The holidays are a great time for college students to get a jumpstart on looking for summer internships and jobs. Seniors can use this time to begin the job search process; and both seniors and underclassmen can use this time to search for job shadowing and internship opportunities they can participate in during winter break. This is also a good time to think about conducting a series of informational interviews to help learn more about career options. Career planning takes time and the holidays offer additional time in which to begin the process.
Below are a list of activities college students can do over the holidays to make their future internship/job search more successful:
1. Networking
The holidays are a great time to engage in some formal and informal networking. Meeting up with friends and family can be considered informal networking while meeting new people and contacting alumni from your college or professionals currently working in a field of interest, would be considered more formal networking which usually requires some previous preparation. By preparing an elevator speech, you can discuss your experience and interests and let others know what your plans are for the future. Letting others know that you are looking to find an internship for the summer, may increase your chances of being able to find one through one of these contacts.
2. Volunteer
Volunteering during winter break offers some great benefits. First, it provides you with something meaningful to do. Secondly, you can add to your repertoire of skills and volunteering is a great addition to any resume. Last but not least, the connections you make could prove invaluable in your future job search and any recommendations you receive could be very helpful in helping you to land an actual job.
3. Informational Interviews
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4. Job Shadowing
5. Create/Update a Resume
Writing an excellent resume requires an ability to list previous experiences in a logical, organized manner. Since a good resume can often result in an interview, it is worth the time it takes to create a good one. Once you've completed your resume, it's a good idea to have it looked at by another person and the Career Services Office at your college is a good place to start.
6. Internship/Job Search
Taking the time to navigate the many internship and job listing sites available will provide students with thousands of listings in which to apply. Since perusing search engines and job/internship listing sites online is a passive way to look for opportunities where the competition is fierce. it's important to engage in additional more proactive techniques and strategies as well. Completing several internships during college offers a way to explore a variety of careers and they are one of the first things an employer looks for on a resume.
7. Create a LinkedIn Profile
Creating a LinkedIn Profile online will enable you to connect with alumni, faculty, and other students as well as professionals currently working in your field of interest. Using social media in the job search provides even new ways to access jobs currently available in the job market. Be sure to check out the many groups on LinkedIn which will also help you to connect with like minded people in the field.
