Spring Break: A Time to Confirm Summer Plans
Spring is in the air, and the summer plans of your student may be up in the air! Spring break is a great time for your student to reflect on their education and career goals. Encourage them to reflect on the type of experiences they would like to participate in during their summer break. Are they looking for a paid job, an internship, or looking to volunteer? What type of skills do they hope to develop? Are they interested in saving money, paying bills, clarifying career goals, and/or getting skills and experiences that will help prepare them for their future career?
Below are a few strategies your student can use during the spring to prepare for their summer job or internship search.
1. Search for Opportunities on Handshake, Job Boards, and Company Website
Companies and organizations are actively hiring students for internships and jobs. Positions are posted daily on Handshake in a variety of areas, including paid opportunities to gain practical work experience, develop career readiness competencies, make connections, and/or clarify career goals. In addition to Handshake, ask your student to explore other job boards and/or attend an Internship and Career Center (ICC) workshop to learn about other ways to find internships and jobs.
2. Tap Into Your Network
Networking can be a great way to find internships, jobs, and other meaningful and productive experiences during the summer. Help your student identify who is part of their network and encourage them to reach out. Their network can include former supervisors and colleagues, professors, teachers and TAs, advisors, friends and family, and more. They can also dust off the business cards they have collected at career fairs. Setting up informational interviews with their network is a great strategy to learn about jobs and internships and have meaningful conversations about careers and opportunities available.
3. Attend Internship and Career Fair and other ICC Events
The ICC has one final Internship and Career Fair on Wednesday, April 19. The Spring Internship and Career Fair is a great way for students to connect with prospective employers and recruiters who are hiring UC Davis students for summer jobs and internships. We anticipate over 100 employers will participate in our Spring Fair. Encourage your student to attend a Prepare for the Fair workshop to get the most out of the fair. The ICC also offers resume and cover letter review along with career related workshops, panels, and events to help your students connect with employers and learn of opportunities.
As summer approaches, get ready to put away the umbrellas and winter coats and encourage your students to take some time to polish their resumes and cover letters while enjoying the sunshine!