5 Tips to help your children navigate career development at IE and beyond

As parents you play a very important and influential role in your children’s educational and professional development. Having an understanding of the job market and skills in demand will help you give them informed and actionable advice, but what more can you do? We sat down with Director of Talent & Careers for IE University, Carlos Diez and Director of Employer Relations and Partnerships, Alessandra Aloisio, to share their insights with you.

1- Emphasize the importance of starting early 

“Early experience gives students a head start to get into competitive companies and industries.” -  says Carlos Diez

Motivating your kids to begin their career development during their first year of school is crucial to their success. By exploring their interests and gaining work experience early on, students can learn by trial and error and have a clearer picture of their future by the time they graduate.

This process takes time and those who don’t start early often miss out on opportunities and lose the chance to take advantage of what IE has to offer. Top employers are unlikely to recruit students with no professional experience, regardless of having an impressive academic record. They are looking for well-rounded individuals who demonstrate a genuine interest in their given industries.

Work experience is a great way to showcase ambition and also demonstrates a high level of maturity and professionalism, which is attractive to employers. Furthermore, developing soft skills such as teamwork, effective communication and maintaining composure under pressure are skills best learned early on and in a professional environment.

2- Encourage exploration and experimentation

“Companies don’t just hire you for your knowledge. They want to hire interesting people.”  Carlos Diez  constantly reminds students

We understand that many students are unsure of their future and exact career path when they begin school. However, it’s important not to let this deter them from exploring opportunities that interest them. University years are your child’s most formative and while high grades are key, developing interests outside of their field of scope is just as important. Students should take advantage of their time at IE to learn about arts, literature, history, philosophy etc.

Students pursuing general degrees such as business and/or entering less-specialized fields such as consultancy and consumer goods can afford to experiment. With the exception of the finance and tech industries, where early and sector-specific experience is often required, students should not be concerned about having all their experience in one field. Employers value a wide breadth of knowledge and experiences, which does not always need to be sector specific.

Lastly, it’s important to keep an open mind in terms of the international job market. In the class of 2019, 34% of graduates landed jobs outside of their country of origin.” Taking into consideration the internship and job opportunities in places where industries are more green can help open unexpected doors.  

3- Insist they capitalize on IE’S resources and networks

“Forge your personal brand within your area of passion and use all the resources that Talent & Careers gives you to land your dream job”  is Alessandra Aloisio's number one advice to students. 

Our Talent and Careers team offers a variety of career services including, monthly group advising, one-to-one mentorship and weekly career development activities, such as help with job searching and applications, CV workshops and mock interview services. (Learn more here.) 

We ensure that students have information on the options and career paths they can follow with their studies. From year one they have to complete a compulsory Career Training, which gets more sophisticated as students progress towards their final year. We start with basic self assessment and choosing a career path, and move towards specific interview prep, interaction with IEU Alumni, networking with employers and landing their first offer. The IE Careers Portal is also a great resource, which provides more than 5000 job postings and helps connect students with employers that IE has existing relationships with.

The IE LABS program offers students an opportunity to collaborate with companies through real projects, such as product launches and rebranding, in a student group setting. IE is also very flexible with and encourages students who wish to do part-time and summer internships.

Finally, Talent & Careers organizes various networking events, which are available virtually and face-to-face, such as the IE Talent Forum, a biannual career fair which is open to all IE Programs and traditionally attracts over 120 companies. Students can also connect with employers by getting involved with professional IE clubs and through referrals from teachers, alumni and career advisors.

4- Urge them to stay proactive! 

"Students have a lot of resources at their disposal and they need to be proactive in setting their careers goal and define their target companies with the support of IE Talen & Careers Advisors"- Alessandra Aloisio

5- Collaborate directly with IE 

Aside from encouraging your kids to take advantage of IE’s resources and start exploring their interests early, an easy way to help them is to collaborate directly with our Talent & Careers team.  If your company is hiring or looking for interns, you can reach out to recruit@ie.edu and our team will provide potential candidates. Your outreach helps us employ recent grads and open doors for all IE students, including your own child. We’d love to hear from you!