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Parents & Families

Thank you for taking an interest in your student's career development process! Many parents and family members are eager to learn what career development services are offered at Notre Dame. We have found the ideal combination for future success consists of families providing support and encouragement, while empowering students to take responsibility for their own career exploration and decisions. Below are some helpful tips on how you can be both informed and supportive.

2 things to know about Notre Dame students

  1. Every student is unique. While some students may come to campus knowing exactly what career they want to pursue, many students often change their minds. This is OK and is actually to be expected... that's what college is for! Academic majors may inform, but do not determine, career success (you can see this in our first destination data).  
  2. Students have a lot of competing interests for their time. We conduct an annual online "check-in" (questionnaire) every the spring semester which gives us insight into how to tailor and refine our services to best meet the needs of students. The check-in consists of questions based around student career interests, past engagement in career development, and how we can best support them. One of the questions we ask is "Which of these barriers are preventing you from engaging in the career development process?" More than half of first years and sophomores cited these three barriers:
    • Lack of free time due to my busy schedule
    • I am nervous about engaging in the career development process
    • I feel pressure to be "successful"

If your student is nervous, that's normal. They are not expected to have the answers or even to know what questions to ask. We will guide them through conversations and connect them to resources that can help them reflect on what they are learning and how they can translate that into a meaningful career.

3 things to know about the Center for Career Development

  1. Career development is a lifelong process and is much more than simply looking for a job at a career fair.   Once students graduate, there are no career fairs, student clubs meeting with alumni returning to campus, or classes with alumni speakers. We encourage students to take advantage of opportunities to learn valuable skills like: how to reflect and discern their interests, network, use job search related resources, and interview.  These three core skills will be need the rest of their professional life.
  2. We start with discernment – helping students learn the importance of reflecting on their values, interests, and skills. One of the ways we do this is through the Moreau First Year Experience course where we engage students in thought-provoking questions. Our office (and many others!) will provide opportunities throughout the year through events, workshops, and retreats where students can take the time to reflect and discern who they are called to be. 
  3. Our approach to career development is not one size-fits-all. We have many resources for every step of the career development process to create a tailored approach. We have resources for everything from discernment to skill development, employer research to finding an internship, building a network to finding a mentor, interview preparation to job offer negotiation, and much more. Most of these are password-protected for students only.

3 questions parents of new students typically ask

  1. When should students begin focusing on career development?
    At Notre Dame, we believe that discernment is the most important part of the career development process. Discernment does not mean making a lifelong decision -- this process begins with reflecting on a student’s past and the many ways their Notre Dame experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom have shaped who they are today, and how these experiences can influence their future plans. Since some (but not all) industries focus on accelerated recruiting -- focusing efforts on connecting with first-years and sophomores, it is important for students to begin thinking about careers during their first year.
  2. Does a student need to have an internship after their first year?
    Students do not need to have a formal internship before their sophomore year. Some larger employers offer internships for rising sophomores, but the majority of employers want to hire interns with more experience. Two of the best ways to spend the summer months before sophomore year are engaging in service work and networking. We show students how to do this (and you can learn here!).
  3. How does a student get help?
    We have a career advisor assigned to each academic college who will serve as a starting point for any questions students have.  We also have other career advisors who specialize in certain types of careers who can provide additional support. Students can schedule an appointment with a career advisor on our Handshake platform (Handshake is a centralized website where students can also find events, search for internships and jobs, and more).

3 things you can do as a parent

For most of your student's life you have been the problem solver -- the person who has the answers. When it comes to career development, you will not likely have all of the answers. Some of our staff are parents. We know how important your students are to you and the investment you have made in them. You want what is best for them. They are transitioning to adults now. Here are 3 tips to help:

  1. Be patient and positive. Allow your student to explore all that Notre Dame has to offer. There is no need for first year students to make a decision on their future careers.  Along with learning in the classroom, your student will discover their interests through clubs, activities, service work, research, and relationships they develop with friends, faculty, alumni, and employers. This is one of the tremendous benefits of a Notre Dame education.
  2. Acknowledge that thinking about a career is just one of many topics on your student's mind.  "I know you have a lot on your plate. I am here for you. How are things going?" 
  3. Be supportive. "Have you visited the career center?" can be much more helpful than "What are you going to do after graduation?"
  4. When in doubt, a simple "I've heard the career center meets with all students. You may want to schedule an appointment."

6 resources your student should use

While we offer dozens of resources, here are 6 of the most informative that your student may mention to you. While the first one (first destination data) is available to you as a parent on our website, the rest of the resources are restricted for student-use only.

  1. First Destination Data shares insight about the first step Notre Dame graduates have taken in their careers upon earning their degrees. Our comprehensive dashboard is available to the general public (including you!) and allows you to filter by academic major and graduation year. You can view the data here.

  2. Similar to First Destination Data, we also provide Summer Experience Resources, including listings of summer internships, research, and service projects that students have participated in.

  3. Handshake is our most widely used resource. On this password-protected platform, students can:
    • Research employers
    • Search and apply for internships and full-time jobs (we typically have more than 10,000 postings on the site at any given time)
    • Network with other students and employers
    • Schedule career counseling appointments
    • Learn about and RSVP to attend employer events
  4. We’ve collaborated with the ND Alumni Association to create IrishCompass, an online networking community where students can connect with more than 15,000 alumni to explore career interests and build their professional networks. Given how important networking is, this can be one of the most helpful resources for students studying any major, pursuing any career path.

  5. EmployerLinks is a custom spreadsheet we created that saves students time in researching employers. In one sheet, students can:
    • Learn about employers.
    • Sign up for job alerts directly from an employer (these are typically called "Talent Communities")
    • Find ND alumni profiles on LinkedIn
    • Get interview tips directly from the employer.
  6. Interested in seeing how Notre Dame alumni have progressed in their careers? Students have access to an exclusive resource where we have mapped out 20 years of career paths of thousands of alumni.  This resource is organized by academic major to help students understand that your major does not restrict your opportunities.