While internships and co-ops are a great way to gain skills and explore a career field, many students seem to think that it is the ONLY option for how to spend your summer in the eyes of employers. But to be honest, you don’t HAVE to have one. Instead, employers are looking for your skills and how you’ve discovered your career interests. There are so many ways to achieve your goals of being a marketable employer. Here are four tips below to help make you competitive on a resume without an internship.
Refresh your Knowledge
LinkedIn Learning, and other online job platforms, offer online courses on a variety of topics.
Hint: Read through internship or job descriptions in an area of interest to identify specific skills that are valued in that industry that employers are seeking in recent grads.
Learn New Skills
Returning to an old summer job is always a great idea! If there are specific skills you are looking to gain this summer, consider whether there are ways to enhance or add on to that summer job in order to give yourself a new opportunity. Proposing something new to your boss that will, for example, make their job easier, improve a process, or have some other benefit to the organization you work for will likely be well-received and will demonstrate your drive.
Connect with Chargers
Setting up some exploratory career conversations and/or job shadow opportunities with UAH alums or others in fields you are exploring is a great way to explore your interests and make connections. Using ChargerPath, you can reach out to people who shared your major, are working in fields you are exploring, or that simply sounds interesting.
Volunteer in Your Community
Another summer option is to find an organization that you are passionate about and volunteer. Volunteer work allows you to gain some experience and skills, while also allowing you to feel good about giving back to the community! It also may allow for a more flexible schedule if that’s appealing or necessary to you. You can find volunteer opportunities that suit you on websites such as Create the Good or Volunteer Match.
