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“My task was to get “hired” by a writer’s agent, to help me sell my book.  I couldn’t get anyone to notice me!  RO used his Five-Finger formula to help me find the agent I wanted, and to get her attention.  Now, a year later, I’m a professional writer with a six-figure contract!  I’ll never doubt him again….”
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Tuesday
May102011

Tips For Caring Parents

10 Tips to Help Your College Student Land a Job (and 10 Things to Avoid)

Do This!
  1. This is a difficult market for anyone to find a job. Understand that it is likely much worse than anything you experienced when you graduated from college. Adjust expectations (yours and your child’s).
  2. Listen. Your child doesn’t always want advice, but they do need for you to listen to what they have to say. Being a good listener will help keep communication lines open.
  3. Strategize. Hopefully you have been discussing your child’s future plans with them throughout their college experience. Ask them about their hopes and dreams. Tell them that you want to help them put together a strategy to meet their goals. In this job market, that may mean that rather than getting exactly the job they hoped for, they may have to take an interim position at a company to get their foot in the door.
  4. Give them space, but don’t abandon them. You remember what it was like when you graduated from school. You wanted to be independent and prove to your folks you could do everything yourself. It was important to you. Unfortunately, in a challenging market, everybody needs to accept help from anyone who is offering. Be sensitive to your grad’s feelings, but let them know that people help others with their job searches all the time. You just happen to be related.
  5. Share stories from your own work life. They need to know that you have struggled too.
  6. Leverage your contacts. Share your network with your child to help them make connections and reach Hiring Managers in their job search.
  7. Brainstorm. One key to getting hired is standing out. Help your child identify strengths and find ways to communicate those abilities to prospective employers through anecdotes, portfolios and work examples.
  8. Help. Be a sounding board. Help them practice interviewing. Proofread resumes. Be constructive. If your advice seems to be hitting the wrong note with your child, step away. Find a friend to help instead – one who can work with your child without the emotional baggage.
  9. Believe. Your confidence in the job market might be shaky, but your confidence in your kid should endure. Children whose parents believe they can be successful at anything are usually proven right.
  10. Invest in tools to help your child mount their search. Business cards. Copies. Information. You helped them get an education. A meaningful investment now could mean they get on their feet more quickly. Take some time to look at information your self – you may learn something you can use as well!

Not This!
  1. Avoid the subject. Some parents are so afraid of meddling they don’t help at all. Work with your child to determine contributions you can make to their job search that are meaningful and constructive.
  2. Smother. You have heard the term “Helicopter Parent,” right? That level of involvement may have worked in college, but now that your student is going out into the world, they need to be independent. Employers are hiring them, not you. Look for ways to disengage and pass control over to your capable kid.
  3. Nag. Approaching your child to ask about their job search every day will make it a sore subject, fast. Don’t be surprised if you shut them out. Make them aware that you are greatly interested, but tell them to approach you.
  4. Become obsessed with the want ads. Most of the great jobs never end up in the classified section of the paper.
  5. Pretend to be an expert. If your son is an engineer and you are not, don’t assume you know the way his field works just because he talked about it for four years.
  6. Protect. In order to make strides in their field, you child may have to move far from you. While the thought might trouble you, put your child’s happiness and success first. Don’t sabotage their plans or make them feel guilty about having to leave the nest.
  7. Show fear. You may be worried about your child’s job search, but passing along that stress is counterproductive. Instead, be interested and upbeat. Remember that even in a job market with 10% unemployment, 9 out of 10 people are working. Your awesome kid will soon be one of them.
  8. Compare. Every job search is different. Don’t mention how your friend’s child is making more professional progress.
  9. Live in the past. If you haven’t looked for a job in a while, you might be surprised to learn that the old techniques just don’t work anymore. You need to learn the new techniques that are disruptive and help your child stand out.
  10. Let you child become a couch potato. Depression can set in if a job search isn’t going well. The symptoms would include lethargy, defeatist thoughts and a lack of interest. If things seem to be going this way, get your child up and living life. Get them medical help if things worsen. Everyone goes through tough times, but help is out there for your family during this challenging time.

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