Winter break is fast approaching. As finals loom in the background, the Christmas holiday seems like a heavenly escape from the endless work of the school year. The temptation to spend the weeks binge-watching the first season of at 2000s sitcom or sleeping the days away is hard to resist, but there is another option.
The December break is a great opportunity to work on the professional pieces needed for future ambitions, tasks which often hit the bottom of the mid-semester to-do list. With just a small investment of time, students can take steps to prepare for career search and professional success.
Updating a resume can be time-consuming, but doing so at the end of each semester ensures that the information is as current as possible and ready to send out at any time.
Wesleyan director of career services Barbara Morrissette encourages students to create a full portfolio of essential job application and interview materials to use at a moment’s notice.
“A career resource file that minimally includes a resume, cover letters, and a variety of career-related information is the hallmark of the successful student career planner,” said Morrissette. “Employers and internship supervisors expect applicants to have perfect, ready to mail resumes and cover letters, and this is definitely an area where “Be Prepared!” will work in your favor.
The Columbia University Center for Career Education recommends updating, or creating, a LinkedIn profile to reflect current positions, past accomplishments, and future goals.
LinkedIn is essentially Facebook for the professional world. Aside from working as an in-depth but fully accessible online resume and portfolio, LinkedIn allows networking with people in every career field from every country, and through organization networking groups like university alumni and Greek Life.
This type of social network is important, but the image on others like Facebook and Twitter can highly affect job prospects. According to USA today college, winter Break is a great time to browse through posts and photos and delete anything that seems inappropriate or questionable.
The CU center also encourages students to gather references and networking connections to use in upcoming applications and job or internship searches.
The Career and Internship Services department at the University of Minnesota Duluth says doing a mock interview with a career counselor other professional in a given field can help students hone their interview skills and show what edits should be made to these materials.
Volunteering, working, studying a new skill or even finding a small shadowing opportunity can be helpful in guiding career choices and open doors to future opportunities. It may seem silly to start a position for just a month, but the advantages are clear.
“Even short-term shadow mentorships and internships provide valuable insights,” said Morrissette. “They are a win-win way to explore your profession and are great resume-builders.”
Using Winter Break time to catch up on career development makes future internship applications and senior job search less stressful. Take advantage of the extra time and invest it in the future!