Although summer jobs are great for bringing in some much-needed cash, students who play their cards right can also use them to further their professional careers. In order to use these months to their full potential, consider these factors when you decide where you’ll be working this summer.
Does the job help me explore a potential career path?
As a student, you may be unsure of exactly what industry you want to enter after graduation. Take advantage of these brief summer jobs to explore several fields and discover which one you enjoy the most. By the end of the summer, you may find a passion for an industry you can pursue in the future—and if not, you have avoided the pitfall of accidentally committing yourself to a field that you don’t actually enjoy.
Does this job teach me a skill that will be useful in my future career?
Many students complain they are not taught the skills that are necessary for their future fields. Fortunately, summer jobs can give students industry training; for instance, prospective web designers could hone their skills by acting as assistants to professionals. From this perspective, a summer job is a personalized academic course that primes you to enter your desired field—and even better, you may be getting paid to learn.
Does this job offer valuable networking opportunities?
The most rewarding summer jobs allow the worker to get a foot in the door for future employment. Even if the summer position is an unpaid internship, the opportunity to expand your professional network can help you secure a long-term position in the future. If you work hard, you may join the many lucky graduates who have entered fulfilling careers thanks to the connections they made during their summer jobs.
Would this job look good on my resume?
Many graduates enter the job market with meager resumes, and a summer job is an excellent opportunity to start filling up that blank space. Even if your position is only tangentially related to your future field, jobs that highlight your reliability and communication skills are attractive to any employer. When you add your summer job to your resume, it is important that your position demonstrates that you would be a valuable employee.
Now that you know what to look for, here are some tips to help you secure the summer job of your choice. Good luck, and happy hunting!
Thinking back, I wish I had used my summers to seek out potential industries I would have enjoyed. However, I think most summer job experiences can teach you valuable lessons. I worked several different jobs and they were each very different (pharmacy tech, office assistant, bindery worker) and each allowed me to see different workplaces and understand the dynamics of an office setting, a fulfillment center and more.