4 Ways to Make the Most of Spring Break

Spring Break: a time to take a vacation, relax, enjoy the sunshine, and network! While that last option might sound out-of-place, Spring Break is the perfect time to work on your résumé, conduct informational interviews, shadow someone in your field of interest, or search for internships or jobs. Fortunately, we have some resources that can assist you with making the most of your time off during Spring Break.

1. Work on your résumé: Take some time to review our sample résumés online at www.auburn.edu/career/resume. On this page, you’ll also see that we have an online e-resume review system where you can upload your résumé and a career counselor will review it, record a screencast of suggested edits, and send it back to you within three business days. If you’re in town for Spring Break, stop by the Career Center in 303 Martin Hall to meet one-on-one with someone who can look over your résumé.

2. Conduct informational interviews: Either set up a meeting with a professional in your field of interest or check out Candid Career informational interview videos on our website at www.auburn.edu/career/students (#4 under “Explore Majors and Careers). Informational interviews are an excellent way to see if a certain career field is right for you. Through these interviews, you can see what the professionals like about their job, the challenges they have faced in their position, how they got to where they are today, the education requirements for the job, etc.

3. Shadow someone in your field of interest: Arrange a day or two for shadowing a professional in your area of interest. You can often learn the most about a specific job when you get to experience it firsthand. If you don’t know who to contact within your career field, do some networking on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), and reach out to individuals in your area of interest. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date before doing so.

4.  Search for internships or jobs: Take advantage of having some downtime and search for internships or jobs. Check out Tiger Recruiting Link (www.jobs.auburn.edu) and use the advanced search feature to look for internships and jobs in your field. On TRL, you can find full-time jobs, part-time jobs, paid internships, unpaid internships, on-campus jobs, and graduate assistantships.

If you are in town for Spring Break, you can always stop by the Career Center during walk-in hours to get assistance with any of the above suggestions. Our walk-in hours are always listed on our website at www.auburn.edu/career. Have a great break!

Post by:

Dori Weldon

Career Counselor 

The Importance of Gaining Experience: Get Started Now!

You may think, how can I make myself more marketable post-graduation? If you guessed a good academic record, you are partially correct. Strong school performance is no longer the main quality that employers look for in potential employees. Yep, you guessed it, gaining experience has become the key to making you a competitive candidate for your desired positions. Gaining experience allows you develop the skills that are necessary for success within your future career. As you are building up your resume, employers will be able to see what you have completed and how your experience makes you the perfect candidate. Many of your experiences will also allow you to meet other professionals or coworkers that will create a good network to help you pursue your desired career. A managing director with High Fliers Research reported that experience is just as important as gaining a college degree at this day in age. Now you are thinking, where do I start? This will depend on your interests and what will be most beneficial toward your career goals. Here are various ways you can gain experience.

Internships

Internships allow you to experience typical responsibilities and gain a better understanding of your desired career field. Internships are typically outside of the classroom and an intern is supervised within their work environment. A good time to complete an internship is during summer break as this allows you to work with a company or organization for an appropriate amount of time. With this professional development opportunity, employers are more likely to pick a potential candidate with an internship experience than a candidate without one. Selected majors and graduate programs require internships for course credit, which you would need to consult the university in order to complete. Visit jobs.auburn.edu to connect with employers and apply for internships.

Campus Involvement

Being involved on campus will help you develop the transferable skills that you can bring into your future career. Examples of these skills can include good communication, motivating leader, team-oriented, organized, dependable, problem-solving, and many, many, more. Whether it’s being a Morale Captain for Dance Marathon or being a committee member with University Program Council (UPC), any type of campus involvement can give you the opportunity to gain these universal skills that employers want to see. Visit auburn.edu/involvement for a list of organizations you can join, and more details on how to get involved.

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing includes observing a professional in your desired career field. You are able to walk through a “typical day on the job” with this competent worker who will guide you through their workday and give you any advice about their profession. This also gives you the opportunity to see your desired position in a realistic setting. Not only does it give you the opportunity to gain experience, but it may serve as a deciding factor in terms of continuing to pursue this career, or potentially choosing a new one. Make sure to do your research before your shadowing and come up with a few questions to ask the professional at the end of the day.  

These are just a few different opportunities, so make sure to visit auburn.edu/career/experience to get more information on different ways you can gain experience and become a successful professional in the work field. If you would like to talk more about gaining experience, please feel free to come into our office and meet with a Career Counselor during our office hours. Remember, get started now so you can create a successful future! 

Post by: Kaela Jimenez

Career Center Graduate Assistant

Graduate Student in Counseling