Every November, like clockwork, we’re always looking for ways to show gratitude in our lives. When your students are starting to apply for jobs, this is no different. 

It’s important to help them understand that showing sincere appreciation for a recruiter or interviewer’s time is an invaluable skill on the job search. 

Here are six tips to give students about how to appropriately and professionally say thank you during their job searches:

No employer wants to ever consider having to lay off a large portion of their workforce — but it happens. In 2019, alone, we’ve already seen major layoffs from large companies like General Motors, Buzzfeed and, most recently, the final white-collar cuts by Ford. Smaller organizations like local factories, school districts, or even fire departments have also had to let a significant number of employees go.

Sometimes, layoffs can’t be avoided in order to keep the company afloat. But whenever possible, employers should offer displaced employees the best severance packages and support they can. It’s important to show you care for their well-being. After all, many of these individuals have given years to your organization.

The question then becomes: what’s the best way to support displaced employees? To find that answer, you need to understand the greatest worries of displaced workers. Then, find ways to alleviate the specific fears of your displaced workforce with a severance package that offers more than a modest payout.

Here are three typical — and understandable — concerns of laid-off employees you need to consider when determining the offerings of your severance packages:

Last month, the news broke that a group of wealthy parents had been paying extravagant sums of money to cheat the college application system and get their children into top schools. The scandal and the surrounding sense of entitlement have some employers questioning whether a college degree is still a good signifier that a young person would be a good employee.

Yes, this story has revealed some unscrupulous people involved in college admission, but that doesn’t mean you should lose your trust in colleges and their abilities to prepare students for the workforce. In fact, deciding not to recruit college students can hurt your organization.

Here are four reasons you should still value college degrees:

Within three years of initial enrollment, about 30 percent of undergraduates in associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs who declared a major had changed it at least once, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Education. The same study found about 1 in 10 students changed college majors more than once: 10 percent of associate’s degree students and 9 percent of bachelor’s degree students.

Many current college students can relate to the desire to change-up their major. Whether you’re bored, it’s overwhelming, or it’s just not what you were expecting, it’s perfectly reasonable to graduate with a degree different from your initial major.

Changing your major for the better will decrease your stress levels and increase your motivation to excel in school. However, if you don’t consider every factor before making the switch, the results can negatively impact your career success years down the road.

This post was updated to bring you the most current tips and information in October 2020.

College health counselors are seeing a drastic rise in mental health disorders in their students. Over the course of 2019, the American College Health Association found that 87% of college students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do and 66% felt overwhelming anxiety. According to the study, one in three students was diagnosed or treated by a professional for at least one mental health disorder.

While these issues are sending more students to health counselors, they aren’t the only ones who can help students rise above their frustrations. As a career counselor, you can help by preparing students for the overwhelming job search.