In this episode, I am joined by Nicole Precourt. Nicole is a Career and Educational Counselor and the owner of Waves of Change Careers. Nicole and I met in an online group for career coaches and counselors and immediately connected. We share a passion for helping teens and young adults explore and prepare for future careers. It’s become unfortunately clear to both of us that many students are graduating college without the career readiness skills that they need. During our conversation, Nicole and I talk about what students can be doing to develop the skills and strategies they need to be prepared for post-college employment and how they can stand out against all of the other recent graduates applying to the same jobs. This episode is packed full of valuable tips for networking, skills-building, and career exploration, so invite your college students and recent grads to listen along with you.
About Nicole Precourt
Nicole Precourt is a Career and Educational Counselor with over 19 years of experience, primarily in the higher education sector. Her true passion lies in assisting individuals in discovering a career path that brings them joy. Nicole’s ultimate goal is to help clients cultivate a positive perspective on life, equipping them with lifelong skills to delve deep into self-discovery and understand the correlation between their personal identity and their career choices. She utilizes a holistic, whole-person approach to take time to get to know each client and empower them to reflect on who they are as a person and how that equates to an ideal career while understanding the path to get there.
Episode Highlights
- Career readiness is not being addressed in college
- About half of college students don’t seek out help from career services at their college
- Students are focusing on academics and not thinking ahead about their future career
- Students don’t understand what career services people provide and what they will need
- It’s not too late after graduation but valuable time has been lost
- Career preparation during college can help students get an advantage in the job market
- 53% of recent college graduates are unemployed or underemployed
- College students are focused on being done with college and aren’t thinking about skills
- Many college students are in a major that they aren’t interested in anymore
- Students need to learn how to translate their skills and experiences for employers
- College students have tunnel vision – passing classes and getting through college
- Creating a solid resume, easy to read with good content
- Highlight transferable skills from previous jobs and volunteer work
- Create a LinkedIn profile to begin networking and find potential jobs
- Having an idea of a career they want to pursue will help them build confidence
- Work and volunteer experience will help students develop confidence and skills
- There are so many jobs that college students aren’t even aware of and haven’t considered
- The more you know about yourself the better success you will have in exploring career fits
- Young adults often know what they are not good at but are not sure what they are good at
- Assessments help to identify strengths that students hadn’t considered
- You are not picking a forever career, you are figuring out what’s next
- Career paths are often not linear and can be bumpy
- Building a career “toolkit” that they will have for the rest of their career
- Encourage students to always be doing something to prepare for their career