Skip to main content

Career Center

Parents & Family

Greetings! Did you know that you are one of the most important factors in your student’s career decision-making process? While career decisions and the job search process are ultimately the responsibility of your student, your support can go a long way to help ease the anxiety and uncertainty often associated with the process. We appreciate the integral role you play in the career process. Please browse through the pages of our website to learn more about what we have to offer and how students can best use our services.

Some basic information about the career process:

  • Your student’s career development is an ongoing process requiring planning and action, not a one-time event.
  • We are very pleased to provide our students with connections to many desirable employers through our career center events and programming. But on-campus recruiting is only one part of the career search process and students should network and search independently as well.
  • Our coaching team can assist students with all aspects of their search so they are never alone in the process.
  • We are often asked when a student should start the career process. There’s no one answer for this. The timing of a search is greatly dependent on the field of interest. Certain fields like banking or consulting do require students to start their search early (sophomore year, usually) but many industries hire on a “just-in-time” schedule. We are here to help whenever your student wants to start their search.
  • While a Career Center can provide career guidance, connections to employers, and help with decision-making, we cannot make the career decision for your student. By law, we also cannot select candidates or make any decisions on behalf of an employer.

How you can help:

When it comes to helping students gain clarity about their futures, parents play a vital role. There are two main areas that which Vanderbilt parents can donate their time and expertise: [1] providing internships and post-graduate jobs, and [2] participating in student engagement activities.

  1. Vanderbilt students are among the best in the nation and are looking for experiences that align with their studies as well as their industry preferences. Does your company provide students the opportunity to gain entry-level experience through internships or full-time opportunities? We’ve found that students at Vanderbilt look for reputable companies where they can gain mentorship, grow their skillset, and make a difference. If you would like to discuss an opportunity your company has, please get in touch with the Career Center’s Employer Relations Team by emailing recruiting@Vanderbilt.edu. Feel free to reference this email!
  2. Career Center staff are also building a schedule of programming for this spring that showcases the Commodore Community’s expertise. Programming can take form in a variety of ways: an industry-specific panel, a networking event, a day of coffee chats, a LinkedIn Live session, and so much more! Do you have an idea on how to share your insight with Vanderbilt students in one of these meaningful ways? Start a conversation today with Grace Foy by emailing grace.foy@Vanderbilt.edu.