Students are naturally busy at the start of the fall semester — there's new classes to take, new people to meet, new clubs to join —basically, new experiences around every corner. But asstudents get into theback-to-school madness, it will be useful for them toreflect on how their summer affected their career goals, which may affect their academic plans as well.
Every job, internship or volunteer opportunity students participated in over the summer had an impact — whether they realize it or not. Advisors can help students recognize that impact by simply asking them about their summer. Some good questions to start with include:
What were your favorite and least favorite parts of your job/internship/volunteer experience?
What is your take-away from your summer experience?
Once the student has reflected on how they feel about their summer experiences, they can start thinking about the impact those experiences had. Some follow up questions to support this would be:
What did you do that you can add to your resume?
Does your experience change what you want to pursue professionally?
What is your next move?
Making the next move doesn't need to be stressful. If a student has questions or concerns about their career path, they can connect with Career Services. Career Coaches are available in most colleges and in University Career Services to help students clarify their goals and how to reach them. Coaching appointments can be made through MyPlan (https://its.unl.edu/myunl/).
If a student is seeking a fall work experience, they can start their search in Handshake, the Career Services hosted site that connects Nebraska students with career opportunities (https://its.unl.edu/myunl/). Handshake lists part-time jobs on and off campus, internships, and full-time jobs. Students sign-in with their MyUNL log-in and search on criteria important to them. Career Coaches can also help students with all things related to a job search.
With a few questions and a conversation, advisors can help students review their career and academic plans, moving them closer to their goals amid the back-to-school hub-bub.