Parents & Family
July ’25 News
Even though it’s the middle of summer, it’s a great time for your student to start thinking about their career, whether they’re exploring interests, seeking internships, or preparing for life after graduation.
College
As your student gears up for the next school year, now’s a fantastic time to support their career development! Whether they’re just exploring interests, looking for internships, or getting ready for life after graduation, connecting with the OPCD early and often can really make a difference. Encourage your student to take advantage of all the resources we offer—like career coaching, resume reviews, networking opportunities, or anything else—and help them start setting some goals for the year ahead.
School of Business
While summer is fantastic for rest and recharging, it’s also a perfect time for students to keep preparing for the next academic year and exciting career opportunities down the road. Here are a few ways you can support your student.
Summer Upskilling: With more employers focusing on skill-based hiring, it’s super important for students to keep sharpening their power skills as they get ready for what comes next after graduation. Summer jobs and internships are great for this, but students can also build these skills through virtual learning experiences on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Forage.
Engaging While Abroad Lots of juniors will be studying abroad this fall, so it’s key that they stay on top of their Summer 2026 internship search—especially since some industries recruit early! The Market Readiness & Employment team is here to help in several ways:
- Career Carry-On Workshop (May): We held a pre-departure session to help students plan their search. If they missed it, a recording and follow-up resources were shared!
- Study Abroad Travel Journal (launched in June): This is a fun, interactive guide that gives students “passport stamps” and raffle entries as they complete career-building activities.
- Bi-Weekly Career Newsletters (starting August): Short, helpful updates with tips and reminders to keep students engaged in their search process.
- Online Tools: We have a full suite of resources available on our website to support their career planning while they’re abroad. Please encourage your student to stay engaged—even starting their Travel Journal or updating their resume now can make a big impact later!
Consulting Career Tips: For students interested in consulting, firms typically start accepting applications for internships and full-time roles now and into the fall. Many organizations have already started posting opportunities in Handshake. To make sure your student sees the latest openings, encourage them to update their profile with their career and industry interests. Students should also be practicing case interviews to really refine this skill. To prepare, they can check out the WFU Case Prep Guide, review Case in Point, or use the Case Accelerator Module via Canvas.
Offer Negotiation Support: If your student is currently interning and might receive a return offer, it’s good to know that our career team is here to help them navigate the negotiation process. While we have resources available to students, we highly recommend they schedule an appointment with a career coach to talk through their options as they navigate this very exciting time in their professional journeys.
Job/Internship Search
If your organization is looking for great talent for entry-level jobs or internships next year, please share our Fall Career Fair information with your human resources or campus recruiting teams! The event is on September 17th from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM right here on campus, and registration is open here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Dana Hutchens at hutchens@wfu.edu.
Webinars
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 are providing you with a Ready 7 guide which includes language on how to help your scholar navigate the process.