As finals come to an end and we transition into the blissful period of relaxation we call “Winter Break”, it can be tempting to let the job or internship search come to a halt. But the extra free time and ability to reconnect with family and friends can offer a great platform for extending your network and finding new career opportunities. So, make sure to capitalize upon your time at home and continue your job or internship search with these few steps.Networking
Although you're away from school, the break can be a great time to meet new people and network. As you catch up with family and friends, you can use questions like “how was your past semester?” as an avenue to share what you've accomplished and what you hope to do in the future. Even if the person you're talking to doesn't have any direct ways to help you, they may know someone who's hiring or who works at a company that you're interested in. If they do know someone you'd be interested in meeting with, see if they can help you set up an informational interview, which is a great way to learn more about the field, hear firsthand experiences, and get personalized advice.
Even if you don't have any direct connections with people in the field you are interested in, that doesn't mean you need to suffer a loss of networking opportunities. Reach out to people at a few companies that you're interested in and see if anyone is willing to meet you for a quick coffee. Oftentimes, business slows down over the holidays as more people take time off, so they may be more willing to meet with you. This, coupled with the fact that lots of new job and internship opportunities tend to open up at the start of the new year means that winter break is the perfect time to meet new people and make an impression.
Improve your application materials
With all the classes, extracurriculars, and responsibilities that are ever-present while at school, it's easy to let less time-sensitive, career-based tasks fall on the back burner. This means that the holidays can be a great time to polish up your application materials. Although the career center is closed over break, you can always learn how to build a resume or draft a cover letter with online templates and examples. Update and optimize your documents and then make sure to have the final result reviewed by a career counselor once school resumes in January. Also make sure to look on Handshake and see what companies are hiring and what application materials they require.
Taking the time to update your LinkedIn profile, or make a LinkedIn account if you don't yet have one, can also be a great way to utilize the extra time you have over the holidays. And you can add any new professional contacts that you met while networking over break!
Explore opportunities for the upcoming semester
Now that the first semester has ended, it can be a great way to look back and reflect, while also looking forward to the new semester. Ask yourself what you did his semester that you enjoyed, and look into new opportunities for when you return to Grounds in January. Are there new, career-focused clubs you want to become involved in? Do you want to be paired up with an alum in a certain field via a mentorship program? The University has countless opportunities that you can use to advance your career. Handshake can be a great tool to help find these opportunities, as the “Events” tab showcases upcoming events, ranging from skills-based workshops to networking events and case competitions. Hackcville is another incredible organization for advancing your career, as it organizes startup trips all over the country that you can apply for, which can be an awesome way to meet new people and hear about new companies and careers.
So, while I urge you to take time to relax and enjoy your time with family and friends over break, that doesn't mean that you have to take a hiatus from advancing your career. If you're aware of the little steps you can take, you'll notice that there are always opportunities to improve your job or internship search that you can incorporate into your time away from the University.