Posted By: Career Enrichment Network
We know that summer is a busy time for Liberal Arts students. Liberal Arts students are spending the summer gaining professional experience by participating in internships or developing a global perspective by studying abroad. But summer is also a great time to prepare for the next academic year!
Below are five things to do this summer to start your next year at Penn State off on the right foot:
- Register for a Network Symplicity account.Network Symplicity is a web-based system where you can create a profile, upload resumes and cover letters for review and feedback, search for internship opportunities, and keep up-to-date on any events like employer information sessions, professional development workshops, etc. Already have a Network Symplicity account? Make sure to update your profile – GPA, semester classification, intended graduation semester and year, and resume.
- Report your internship. If you have an internship this summer, please share the details with us! Make sure to add your internship to your resume and upload your new version to your Network Symplicity profile.
- Seek out volunteer or shadowing or informational interview experiences. Connecting with people to learn about various career paths is a great way to figure out if they’re of interest to you. Volunteer, job shadow, or just contact some people to do informational interviews (a fancy way of asking people about their jobs).
- Get a StrengthsFinder code and learn your top five. Being able to articulate the strengths you can bring to an employer is an important step in the interview process. Get a head start by requesting a code and spending a few minutes completing StrengthsFinder this summer. You can do some post-assessment activities on-line and/or schedule a time to talk with a Network staff member about your results when you get back to campus in the fall.
- Make a plan for gaining global experience and building your Penn State Network. Start researching different study abroad and embedded course options to determine which will fit best with your academic plan. Check out the Alumni Mentor Program and mark your calendar to register in the fall to start building your Penn State network.
If you graduated this past spring or are planning to graduate this summer, please make sure to read our blog post about how to make the most of life after graduation!
If you have any questions about Network resources, please contact us at lanetwork@psu.edu, by phone at 814-865-1070, or stop by 101 Sparks Building if you’re on campus over the summer. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter (@PSULAJobs) for the latest news on upcoming events and new internship opportunities.