Summer Suggestions
By jp4,
Written by Career Coach, Wil
What are you doing this Summer? 
Congratulations on completing your degree or your semester! FREEDOM for a short while….. Guess what!? The Career Studio has a little suggestion! What if you just put in a tiny amount of work each day to create your graduate CV or your Placement/Work Experience CV. We guarantee you’ll feel accomplished.
A tiny amount of daily work could be the thing that sets you aside from everyone else in the same pond as you. You don’t have to do hours of work; you don’t even have to do an hour of work! It could simply be 15 minutes just working on a portion of your CV, over the span of a week or two.
It could be you read through some job applications and make notes on the key skills required – and deadline – for that job (or jobs). You could go off and brainstorm job ideas you want to do. There is no timeline or deadline that you have to hit. But there are a few small things you could do to make your summer productive AND relaxing at the same time.
- Make mind-maps for jobs that you want to do – it doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you want to go or which company to work for . A lot of employers in the working/placement world no longer look at degrees that are specific to their sector. Its all about being employable and making yourself stand out. Or it could be telling an employer what you want to gain from relevant work experience to accompany your degree.
- Read through job descriptions and pull-out skills that YOU think are important to the job, focus on those areas and try to think of super strong examples that back up how you have that skill.
- You don’t need to spend hours doing a CV, even if you just update the education section one day, the profile another day, employment the next. Over a week or two, it all adds up.
- Follow a new group or employer on LinkedIn – maybe even try to communicate with them and introduce yourself.
- Get some hints and tips, book an appointment with the Careers Studio!
Your summer doesn’t have to be overrun with boring (or stressful) tasks every single day. At the end of the day, you have to think to yourself “how bad do I want my dream job/placement and how far am I willing to go to get it”. 
The Careers Studio is an amazing place to go if you feel stuck or just want that little extra guidance to help get you in the right direction. There is so much to offer – from CV writing and mock interviews right through to LinkedIn profile help. Don’t drag yourself down over matters that can be resolved with a little resilience and fire (not literally!), it isn’t worth it in the end. Just keep pushing through and telling yourself that you are worth every ounce in gold. You aren’t alone ever; you just have to know where to look! BE PREPARED to apply for the opportunity you want.
To speak to one of our Career Coaches get in touch:
Email: careers@staffs.ac.uk
Twitter: @CareersAtStaffs
Instagram: @CareersAtStaffs
Facebook: Staffordshire University Career & Personal Development