Here are five ways you can do stay proactive in career development over the winter break despite the pandemic environment.
It is hard to believe that the semester is rapidly coming to a close. The next couple of weeks will be filled with students moving out, celebrating Thanksgiving with their families and taking final exams. With the long break this year between semesters, it is important to remember to stay proactive.
As a first-year student, you may be wondering how you can stay proactive in building your resume if no one will hire you in the current pandemic environment? Or perhaps you are a sophomore or junior looking for ways to expand your resume. Maybe you are a senior wondering how you can better yourself in the short time you have left before you graduate. While it is easy to get discouraged in the current environment that we are living in, there are multiple ways you can stay proactive during winter break. Here are five ways you can do this over the break regardless of the environment.
- Volunteer! There are many ways you can be active in your community. Whether it is volunteering to make food deliveries for those in need, collecting donations for Salvation Army, or volunteering to do virtual tutoring, find ways you can actively participate in your community over the break. This will both help you add things to your resume and give back to your local community.
- Polish your resume. While you are at home, take time to update your resume to add the things you were involved with this past semester and constantly add to it based on the volunteerism or work you do over the break. Have someone look over your resume for formatting and suggestions. You can also contact the Career Center at Careercenter@msmary.edu, and staff will be happy to review your resume.
- Do your research. Research the graduate schools you are considering or companies you are interested in working for. Find out what specific things they are looking for and try to tailor your resume to meet those elements. Look for internships that give you a well-rounded experience or that target your field. If you are a senior, submit those last graduate school applications and look at programs abroad as their application due dates tend to be later.
- Read. Pick up a book and read something. Find a topic you have wanted to learn more about and start reading about it. Imagine how good it will be when an interviewer asks you what you did over break and you will be able to say you both furthered your knowledge and volunteered in your community.
- Take care of your mind, body and spirit. Go outside for a walk, pray or call a friend. It is just as important to take care of yourself over this break and regenerate from this stressful semester. Take some time to yourself to reflect on your time in college and where you want to see yourself next semester. You will be more prepared for the next semester if you take some time to reflect and create goals for yourself. This includes goals to take care of your mind, body and spirit next semester.
As this semester comes to a close, I would like to thank the Career Center for this wonderful opportunity to serve as writing intern and gain valuable experience writing for the blog. If this is something you would be interested in doing in future semesters, reach out to Clare Tauriello, director of the Career Center, to find out how to apply. I would highly encourage anyone who is interested in developing their writing skills to apply for this excellent experience.
As a final note, remember that the Career Center is always there for you as a resource. You can move mountains this break!
