Bearly Accurate – Common Career Conundrums: “It's winter break! That means I don’t have to do anything… right?”

Fast forward to a week later: finals are over and the holidays are fast approaching. Most students just want to take it easy during their well-deserved breaks. However, internship and job opportunities for the summer or next academic year are always popping up. With classes out of the way, this is an ideal time to prepare by researching different employers and job descriptions. Take advantage of your winter break and get ready for future career ventures!

1) Networking – this is a great way to start your career explorations! If you have friends or family with connections to a field of your interest, take initiative and talk to them. Ask the individual for an informational interview to gain insight into their career choice/field.

2) Resume Building - reflect upon your past experiences and skills. Has your resume just been collecting dust on your hard drive? Now is a good time to update it! Revise all the experiences in your resume for a more current description of your skills.

3) Research Opportunities – search for different employers and companies. Many have websites which list job or internship openings. Even if none are listed at the moment, you can still prepare to apply over break. Additionally, if websites do not include information you are looking for, take the initiative to email or call them and ask!

4) Callisto, OCR, Work Study – these are amazing resources to guide your job or internship search. Callisto and On-Campus Recruiting offer diverse career opportunities that are accessible both on- or off-campus. Work study provides additional resources for students receiving need-based financial aid.

5) Be Prepared – with your resume in hand, take time to carefully draft a cover letter and practice your interviewing skills. These tools will improve your chances on the job market!

One important question lingers: should you still enjoy your winter break? Of course you should! These suggestions are only meant to help improve your career outlook. It never hurts to take time out early to prepare for applications though, especially if you have a dream job or internship in mind!

Blog written by: Angie Yi, Molecular and Cell Biology '12