Summer can be an odd thing in the life of a college student. On one hand, it’s coveted time where students can put down their books and take a well-deserved break. On the other hand, it often acts as a bridge into their future post-graduate life – a time to take advantage of opportunities outside the classroom that can prepare them for their future callings. With a little bit of planning, students can find the rest and fun they are longing for while still using the time to prepare for their life after graduation. Below you can find a few options you can encourage your student to pursue that can alleviate some of the stress of trying to do these things during the school year. 

1. Work on Their Resume. The nice thing about our office, the Center for Calling & Career, is that we don’t close in the summer. We are still available to meet with students both in person and virtually. We can even set up regular times to meet with a student throughout the summer to ensure they stay on track in writing their resume (or any of the options listed below). Students can always schedule appointments online here to meet with someone in our office.
    
2. Job Shadow or Make Strategic Connections. Finding time during the school year to visit someone’s workplace in the midst of a class schedule is tricky. Summer is a great time to do this, especially for students who are still discerning what they may want to study or pursue after graduation. If you happen to know people in a line of work that is interesting to your son or daughter, would you be willing to connect them so they might be able to set up a time to job shadow? It’s often most helpful if you make the introduction and then allow your student to be the main point of contact in setting up the actual shadowing experience. If a full shadowing experience isn’t possible, then a simple conversation with someone in the students desired field can be just as helpful. If you don’t know anyone they can connect with, encourage your son or daughter to ask people they know either at church or other family members or friends.
   
   If the student can connect with someone for a conversation, here are a few questions we recommend asking: 

• How did you end up in your current role and your current workplace? – This might give the student insight into how they may eventually go about finding a job or internship. It also will help them know what a path into that specific workplace might look like if they are interested in that company.  

• What are two things you would recommend to someone in my current position as a student, if I eventually want to do what you’re doing? – This can give the students action steps to take throughout their remaining years in college and someone to reach out to in the future if they have questions.
  
  
• What are two things you wish you would have known or done when you were in college that would have set you up better? – This could be a strategic way to have someone else tell them things that you may already be telling them. Sometimes hearing it from someone else can be just the thing they need to start listening. 😊 

3. Work on Their Professional Profiles on LinkedIn and Handshake. While many people know what LinkedIn is, Handshake is a newer student resource. This is a career platform built to connect students to potential employers. All Geneva students have a Handshake account and can access it through their My.Geneva credentials. This platform allows them to build out their profile (much like the LinkedIn profile) and even become discoverable by employers looking to hire college students. We have had students at Geneva complete their profile, have great employers reach out and invite them to apply, and eventually be hired by that company. While this doesn’t happen every time, it is a great resource for job searching, attending educational virtual events hosted by companies, and researching companies they may otherwise not learn about. 

The college to career process can be overwhelming. I like to encourage students to set 2-3 actionable steps for themselves that will move them towards a larger goal. For example, instead of setting a goal of “networking this summer,” they can find 3 people they want to connect with and reach out and ask to meet with them. The second is much less ambiguous and they will have a clear understanding of when they’ve completed those steps. 

By Krista Autrey, Director of the Center for Calling & Career