Congratulations! You are done with the fall semester. As you look back upon all of the events that took place, it is important to reflect on your own personal career development. Are you still not sure about choosing a major? Are you preparing for a full time job search? No matter where you are in your own personal career development, you can use your winter break to help you along the path to finding that future career. Here are some possible recommendations:
- Update/Polish Your Resume
Did you do an internship last semester? Did you have a part time job? Did you complete any undergraduate research? Make sure you think about the skills that you learned from these experiences and state them on your resume. It is important to have an updated resume ready to go if you want to apply for a job/internship in near future.
- Volunteer/Shadow
Volunteering over your winter break is a great way to gain practical experience in a career field as well as make important network connections within that field. Set up a shadow experience with a professional in your chosen career field in order to get a sense of what they do each day. Volunteering and shadowing are important components of exploring and gaining experience before you graduate and can assist you in deciding whether or not you want to pursue a career in that field.
- Look for a Summer Internship
It is never too early to look for a summer internship/job. Many employers start recruiting very early in the spring semester for summer positions, so it is important to have an idea of what you want to do and where you want to do it. Using your time wisely during winter break will save you a lot of stress and frustration when your summer break rolls around.
- Build Your Network/Contacts
You will most likely be around family and friends during the holiday season. What better time to grow your professional network! Make sure you let everybody know what you might be looking for in a job or internship in the future. Remember that approximately 85-90% of jobs are found through some type of networking. If you still don’t have a LinkedIn account, be sure to set one up.
- Meet With a UCS Counselor
University Career Services will be open over winter break, so why not come in and talk to one of our professional counselors? We can help you take stock of where you are in your career development process and plan for your next steps. Check out our website at careers.unc.edu for holiday hours and instructions on how to make an appointment.