Give your child’s career a boost. Launch a networking initiative

Think of the scene from the film classic, “The Graduate,” when a smug Los Angeles businessman takes aside new grad Dustin Hoffman and declares, "I just want to say one word to you -- just one word -- 'plastics.’”

Career advice has always flowed freely, especially for young people. When jobs are scarce, advice is even more plentiful. This article will discuss how you can harness the power of information to support your child’s career development.

It may help to think of yourself as a PR ambassador, laying the groundwork for your children. Like Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman), they have many things on their minds, including confusion about career interests, fears of an unwelcome job market, and the insecurities that plague every generation coming of age.

Indeed, they face a daunting task: finding their fit in a workplace where employers this spring reported a 22% decrease in entry level hiring and a 21% decrease in internships available to college students, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

We all know what our students should be doing: networking is the most reliable way to find internships and jobs in any market. But if networking were easy, there wouldn’t be so many experts making so much money pitching “secrets to success.” The word, networking, brings up 178,000 hits on Amazon. Excluding those that relate to technology, the demand for interpersonal networking skills is clearly evident. Add to this, the speakers, seminars, and books, as well as ubiquitous social media, and you have an avalanche of advice.

No wonder our children are overwhelmed.

How can you help?

Widely misunderstood, networking is often viewed as “knowing the right people,” “working a room,” or more aggressively, “asking people for jobs.” Alas, its simplicity ~ one person needing information and the other offering it ~ is lost amid a plethora of profit-making entities promoting “the right way.”

Networking Redefined: Networking is a process of collecting useful information, a.k.a., a research project. Students find this definition helpful because they’re comfortable with research, a task they’re continually engaged in at Tufts. When your child makes this fundamental shift in perspective, undertaking career research becomes more familiar, manageable, even exciting.

Today is an ideal time to launch an initiative on behalf of your child. Here are three guidelines to get you started. Meanwhile, if you’d like to dig deeper into the topic, review the fundamentals we teach Tufts students.

 What is Networking?

1. Develop a script. Keep it upbeat

Your child’s future is too important to be left to chance. Anticipate and prepare for everyday interactions with colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Imagine the questions that will come up, and be prepared with some brief information about your child’s career interests. Your response may prompt them to offer a useful tip ~ a referral, a book, a company name. Keep in mind that each question implies a subtext (noted in parentheses below). Avoid the temptation to go there. It will not lead to a productive exchange of information.

What’s Lia’s major? (How will she ever earn a living with a (fill-in-the-blank major?)

Where is Sam this summer? (He doesn’t have an internship!?!?)

What’s Andy doing after he graduates? (He’ll never get a job in this economy!)

Even if you have your own fears and anxieties, networking encounters are not the time to air them. Instead, move into cheerleader mode and keep things upbeat. “Explore” is the best verb ever invented when it comes to career discussions.

Greg is exploring public relations.

Jessica is researching green energy.

Alison is interested in nonprofits working with children.

In each statement, there’s some specificity for your listener. Chances are, if your conversation partner knows someone in PR, green careers, or nonprofits, you’ll soon have some data to pass along to your child.

To develop your script, you need content. Spend time with your child, brainstorming about favorite courses, campus activities, volunteer experience, and part-time work. You should be able to come up with one to three things in the vast world of work that they’d like to learn more about: an occupation, industry, maybe even a specific employer. Remember: you’re not committing your child to a particular career path. This is research and exploration, not decision-making.

2. Leave the resume at home. Collect contacts

Your child’s resume should be in good shape (reviewed by someone at Tufts Career Services), and if your boss, sister-in-law, or hair stylist (yes, they meet with dozens of people each week from all walks of life) asks for a copy, make sure your child forwards one with a personal note or cover letter, whichever is appropriate.

The downside to this well intentioned transaction is that people may forget about the resume, since good deeds are not as urgent as other things on our to-do lists. It’s more effective to ask if your child can follow-up directly with your contact to learn more. Because you’ve paved the way, your child may be more likely to take action and, in turn, gain more experience, develop confidence, and build a network of her own.

3. Don’t drop the ball. Follow-up

You probably taught your child to write ‘thank you’ notes for birthday and graduation gifts. When you’re given the ‘gift’ of someone’s time or advice, this also calls for gratitude.

‘Thank you’ notes, especially handwritten (job interviews require email because of time-sensitivity), create favorable impressions and make your child memorable. Notes should be addressed to any individuals who have been helpful, and personalized for each one. Because handwritten notes are unusual, they’re often passed around an office or, at the very least, stuck on a refrigerator, visible to an ever wider audience.

Where to go from here

Please encourage your students to bring their questions to us, a team of career development professionals who can coach them wherever they are in their career development, from exploration to job search ~ http://careers.tufts.edu. In particular, they may find it helpful to review our advice on networking and informational interviewing.  We’re open all summer and offer telephone counseling for students and alumni outside the Boston area. We look forward to coaching your children throughout their time at Tufts.
 

The Tufts Career Network is a resource for students and alumni seeking career related information, insight, and advice. More than 8,500 members of the Network – alumni, parents, and friends – have agreed to share information about their careers, educational backgrounds, organizations, and job search techniques.