What are you doing this summer It might be worth more than you think! University of Manchester Careers Blog

What are you doing this summer It might be worth more than you think! Believe it of not it will soon be Autumn and summer will be a fond memory. Which of the following have you done (or are doing) this summer? Had a holiday Done a summer job or internship. Volunteered Had a working holiday / travelled. Had a part time job Worked in a family business. Learned a language or other skill Had a stay-cation, couchsurfing and catching up on some sleep. All of those are good in fact it helps to have a bit of a mix of activities. The problem is youll forget really quickly what you did, and the next time you look at your CV youll be scratching your head. If you have a diary / notepad on your phone or a retro paper version!! Make a note of when important things happened. Start end dates Times when something you did make a positive impact on a situation. It could have been training new staff, writing a report, communicating a new idea think about the skills here have you used any? Did you overcome a difficulty or challenge? Take a quick note of the situation, your actions the outcome. What have you learned about yourself? What motivates you and makes you interested and excited. Be aware of this to help you evaluate opportunities in future do they fit the pattern of what you enjoy? If you are a visual person take a photo to remind you. When you have time add them to your master CV the one you never hand out but were all the details live! Youll need to tidy it up and be selective when it comes to really using it for a job but at least there is something to jog your memory. Dont be too picky, many students  disregard  activities as unimportant  because it wasnt paid or it was only a few weeks it was only a casual job Get the highlights or even the struggles and lowlights down and you can think about the selling point later. Sometimes learning from a difficult situation can be the best outcome. Its one of those activities in hindsight youll wish you had done, but also probably never will! All Applications and interviews Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted CV internship summer job vacation job work experience