGERecruiting, the online source for job postings, company and recruiter information, interview sign-ups, career events, and much more.
Motivate your student to be proactive in setting and achieving career goals.
The earlier a career is chosen, the sooner your student will know if it is a good fit. Long-term planning will keep your student on the right track. Research will also increase awareness of job market demand, salary ranges, long-range opportunities, skills required, etc. It is also important for your student to have some idea of the next step after graduation. Have your student contact Career Services early so he or she can get the most help with preparation for employment and life after college.
Remind your student to make academics a high priority from the beginning.
While it is important to allow for an adjustment period, keep in mind that one semester with a low GPA can adversely affect your student's overall GPA. It is much easier to maintain a good GPA than it is to take multiple semesters to bring it back up.
Motivate your student to obtain marketable skills during college.
Support your student's involvement with clubs and organizations on campus.
Employers value participation, especially where your student has held leadership positions. It is more important to be in a few meaningful leadership roles than to be a member of several clubs and organizations. Leadership experiences will not only look great on a resume, but will also give your student the opportunity to gain marketable skills. Community involvement through volunteerism is also valued by employers. Volunteer opportunities are posted online through DIGGERecruiting and students can indicate if they are interested in volunteering through their profile.
Influence your student to gain work experience through Career Services’ experiential learning program.
Students often don’t know if they will like a particular career until they try it out in a real-world setting. Through Career Services’ experiential learning program, students work at summer jobs or internship positions related to their major while gaining valuable on-the-job experience. Students may also receive better-than-average pay and qualify for academic credit.
Career Services is available to help all Montana Tech students with resumes, interviews, job search strategies, and the internship and job search process. Encourage your student to take advantage of all that Career Services has to offer.