You’ve worked hard with your study in college and enjoy your well-deserved summer break, recharging for the upcoming madness of new academic year. To many, summer means hanging out with friends and go vacationing. That’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, you do need to stay productive during the summer, especially in your effort in pursuing your dream career.
Why you should start early
It’s simple: Firstly, being productive in using your free time is great. Secondly, seeking a job should start early. In job search, early birds do get the worms. Getting ahead of your pack means that you are serious about your career – a good signal that you want to make sure that your potential employers receive it.
If you have done a job search before, I’m sure you are aware that there are some things to prepare. CV is just the tip of the iceberg – there are some other things you need to do, in such a way that you can add value to your job application.
The big question is, where to start? Let us help you in figuring this out.
Things to do for summer job search
For a start, you need to make an effort – make time for your summer job search; you can’t just to this in your free time, because, chances are, there are tons of other things you want to do, and job search in-between academic years seems to sit somewhere in the middle of your priority list. Let’s bring that up to somewhere near the top of your list, shall we?
With that said, invest a couple of hours in a day for job search. Make a list and find out what it takes to take on the job – the skill required, the experience needed, and so on. And get to work.
Take short courses, learn online, read books – fill your mind with focused content that will help you in acing the job interview and, eventually, the actual job.
Jump into the internship bandwagon – you don’t need the money right now; what you want is the experience. Find a great company to work in and see whether that particular job function aspires you in your career journey.
Don’t forget to take on activities that add value to your resume – volunteering, fund-raising, and so on. Those will help your personal development – and look good on your resume, too!
Whew! It turns out that there is quite a list of things to do in the summertime. “So, how to manage all of those?” you asked to yourself. Well, a checklist may help in a big way.
You are in luck, because we have just the checklist for you, courtesy of Pertemps Network:
What’s the checklist is all about
The checklist above is all about getting organized with your effort. Ticking the boxes helps in showing your progress, as well as keeping yourself in check with your effort.
Let’s get down to a bit more details.
CV Updates
Have you just done an internship? Are you working part-time? Have you acquired new skills? Don’t forget to include those in your CV. Keeping your CV fresh should be your top priority. You don’t want to forget to add that fun work that you just do, organising a local pet charity event.
Community Work
It’s no longer a secret that your list of off-college activities is important as a way for your future employers to understand how you are using your free time.
Skill Set
Work requires skills. The more skills you have, the more goodness that you can offer to your future employer. So, work on those.
Preparation for Post-summer
Don’t forget that there is still yet another academic year for you to conquer; it needs some preparation, too. Make sure you don’t miss anything entering the new academic year. And yes, don’t forget to start applying for your dream job!
Takeaway
Summer break is great. You can have more time in the world to do the things that matter to you. Get social, but don’t forget your personal and professional growth. It’s a wise investment of your time, and you’ll have yourself to thank later.
Have fun!