9 tips for advising Generation Z
Career counselors in our Berry Career Institute work with students on a daily basis, connecting them with the world outside of Cornell through networking opportunities and skill-building workshops. Here’s what they have to say about advising Generation Z.
- Talk to your students about curating their social media presence. They may not realize who within their budding professional networks may be looking at online profiles and making assumptions based on what they see.
- Start connecting your students to other people with the same interests. Whether it’s other students, teachers, or community members interested in providing mentoring, connecting your students with people who share their interests right now is a great exercise to help teach them how to network.
- Encourage academic exploration. Generation Z lives in a time where acquiring transferable skills like good communication and multicultural competency are much more important than what they major in. Encouraging academic exploration will help students learn those transferable skills while finding the career they love.
- Encourage your students to find out about internship programs during the college search. When your students are exploring colleges, make sure they investigate how their colleges help them secure internships and how students at each college juggle internships with classes. Students have to leave college with more than a degree to thrive in today’s job market, so make sure that they are seeking colleges that will help them gain experiences to connect them to the working world.
- Give them room to figure some of it out on their own. In the college setting, students won’t always be given the necessary information to complete their tasks and they need to learn to be resourceful.
- Befriend Google and talk about how to distinguish between helpful and not-so-helpful information. A well-crafted Google search can provide students with excellent information for maneuvering the college search process, and can help them learn to seek information independently.
- Manage expectations. The college with the major they think they’re interested in now may not feel like home, or the “perfect college fit” may not offer the athletic scholarship your student has been working toward. Help them determine their priorities and realize that they may have to make some difficult decisions.
- Teach appreciation. Remind your students that most recommendation-writers, counselors, or potential employers still appreciate a handwritten thank you note.
- Remember that Generation Z has a few things in common with previous generations. It isn’t all about what’s trending on YouTube—today’s students still appreciate a warm smile and attention to their individual concerns.
