College graduates, on the other hand, will need a different sort of gift
since they will be joining the workforce. There are several thoughtful ideas
that aren’t only special but practical.
One thing all college graduates need is a great resume. If you are well
versed in how to design a resume, you can ask their parent for all the
information that the person’s resume calls for – education (don’t forget to ask
about the GPA – if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, put a place for it on
the resume), honors, awards and achievements, internships or work experience
and career objectives. If you don’t have all the information, just leave a
place for it and once you are finished designing the resume, save it on a disk
so the person can update it and make changes as necessary.
Now, if you aren’t that savvy when it comes to resumes, go ahead and find a
resume book, or research resumes online. You will find a wealth of knowledge
and locate the exact style and information that the workforce requires today.
Since this is ultimately a “free” gift, go ahead and spend a couple of bucks
at your local office store – purchase the graduate some nice resume paper and a
portfolio for their sample work. This gift will definitely be a nice surprise,
and meet a very important need – landing a job.
Other gift ideas can made based on their field of study, and ultimately, the
job they choose. Some generic gifts include paperweights – find interesting
rocks or solid materials and either emboss, paint or carve their initials into
the paperweight; picture holders – find or make a base out of wood or any other
interesting material, drill a hole in it and stick a wire (you choose the gage,
but be sure not to go too big) into the base, and then, with wire cutters, shape
the other side of the wire into a spiral, which will hold the pictures or you
can even make coasters or cup holders for their office. This can be done by
picking a material – slate (easy to chip), cork, leather or glass – and then
carving, embossing or burning their name onto the surface.