Parents & Family
Jan ’26 News
Supporting Your Student’s Success this Spring
As students return to campus, we know you are often their primary sounding board for discussing their future goals. The Office of Personal & Career Development (OPCD) is hitting the ground running to ensure all students have the tools and confidence they need to succeed.
When speaking with your student this week, please encourage them to take advantage of these key opportunities designed to kickstart their semester:
- Jan. 21 | Spring 2026 Career & Graduate School Fair: This flagship event is key for students exploring internships, full-time careers, or graduate school. Your student can view the employers and grad schools on the Employer tab at the link above.
- Jan. 28 | Accounting Career Kickoff: Sophomores can learn more about public accounting recruitment timelines and outline the internship recruiting process.
- Jan. 30 | Agency Day: A must-attend event for all students interested in the fast-paced world of advertising, media, and marketing within the Carolinas and beyond.
- Jan. 31 | Finance Career Accelerator: This is a specialized workshop designed for sophomores of ANY MAJOR interested in the finance industry. (Note: Students who selected finance as a career interest in Handshake, should review the recruiting preparation emails sent to them in December.)
Three Simple Ways to Help Your Student Prepare Today
- Optimize Handshake: New internship and full time opportunities are added daily. Encourage your student to spend 30 minutes updating their Handshake profile to ensure they receive the most relevant alerts and opportunities.
- A Professional First Impression: As they begin networking, their digital presence matters. Help them swap the cropped selfie for a high-quality professional image. Our free photo booth in Reynolda 230 is available during business hours—no appointment necessary. This is open to ALL Wake Forest University students.
- Wake Your Resume Workshops: Every Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the OPCD, College students receive hands-on help to polish their resumes. School of Business students should make an appointment with their coaches on Handshake.
Our career coaches are ready and eager to partner with your student on everything from internship and full time job searches to graduate school applications. They can easily book a personalized session via Handshake.
Parents of Seniors:
With graduation just around the corner, help your senior step confidently into what’s next through Out of the Forest’s Senior Mentoring Groups and Year One 101 workshops, created to prepare them for life beyond college.
Fall 2025 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.