How To Have a Productive Summer

By Katy Saladin ‘22 | May 5, 2022

As we are a few weeks away from the end of the school year, summer is approaching fast. Some students may have secured internships, you may have a summer job, or will be volunteering. No matter what you will be spending your summer doing, there are many ways for you to help explore your career interests and help further your career development. Here are some ways for you to be productive this summer!

1) Reflect on what you like most about your summer job. If you are a camp counselor, do you like working with children? If you are a hostess, do you enjoy being around people and meeting new people? Do you like coming up with creative solutions to problems? These are small questions that can get you started on what type of work environment you would like to be in.

2) Utilize the HC Network! The HC Network link can be found online on the Center for Career Development homepage. There are thousands of alumni on the HC Network who have signed up to speak with students and share their professional experiences. You can make your student profile by including information about your class year, major, and specific job interests you have. You can send messages to alumni through the network and set up a time to speak. You can find an HC graduate who currently has a job you are interested in or is in the field you want to go into. You can also meet with alumni to learn more about graduate schools as well. Utilizing the HC Network is a great way to learn more about what the day-to-day would look like in a specific role, and to learn about what possible careers you would be interested in. You could set a goal to speak with three alumni this summer.

3) Volunteer! Just because the school year ends doesn’t mean your volunteer work has to come to an end as well. Volunteering at a local community organization during the summer is a great way to help your community and gain in-person experience working with a team. You can spend time researching places that may align with your interests or try something new. This experience can be something you do a few times throughout the summer in addition to your summer job.

4) LinkedIn is a great way to learn about what job opportunities are out there and what companies you are interested in. It can be super helpful to look through LinkedIn and learn about new companies. On LinkedIn you can learn what a company does, what the company culture is like, and who works there all on the same page. This is another way to connect with Holy Cross Alumni as well. By searching College of the Holy Cross on LinkedIn, and then clicking Alumni, you will be able to search through the 66,000 Holy Cross alumni on the platform.

5) Look through the over 100 clubs and organizations Holy Cross has to offer. Joining clubs where you can meet people with similar interests, as well as meet professionals in careers you would be interested in, is a very helpful way to not only get involved at Holy Cross but to learn about yourself. Sometimes the school year can get so busy with work, or maybe you missed the club fair in the beginning of the semester. Spend some time looking at clubs and organizations and pick one or two you are the most interested in - so you can hit the ground running when you get back on campus in the fall.

If you would like any help before the school year ends, you can make an appointment with the Center for Career Development. You can make this online by going to Handshake → Career Center → Appointments. The Center is also open for online appointments throughout the entire summer for any questions you may have. Good luck!