Parents & Family
July ’26 News
Summer Career Prep Checklist for Parents
Here’s what your student should be working on this summer to hit the ground running. This information is especially important for returning sophomores interested in accounting, finance, or consulting internships and careers, as these recruiting timelines are accelerated, making the sophomore year extremely important.
Urgent Handshake Information
The #1 reason students miss internship opportunities: The Handshake “Power-Up”
As your student prepares for the semester, they are entering a competitive job market. While LinkedIn can be useful, Handshake is the platform where Wake Forest’s specific employer relationships live–and the best way for students to engage with the OPCD and their career readiness.
The “Why”:
Recruiters actively scout for students using Handshake’s internal filters. If your student’s profile is incomplete, they are essentially invisible to thousands of employers looking for Wake Forest talent. Furthermore, if their “career interests” are outdated, they miss out on critical, tailored information from employers and the OPCD.
The “What”:
We have one priority goal for every student right now: A complete, updated Handshake profile. Please encourage your student to spend 30 minutes “powering up” their account:
- Complete the Profile: Add skills, relevant coursework, and prior experience. Recruiters filter by these fields.
- Set Career Interests: This tells Handshake’s algorithm exactly which roles to put in their feed—and it ensures they receive tailored information, resources, and opportunities from the OPCD. Important: Interests evolve, so students should revisit and update these at the start of every semester.
- Turn on Alerts: Set saved searches so internship and job opportunities are delivered directly to them—saving them time and frustration.
- Monitor the Inbox: Even with a perfect profile, your student must read emails from c. We use these to send critical, time-sensitive updates on recruiting timelines and employer events.
Your Role:
A nudge from home makes a difference. If you are looking for a way to bring this up, try asking: “Have you had a chance to ‘power up’ your Handshake profile this week? I heard it’s the #1 way to make sure recruiters can actually find you—and keep an eye out for emails from the OPCD, too.”
Quick Links:
Immediate “Must-Do” Actions
1.Schedule a Career Coach Check-In
Booking an appointment with a career advisor during the summer and for the first week of classes — before schedules fill up — is easy to do from Handshake right now.
2. Activate Handshake Alerts
Encourage them to set up saved searches in Handshake now. Tailored job and internship postings will land in their inbox before the semester even starts, so starting now will ensure they don’t miss out.
3. Mark Key Recruiting Dates
Getting major career fairs, resume submission deadlines, and on-campus interview dates on the calendar early prevents missed opportunities. For those seeking accounting and finance opportunities, here are important resources.
4. Understand Industry Recruiting Timelines
Knowing how recruiting timelines work in their target industry now means they won’t be caught off guard once the semester starts.
Financial Services Four-Year Game Plan
Foundational Preparation
- Build an Application-Ready Resume
A resume drafted and refined now means they’re ready to apply to competitive roles the moment applications open.
2. Line Up Professional References
Reaching out now to past supervisors, mentors, or professors to ask if they’d serve as a reference saves valuable time during the fall application rush.
3. Audit Their Professional Wardrobe
Help them pull together at least one dependable interview outfit now, so they’re not scrambling when a networking event or interview comes up in September.
Ongoing Professional Development & Networking
- Conduct Informal Career Chats
Summer is a low-pressure time to reach out to professionals or alumni for brief, 15-minute informational interviews about different career paths, companies, and job search tips.
2. Polish Their Digital Brand
Updating a LinkedIn profile, uploading a clean headshot, and connecting with university alumni in their target industries can make a real difference.
OPCD Photo Booth in Reynolda 230 (when you return to campus)
3. Clean Up Public Social Profiles
A quick Google search for their own name, plus a privacy audit of their social accounts, helps ensure their online footprint is recruiter-ready.
4. Practice the Pitch
Drafting and rehearsing a brief, 30-second “elevator pitch” about who they are and what they’re looking for builds real confidence heading into networking events.
5. Map Out Target Employers
Researching and listing 10–15 companies they’d love to work for gives them a clear focus once recruiting season kicks off — and it’s worth following those employers on Handshake too.
6. Bridge the Skills Gap
Summer is the ideal time to learn about topics and skills that employers in their target field are looking for, increasing the odds of landing that desired position.
7. Explore Micro-Internships
Short-term professional projects can turn into paid, resume-building experiences very quickly. Parker Dewey focuses on paid freelance projects with real, well-regarded organizations; Forage offers free, self-paced simulations built in partnership with major employers.
8. Identify Leadership Opportunities
Now’s a good time to research and identify student organizations and leadership roles on campus for the fall.
9. Document Summer Achievements
While the experience is still fresh, jotting down specific projects, metrics, accomplishments, feedback, and connections from a current summer job or internship will make updating their resume better and easier.
10. Leverage InterviewPrep & Training Resources
Mock interview tools, industry-specific prep videos, and university-guided training sessions all pay off before high-stakes recruiter conversations begin.
Spring 2026 Webinars
Senior Families
Mar 26, 2026
Sophomore & Junior Families
April 8, 2026
First-Year Families
April 21, 2026
What can you do as a parent?
Parents play a critical role in their child’s college experience and their decisions for the future. However, the world of work is quite different than 30, 20 or even 10 years ago. In order to give your student sound advice, it is essential for you to understand the environment, resources and opportunities available for your student. You can play an integral role as your student navigates through their time at Wake Forest and makes plans for their future.
How can I guide my student through the college-to-career process?
You know the furniture assembly instructions that are impossible to follow especially when you have missing parts? Our Ready 7 process is not like that! We not only provide 7 achievable steps for students to follow, but also the tools and resources to complete them in order to be fully “career and life ready.” As a supporter of your student, we’ve put together a Ready 7 guide just for families which includes language on how to help your Deac navigate the process.