As a fellow career counselor or supportive parent of a university student, you hold a crucial role in helping young people cultivate the skills and competencies they need to succeed academically and professionally. It’s important to assist them in developing a strong sense of personal and interpersonal competencies, as well as a clear sense of their academic and career identity.

Here are a few exercises and activities that you can incorporate to assist your clients or students in this important area:

• Values Exploration: Start by helping your clients or students identify and explore their core values. Ask them to jot down a list of the values that matter most to them. Then, have them prioritise these values and reflect on how they can integrate them into their academic and career goals.
• Strengths Assessment: Assist them in identifying their personal strengths, whether it’s through a formal assessment or reflecting on past experiences that made them feel accomplished. Once they have recognised their strengths, encourage them to consider how they can harness these qualities in their academic and career pursuits.
• Networking Exercise: Support them in building their interpersonal competencies by practicing networking skills. Challenge them to identify someone in their desired career field and reach out for an informational interview or mentorship opportunity. Empower them to ask thoughtful questions and actively listen to the responses.
• Mindfulness Practice: Help them develop self-awareness and self-regulation skills through mindfulness practice. This can be accomplished through guided meditations or other mindfulness exercises that can help them find a sense of calm and focus amidst the stresses of academic and career pursuits.
• Vision Boarding: Assist them in developing a clear sense of their academic and career identity by creating a vision board. Encourage them to cut out images and words that represent their goals and aspirations, and arrange them in a visually compelling way. This exercise can help them reflect on the themes and values that emerge.

These are just a few examples of exercises and activities that you can use to support your clients or students in developing their personal and interpersonal competencies, as well as their academic and career identity. Remember, by helping young people develop these skills and competencies, you can empower them to pursue their goals with purpose and confidence.