It goes without saying, as a parent, you want the best for your children. You want them to be happy, fulfilled, and successful in their careers. However, navigating their job search can be challenging, especially in today’s competitive graduate market.
This is where a career coach can help. A career coach can provide guidance, support, and practical advice to help your son or daughter achieve their career goals. But when is the right time to hire a career coach?
In this post, we’ll explore the different stages of a young person’s career journey and when it might be beneficial to seek the support of a career coach.
During their First Year of University
Many students claim that the first year of their undergraduate studies doesn’t count, because oftentimes grades achieved in the first year do not count towards the final degree classification. However, with this approach, students miss out on the opportunity to brush up on their academic skills in preparation for the second and final year.
The first year of university is a great time for students to start thinking about their career goals and how they can start working towards them. A career coach can help your child identify their strengths and weaknesses, explore their career options, and develop a plan for achieving their post-graduation career goals.
An increasing number of graduate employers are hosting insight days for first-year students. These programmes drastically increase your son or daughter’s chances of getting an internship at that company during the summer of their second year of university.
Therefore, during your child’s first year of university, remind them to keep their eye out for networking events, insight days and career fairs for first-year students. This is especially important if your son or daughter wishes to pursue a career in a competitive field such as law or investment banking. A career coach can help your son or daughter to identify and secure these first-year opportunities.
These events will also give your child an insight into the graduate careers available as well as a glimpse into what graduate recruiters are looking for and allow them to include these insight days on their CVs and LinkedIn profiles.
During their Second Year of University
By the second year of university, your child should have a better idea of their career aspirations.
In terms of their graduate career, the second year of university is absolutely crucial. To stand the best chance of getting a place on a competitive and well-paid graduate scheme that will provide them with extensive training and growth opportunities, they should do everything they can to get a summer internship at a reputable company.
A graduate career coach will help your son or daughter to craft a great achievement-based CV that will help your son or daughter to make job applications that stand out from the crowd. We can also help your son or daughter with summer internship interview preparation and practice.
Your Child’s Final Year of University
If your child is in their final year of university and has not secured any form of work experience and hasn’t attended any networking events, they must secure work experience asap.
Many graduates who have not thought about their career at this stage decide to put it off until after their final exams however, entering the graduate job market without any work experience puts your son or daughter at a significant disadvantage.
The job market is competitive, to stand out, your son or daughter must demonstrate to graduate employers that they have the key employability skills. The best way to demonstrate this is via work experience. This is because past performance helps employers to predict future success. A degree alone is not enough.
If your son or daughter was diligent about securing work experience and a summer internship at a top company, there’s a great chance that they have landed themselves a place on a highly sought-after grad scheme.
If they have not, this is a good time to consider getting them a coach. Coaching at this stage will keep your son or daughter accountable to take actions that will increase their chances of starting a graduate-level job shortly after graduating. We can help them to identify what career will suit them best, then help them with their applications and interviews. If your son or daughter did not get a place on a graduate scheme, they can still be successful in landing a good graduate job. Graduate schemes tend to be more structured than graduate jobs, however, securing a graduate job or scheme is a positive outcome.
After their Graduation Ceremony
If your son or daughter finished university over the summer and has recently had their graduation but does not have a job lined up. Consider hiring a graduate career coach for them.
At this stage, they will have had the summer to relax a bit after the stressful exam period and may feel optimistic or apprehensive about the job search ahead.
Having a career coach to help them to transition from academia to employment will help to make the process a lot more efficient and smoother. Without coaching, many graduates send out countless applications with little or no success.
The rejections after rejections deplete their confidence and self-esteem over time. Unfortunately, a significant number of graduates end up not securing a graduate-level job that requires a degree and find themselves underemployed.
During their Masters
If your child is pursuing a Masters’s degree, a career coach can help them develop a plan for their post-graduate career. We can provide guidance on how to leverage their Masters’s degree in the job market, explore career paths related to their area of study, and develop a professional network.
Many graduates assume that getting a master’s degree will boost their employability and desirability to employers, but without work experience, this is seldom the case.
If they have been unemployed for a while after finishing university despite sending applications
If your child has been unemployed for a while despite sending applications, a career coach can help them identify potential areas of improvement, such as their CV or interview skills. We can also provide guidance on how to approach the job search differently, such as networking or exploring different career paths.
Conclusion
A career coach can be an invaluable resource for your son or daughter at any stage of their career journey. Whether they’re just starting out or feeling stuck in their job search, a career coach can provide guidance, support, and practical advice to help them achieve their career goals. By investing in a career coach, you’re giving your child the tools they need to succeed in today’s competitive job market.
If your son or daughter needs help getting a graduate job contact us today +44 (0)207 014 9547
Featured image by: Jordan Benton
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