‘Tis the Season (for Careers)
If you couldn’t tell from the 500% increase in holiday-related ads on your social feeds and TV, winter break is nearly here! Amidst connecting with friends, family, and loved ones, you might find yourself having a bit of downtime to yourself. That’s the perfect opportunity to start tackling all of those outstanding career to-do’s from the fall semester, and you might consider…
Resting and Recharging
The semester gets busy with late nights finishing papers and studying for exams, so it’s okay to take a breather! Once you feel rested, use your time off to reflect on the last few months.
Ask yourself, “How do you see your classes or activities connecting to what you’re thinking about doing after Brandeis?” If you’re not sure, get started with these resources:
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What Can I Do With This Major? — Career paths from college majors
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Beyond Brandeis — Brandeisians' first jobs post-graduation
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Firsthand — What it's really like to work in a profession
Polishing Your Online Brand
More and more networking is done online, so it’s important to periodically review and/or clean your web presence. Employers, graduate admissions representatives, and even networking contacts will likely search for students online and factor what they find into their decision-making process.
Create a professional online presence with LinkedIn. Hiatt’s LinkedIn guide will help you illustrate who you are, your skills, and what prospective employers need to know.
While you’re at it, update your resume with the help of Hiration, an online resume builder that easily creates professional-looking resumes with the help of an AI assistant.
Pro Tip: Google yourself and ask, "Am I comfortable with an employer seeing this visual and written content about me?"
Exploring Summer Options
Now is a good time to start to explore opportunities for the summer. Every industry has its own timeline for hiring and for most industries you still have plenty of time to decide what you want to do.
Typically, students complete 2-3 hands-on experiences while at Brandeis. These include internships, undergraduate research, community-engaged learning opportunities, creative and studio work, field-based research, campus clubs, or part-time jobs. Each experience is valuable and will give you more information on your next steps.
Start a summer search here:
Scheduling a Career Appointment
The Hiatt Career Center is open throughout the majority of winter break, only closing from December 25 through January 1. You can still schedule virtual appointments with our expert Career Team for any career-related support no matter where you are in their journey.
If you’ve completed all of these items during winter break, you’ll be in excellent shape heading into the spring semester. Happy Holidays!