What Can You Do

• Encourage them to get involved, to explore their interests and develop transferable skills through internships, volunteering, extra-curricular activities and employment.
• Initiate conversations about their choice of major, career ideas and plans; listen, ask questions and provide non-judgmental feedback.
• Encourage them to start their career exploration and planning early.
• Assure them that they are not making a decision for the rest of their lives; career change is common nowadays.
• Help them to plan for change and challenge them to become occupationally literate.
• Refer your student to friends, neighbours, colleagues etc. with experience related to their career interests and ideas.
• Help your student clarify ideas and priorities; give feedback on specific abilities/skills that you observe in your student.
• Remind them to read the CaPS Monthly Publications e-newsletter.
• Support and encourage your student during the job search. Listen to their ideas and concerns but resist the temptation to take responsibility for the process.
• Encourage them to visit CaPS, ideally in their first year, and make use of the many services and resources we offer.

Students can explore career options and develop skills sought by employers through:

• Internships
• Externships/job shadowing
• Part-time and summer jobs and self-employment
• Volunteer work
• Class projects
• Campus involvement
• Extra-curricular activities/Athletics
• Career-related events, workshops and information sessions

The above experiences can have a variety of benefits, including:

• Help students gain experience in their areas of interest and decide on a career path
• Help students increase their occupational literacy
• Help students develop transferable “soft skills” such as communication, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving and organizational skills
• Help students clarify their strengths and weaknesses
• Help students build networks/contacts
• Help students make a smoother transition into the world of work
• Help students land a job after graduation