Now that the semester has ended and summer is at your door step, what are you going to do? Sure, you’ll enjoy music festivals, summer reads, and time down at the pool, but if you only slack, you’ll miss an opportune time to set yourself up for post-graduation success. We suggest these summer opportunities for college students to boost their resumes and “WOW” Corporate Recruiters.
Get an Internship
Most college students work during the summer, but how many of those jobs benefit their future? That’s the value of an internship. Here are a few benefits to consider:
Interns gain a wider range of transferable job skills and experiences. Working alongside successful professionals provides insights that are harder to gain otherwise.
To strengthen a skill, you need the right outlet. Leadership, team building, and presentation skills grow faster than average during summer internships.
Are you even on the right career path? Internships can give a college student a more realistic perspective. Finding out if a career is a good fit vs a pending mistake saves grief in the long run.
Though an internship doesn’t need to be paid to be valuable, it’s always nice to have that extra cash flow. The IDR Internship, for example, provides our high performing college interns with plenty of ways to get paid.
Take Summer Courses
Fresh skills are easily forgotten without practice. We’ve all had to learn that hard lesson. Rather than let your knowledge fade, use summer courses to stay competitive.
Summer courses can get electives out of the way. Completing them in the summer often helps lighten your course load next semester. Bonus! A lighter semester gives you time to focus on searching and interviewing for extra internships or a post-graduation job.
Have a difficult course coming up? Taking it in the summer is always an option. There’s more time to study the material for one or two courses. However, be mindful of how important a professor is to your learning style. In summer courses, that material will be crammed into fewer weeks. And with a professor who doesn’t accommodate your learning style, a summer course could actually turn out to be a bad idea. Our advice: review the professor. His or her teaching skills, style, and helpfulness will be even larger contributors to your success.
Save your money! Some summer courses are cheaper than the fall and spring semesters. Taking a few cheaper courses can help make your student loans more manageable.
Also, online courses through websites like Coursera and Khan Academy can help refresh concepts or introduce you to new knowledge completely.
Volunteer
Want to make a difference in the world? The summer is the perfect time to follow your passions. On top of the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when helping people or contributing to a great cause, you’ll even have a chance to improve your marketability.
When you get out of your comfort zone, there’s so many new things to learn. Volunteering for an organization you love gives you an opportunity to pick up new skills and new experience.
Volunteering helps to expand your network in unexpected ways. You never know who you’ll meet. A good volunteering opportunity can bring together people of different ages and backgrounds in one place. Who knows? One of them could open the door for a future job or even hire you!
Hiring managers love to see volunteer experience. Here at IDR, giving back is a big part of our culture, so we love to see candidates who feel the same way.
Preparing for Next Semester
Your next semester will be here before you know it. Rather than scramble to get back on track after an extended break, here are a few reminders to make your transition to the Fall semester smoother:
Set goals. Setting realistic goals can help you to handle the prep work before the workload of the upcoming semester.
Give your resume a fresh coat of paint. If you’ve been involved in the above summer opportunities for college students, there’s lots to add. It’s better to update your resume while all of the skills and experiences are fresh.
Create a LinkedIn page or, if you already have, update it! Not only is this important for Corporate Recruiters to be able to put a face with your name but it’s just as important for them to be able to find YOU in the first place.
Clean up your social media pages. Would you want your future boss to be able to see all of your material on your Facebook and Instagram? It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Narrowing Down Summer Opportunities for College Students
Are you in search of an internship now? We’re always looking for energized and dedicated college students in search of an unforgettable experience. Find out more about internships on our careers page and apply if you’re ready for a rewarding challenge.
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