Parents & Family

We’re cheering your student on as they wrap up their final exams! Once they cross the finish line on December 13th, their well-deserved winter break begins. This time offers a valuable, low-pressure time for personal and professional growth outside of the busy academic schedule.

To ensure they have everything needed to maximize this downtime, encourage them to explore these tailored resources:

• The Wake on Break Web Page for essential career preparation tips.
• The Handshake Power-Up Page to optimize their profile for recruiters.

The information below details specific ways your student can leverage the break to advance their career journey—and how you can help.

Wishing you a happy holiday season! We will see your student back on January 12!

Early Applications, Early Advantage

While rest is well-deserved, dedicating a few strategic hours to the job/internship search offers a huge advantage.

• The Market is Active: Many organizations are posting opportunities at this time. While academic demands are paused, this is the best time for your student to submit applications and get a head start before spring deadlines.
• Stay Alert: Remind your student to monitor and power up Handshake, LinkedIn, and their emails for new postings.

Refining Skills and Strategy

The winter break is an ideal time for your student to reflect on their semester and refine their career strategy. Your positive encouragement and guidance are invaluable.

How You Can Help: Facilitate High-Impact Conversations

• Initiate Career Dialogues: Engage in open, non-judgmental discussions about their interests, recent experiences at Wake Forest, and professional goals. Thoughtful questions can help them articulate their direction and build confidence.

• Encourage Networking: The holidays are perfect for facilitating informational interviews. Help arrange connections with family friends or contacts who work in fields that interest them. Learning about different roles is a great way to expand their knowledge.
• Offer Guidance: Ask about the learning experiences they want to pursue next, and offer thoughts on achievable steps toward those goals.

How You Can Help: Support Skill & Material Refinement

• Refine Materials: Encourage your student to use the downtime to polish their resume and LinkedIn profile. Returning to campus with polished materials provides a significant advantage.
• Support Skill Building: Suggest self-paced skill development. Resources like LinkedIn Learning and Forage offer flexible, short-term experiences that can build skills, strengthen their resume, and prepare them for interviews.

Above all, remember: Positive encouragement makes a difference. Remind your student that small, consistent steps during this break will lead to great gains in their career journey.

Upcoming January Events

Here are some events that your student can look forward to when they return to campus.

• Jan 21 Spring Career & Graduate Fair
• Jan 30 Agency Day; Uncover roles in Advertising, Media, Marketing
• Jan 31 Finance Career Accelerator

Here’s how your student can see a career coach.

• Make an appointment on Handshake.
• Drop by Reynolda 230 Mon-Thu 1:30-4:30 with quick questions.
• Participate in a Wake Your Resume workshop on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in Reynolda 230. Register on Handshake.

OPCD office hours are Mon-Fri, 8:30-5:00 p.m. in Reynolda 230.

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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.