Hints and Advice

Hints and Advice

Hints and Advice



General Information

Get Information and Assistance

The Career Network offers assistance not only for a job search, but information, guidance and opportunities for building a good foundation of career development for your student. A primary way this occurs is through career advising. Each college at WMU has a career advisor and support staff assigned to facilitate career choices for students. This is achieved through career assessment, exploring options, getting experience and job search activities. A career advisor can guide a student through these important steps.
You can view more information about career advising services by visiting the Career Advising link.


Support Career-Building Experience

  • Facilitate attendance at newcomer events for the best start
  • Since all students may use internet capabilities and open e-mail accounts, promote communication with home by getting on line yourself, if you have access to a computer
  • Because it's fairly common to have difficulty choosing a major, or to change majors, urge involvement in campus exploratory activities, which can mean earlier exposure to critical clues and save time and costs of late decision making
  • Encourage your student to think creatively when seeking a Summer job where functional skills can be developed, even though it may mean their being away from home or receiving a little less pay
  • Be a sounding board for trying out career ideas and identifying abilities and personal characteristics
  • Think seriously about incorporating a study abroad experience into an academic plan--financial assistance may be available
  • Brainstorm internship ideas - where, when and how
  • Remind your student to pick up a Job Search Manual before beginning a job search
  • Offer to play the role of the employer in a practice interview
  • Be aware of BroncoJOBS and the employment avenues it opens for the tiny investment of 10 minutes of time to register
  • Realize that Career and Student Employment Services offers assistance not only for a job search, but information, guidance and opportunities for building a richer background

Provide Career-Building Experience


Some parents are in positions to employ their own children in professional and perhaps career-related jobs. Most parents cannot, but could consider hiring or urging their own employers to hire WMU students. On-campus recruiting, job postings, career fairs, internships, and Summer jobs are excellent hiring opportunities. Less concrete but equally valuable is the role of a Career Ally--inviting informational interviews, job shadowing, speaking to student groups, conducting practice interviews. See Employer Services to investigate or pursue these university-supportive and experience-affirming options.


Student Employment

When students have attained a good sense of handling academic responsibilities at the college level, and/or out of economic necessity or to implement financial aid awards (work study award), on and off-campus part-time jobs can become useful career exploration venues. On campus, work opportunities are offered to fully enrolled students and limited to a maximum of 30 hours per week (with an average of 12-15 hours per week). Students retain more of their earnings because no social security deductions are taken for campus employment. Jobs are posted daily on our Internet site, BroncoJOBS. All campus departments can be contacted for job inquiries by accessing dept websites for contact information. Along with BroncoJOBS; students should contact employers directly through networking, want ads, and other job posting publications. See Part-Time and Summer Jobs under Career Exploration for some thoughts on how these jobs contribute to education.


Summer Employment


Time between academic years means a welcome break in routine and an infusion of cash into bank accounts for college expenses. It can also be a means to develop much needed skills, networking and resume building in preparation for life after graduation..

BroncoJOBS


Our web-based employment service, designed exclusively for WMU students and graduates, is available to all students of WMU without charge. Users are required to register (through the web) and then have the system available worldwide 24 hours a day with any Internet connection. Entering freshmen and returning students may use the system as soon as they attend orientation, students could find and apply for a campus or local jobs. Some campus and local employers will start looking for Fall (September) student employees as early as April many post as needed year round. Viewing full-time job listings can provide ideas for career exploration and for setting goals, and for eventual employment opportunities. Upper level students and recent graduates are invited to enter resumes to take full advantage of on-campus recruiting interviews and resume referral services.

Part-time and Summer Employment


Many employers post positions for college students on BroncoJOBS. Part-time jobs can provide excellent training grounds for developing your organizational, communication, management, teaching, supervisory, promotional and other employability skills.

  • Part-time jobs are posted daily on BroncoJOBS and most jobs are within driving distance of campus. Many can be reached by public transportation. A public transportion schedule (http://www.kalamazoocity.org/portal/metro.php) is available in resident halls and most buildings on campus.

WMU students have a jump on the primary summer job market because they can begin work early in the season. Employability skills can also be developed or enhanced through your summer job. Start your summer job search early (December holiday break is not too early, must start search by March).

  • Summer job notices begin to appear on BroncoJOBS after the December holiday break. Many summer job postings can be found on the lobby bulletin board inside 1334 Ellsworth Hall. Many jobs are related to the resort, parks, and summer camp and hospitality industries. They range, however, to environmental education centers, city parks and planning, school systems, and other major-related locations in business and industry.
  • Meet with a Career Advisor to discuss ways to explore career paths and locations that may allow you to build major-related skills. Check Meet Our Staff to get acquainted with the Career Advisors availability for your college.
  • See Summer and Seasonal Jobs on our website.

For information on how to apply for summer and Part-time positions, see Student Employment Application Process

Choosing Majors


First semester: Career & Self Assessment


Career assessments tools help students reflect on personality, interests, skills and values. Knowing oneself is critical to choosing a major, making a career choice, or finding the most ideal employment fit. Tests do not identify the perfect major, rather several that need exploration. Assessments can help you narrow the choices.

Campus Resources you can suggest to your student:

  • FOCUSv2 Career Assessment – online, free, instant results. Investigate personality, interests, values and skills and match to WMU majors. http://www.wmich.edu/career
    After completing FOCUS a student will have a report that can be discussed as a family. This can also be used in talking with academic advisors and career advisors.

  • UNIV 1020 Career Exploration and Development is a one-credit intensive course. Students explore their interests, skills personality and values in depth, research career options and get individual attention from career professionals. Course information: http://www.wmich.edu/counseling
  • WMU Career Guidance Inventory, a four-part test in a standardized format, allows reflection on Personality, Values, Interests and Aptitudes. Career counselors help correlate these four components and offer insights to define or confirm choices of major, occupational goals, career paths, career changes, vocations and avocations. This instrument is offered at the University Counseling and Testing Center in Faunce Student Services Building (Suite 2513, ground level). For details regarding appointments and fees, phone 387-1850.

Reinforce the importance of meeting with a career advisor, counselor or academic advisor to help interpret career assessments and next steps.


Second Semester: Choosing Majors

  • Academic Interests can be an indicator
    Courses in which a student does well and which sustain a student's interest might be considered a good direction for a major. Examine “What Can I Do With This Major?” and view WMU academic department websites.

Summer: Exploration of choices

  • Encourage your student to learn which majors lead to which careers—determine where they want to go in order to best identify the path. Getting involved with campus activities is an excellent way to build skill and refine career choices. Encourage your student to build experience for a decided edge later in the job market. Students can find examples of ways to test out career choices in BroncoJOBS, www.wmich.edu/career
    • Targeted (related to major) summer job
    • Volunteering with local community organizations (build skills)
    • Leadership or functional role in registered student organizations (RSO), fraternities, honoraries or specialized interest clubs
    • Campus employment (build skills and references)
    • Internships; work directly related to the field of study (build resume')

Link Majors to Occupations

 

Career and Student Employment Services
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5225 USA
(269) 387-2745 | (269) 387-2555 Fax
broncojobs@wmich.edu