3 Tips to Support Career Development During the Winter Break
Quick Summary
- With the break in school work and classes, the Career Center has 3 tips for making the winter break a great time for students to tend to their career development.
The winter break will be here before we know it as students prepare for finals, register for new classes, and prepare for a much needed break from school work. With the break in school work and classes, the Career Center has 3 tips for making the winter break a great time for students to tend to their career development.
- Start looking for summer internships now!
- Update materials
- Expanding their network
Although summer might seem far away, now is a great time to search for summer jobs and internships! Many employers are already hiring summer interns on job boards like Handshake and LinkedIn. While students have a break from their coursework, encourage them to apply now to summer internships that relate to their career interests.
Internships and part time jobs can be excellent opportunities for students to gain skills in their chosen fields, and serve as a valuable way for students to continue exploring their potential careers.
During the quarter, students often have the opportunity to complete projects, participate in clubs, and work part time jobs or internships. These are all outstanding opportunities for students to build skills and experiences that can go on their resume. They also look great on LinkedIn and Handshake profiles! Encourage your students to update their materials during the winter break so that they can reflect on the skills gained during the quarter.
The Career Center has many resources for students to utilize while updating their resumes. We are in the process of updating our website with a variety of different resume examples and guides to include, Job and Internship Search, Resumes, CVs and Cover Letters, Networking, and Interviews and Offers Guides. Our YouTube videos provide guidance on writing strong accomplishment statements and other tips. Our LinkedIn Profile Checklist and Handshake Profile Checklist are excellent resources for building and maintaining a strong online presence.
Some students view networking as a scary undertaking - but it doesn’t have to be! If your Aggie is home for the winter break, chances are, they might be connecting with old friends and acquaintances. Family, friends, and peers make excellent networking connections.
Now that your students have updated their LinkedIn profiles, encourage them to connect with others on LinkedIn! LinkedIn is a great way for students to reach out to professionals and UC Davis alumni in their fields of interest and request to do informational interviews to ask questions and receive advice. The Career Center has tips for that first introduction, what questions to consider and how to conduct an informational interview. Check out our Networking Basics video for even more tips!
Bonus tip: Spend time taking a break!
Finally, while students can absolutely take time to support their career development during the winter break, don't forget to take time to celebrate all they have accomplished this quarter, whether it's their first quarter or their tenth quarter. Remind them to take time for self care - watch movies, play with pets, and of course, spend time with you! Making time for self care can help your student avoid burnout and is an essential part of the career development process.