Between posts about Gen Y, their communication styles, their lack of job satisfaction, and this month's poll, I've been trying to get my head around how best to support this generation so that they can take on more responsibility earlier and fill shortages in the workforce.

What I'd forgotten, is that starting a career is one of the most stressful times in a young person's life.

Matthew Brink of Saint Joseph’s University’s Career Development Center reminded me. In his experience, most students avoid thinking about the real world until their third year of university and put off visiting the career center as long as possible.

Sometimes, Brink says, it’s the waiting itself makes the task overwhelming. An earlier start gives students the tools to start preparing for a career. Brink says that student should actually start their career planning in their first year of university.

“While adjusting to college life can often be enough for freshmen to handle, there are plenty of services offered at SJU to help them get grounded and thinking about the future,” Brink said. “For example, freshmen often haven’t declared a major and may need help figuring out what they’re best suited for.”

Employers look at more than grades and want to see a well-rounded person who has been involved in clubs, sports or student government. That involvement should be encouraged from the very first year.

In the second year, Brink says that the job search résumé should already be in the works.

“By junior year, students should be working to secure internships, researching graduate school options and networking with alumni,” he says. “Senior year can sometimes be too late to start gaining real work experience.”

It's obvious to me that recruiters can and already do play a pivotal role in helping university career centres. Many participate in résumé clinics and share networking tips. Brink's plan, though, offers more opportunitied to network with students and to help them learn how to network. What do you think a brief course in networking would look like for 18 year-old first-year students?