Parents Guide to the Career Planning Center
Surveys indicate that parents play a more influential role in their child’s career decision-making process than ever before. This is exciting, as parents are able to offer years of professional experience, connections, and sound advice for students first making their way in the professional realm. It is also a serious responsibility, though, to listen and support your child as they explore various fields of interest for their first years out of school.
The goal of the Career Planning staff is to help your child learn to leverage the unique skills they have developed as a liberal arts student into the professional world. Bowdoin students have been taught how to analyze data, research topics, speak and write effectively, and manage their time efficiently during their four years here. They are bright, motivated, involved, and committed students and community members. But we often find that they have difficulty articulating the specific marketable skills they can offer to a banking firm, advertising agency, or non-profit organization. We work with students, at any stage in the post-graduate search, to give voice to these skills and craft their professional correspondence and presentation accordingly.
As a parent, there are a number of ways you can help us help your child. Specifically, please encourage your child to:
· Update his/her eBEAR profile.
· Meet with a Career Advisor, regardless of what stage of exploration or readiness they find themselves.
· Seek internships, voluntary, shadowing, or paid experiences in possible areas of interest, starting in the first year.
· Encourage students to maximize the use of their vacation time. Winter break is a great time for a short internship, travel opportunity, networking meeting, or shadowing experience.
Additionally, you can serve as a valuable resource to other students. Making yourself available as a networking contact, recruiter, or mentor may help bring other students along in their search as well. If you would like more information about Bowdoin's Recruiting Program, you may contact Career Planning at (207) 725-3717 or send an email to cpc@bowdoin.edu.
Please help us encourage students to engage in the process directly from their first year. There is a strong correlation between effort and results in the job search. We appreciate your positive support and encouragement of their pursuits.