How to make the most of your summer

Undergraduate Careers Coach, Giorgia McDonald, shares her insights on what to do during the summer vacation.

I remember my summers throughout university being a large gap in my year that I felt compelled to fill with exciting plans, but I never thought about how these summers could impact my future career. These are the things I wish I’d known all those years ago…

Any work experience is valuable work experience

Whether you have secured yourself a coveted internship with one of the country’s top graduate employers, spending time working on the family business, working part-time to fund any travelling you want to do this summer, or volunteering in any capacity, you’ll be learning key transferable skills that are valued by all employers at Graduate level.

Prepare for application season

Applications for Spring Weeks, Summer Internships, Placement Years, and Graduate schemes go live as early as August, so being ready for them is key. The earlier you submit your application, the higher the chances of it being considered. The Careers team are available all summer to support you with preparing your applications, so please do get in touch if you’d like some support.

Network

Ever heard of “It’s who you know, not what you know”? Well, for some of the UK’s most popular recruiters and programmes, this is entirely accurate. Having a solid network of professionals to leverage in your applications and to recommend you internally can be key to securing some of the most popular opportunities. Use this time to build a network on LinkedIn and form the relationship that will help you secure your dream career.

Recharge and refuel

Throughout a typical working career, it is unusual to be able to take three months off consecutively and so make the most of this time. Fill it with travelling, seeing family and friends and doing all of the things that ‘fill your cup’. Make the most of this time to recharge and refuel for a busy year ahead.

Whatever your plans for the summer, please make sure you find time for yourself to recharge for the next academic year – we have many exciting plans for 2023/24 that you’ll need energy for!

Don’t forget, we are here to support you every step of the way so please book an appointment or email us at ugcareers@wbs.ac.uk.