What Should You Do Over the Break?

Fall semester is over and it’s nearing the next one. You’ve spent time with family and had some time to relax, but now you need to get back to work. “But next semester isn’t for a couple more weeks!” you say. That’s perfect. That should leave you with plenty of time.

As competitive as the work force is nowadays, it’s a good idea to get a head start on building up to your career. While you could do this any time during the semester, applying for jobs or internships is much easier when you’re on break and have the spare time to do it. Besides what were you going to do with all that free time anyway? To help you fill in that extra space in your schedule, FOXBusiness has provided a list of things you could do:

1. Figure out what your career goals are. First and foremost. Know what it is that you want to do before before pursuing a career. In fact, do this before you even pursue a major.

2. Contact fellow alumni. Do a little research within your school and find students that have graduated in your field of interest. Create a list of questions and make phone calls, asking them what they do, how they got there, and so on.

3. Check the career center and other places for job postings. Search everywhere. Search often. And whatever you do, don’t stop searching…ok, but seriously, whenever you go someplace to apply for a job or an internship, put on your best first impression and be persistent.

4. Research companies that interest you. These would be dream companies that you’d wish to work for. Look them up, find out about job and internship opportunities, and figure out what it would take to work for them.

5. Create a LinkedIn profile. If you haven’t already created one, you need to now. This is where you can post up your resume and portfolio items, as well as make connections with people in the business world. Possibly the most valuable means of working your way up through your career is networking.