As you prepare for the transition from summer to the start of the fall semester, take a few minutes to reflect on your summer and complete a couple of career related tasks. Our summer career checklist suggests tips and questions for you to think about in the days leading up to the start of a new semester.
SUMMER CAREER CHECKLIST
Update your resume and Handshake/LinkedIn profiles. Get your resume and online profiles ready to be viewed by employers by adding your summer internship or work experience. Remember to craft strong bullet statements by describing the tasks you completed, the skills you developed, and what was the purpose or result of the task. See bullet statement examples, lists of transferable skills, and action verbs to begin your bullet statements in the Job Search Guide: https://careers.unl.edu/resources/the-ultimate-job-search-guide/
Ask for feedback from your supervisor. If you are leaving your summer job or internship, schedule time with your supervisor or manager before your end date to ask for feedback on your performance. Consider asking, “What tasks did I excel at?,” “What would you say are my strengths?,” “What areas can I improve on?,” “What skills do I either need to work on or develop to be successful in this industry?,” “What would you say was my best contribution to the team or company?.” Your supervisor or manager may appreciate knowing your questions ahead of time. Write out your questions and share them a few days in advance.
Write a thank you note. Show your gratitude to your supervisor, manager, co-workers, or peers by writing them a thank you note. Consider thanking them for the time they invested in you, guidance on a task, helpful advice, or for simply being a great co-worker. Strong thank you notes state your reason for appreciation, share examples, are sincere, and say thanks.
Add new skills. Don't forget to add new skills or knowledge you learned to your resume and LinkedIn profile, especially the skills section on LinkedIn.
Reflect. Take a few minutes to think about where you are in your career journey. If you had a summer job or internship, what did you learn from the experience? What did you like or dislike about the type of work and office culture? How did this experience meet or not meet your interests, skills, and values? How did you leverage your strengths? Maybe you spent the summer taking classes or pursuing other interests. What did you learn about yourself this summer? How can your summer plans be connected to your career interests?
Plan ahead. What one or two actions can you take this fall related to your career interests? Be sure to look for opportunities around campus on social media, digital signage, UNL and CoB event calendars, and in newsletters. The Club Fair on August 25 on City Campus and August 26 on East Campus are ways to learn about registered student organizations. Consider joining a student organization related to your personal and professional interests. In-person career fairs are September 21- 24 and virtual career fairs are October 12 and 13.
The Business Career Center is available to meet with students for resume and LinkedIn reviews, major/career exploration, and internship/job search strategies.
Lauren Stehlik
Assistant Director, Business Career Center
More details at: http://business.unl.edu/current-students/business-career-center/