Once finals end, you may find yourself with some extra time on your hands: time to relax, work a summer job, take trips to the beach and enjoy the warmer weather.  But don’t forget to make time for summer career development as well.  During the semester, there often isn’t time to focus on where you’re headed and how you’re going to get there.  Summer can be a great time to plan for your future.  Here are some concrete steps you can take this summer to move towards your career goals:

1. Update your resume: Make sure all of your experiences- job experiences, internships, academic projects, research and campus involvement- are reflected on your resume.  Want some feedback on your resume, try our new resume tool, Quinncia, which gives specific feedback on format and wording in your resume.
2. Build experience: There are many ways to build experience in the summer.  You may be working a summer job or completing an internship.  Be sure to reflect on your experience and consider the skills you are building, either professional skills or transferable skills, such as communication or teamwork, that could be useful to include in your resume. No internship this summer? You can still build experience through micro-internship projects on Forage.  These are projects set up by major companies and organizations, such as JP Morgan Chase, KPMG, EA or Pfizer.  They give you an idea of the work intern
3. Research career paths: Each major (even nursing!) can prepare you for multiple career paths. What Can I Do With This Major? is a tool that allows you to uncover the possible careers related to a variety of college majors, and the steps you can take to work towards those paths. 
4. Grow your network: Although technology is a large part of a job or internship search, personal interactions and connections can make a huge difference in finding your first job, and in learning about roles you are interested in. Summer is a good time to grow your professional network through LinkedIn, or by requesting an informational interview with a Fitchburg State alumni or other professional in your network.  
5. Meet with an academic and career advisor: We are open during the summer! Our academic and career advisors are available to meet with you, either in person or virtually, to work on your resume, plan for your job or internship search, or to explore career paths.  Make an appointment today.