Senior Christmas Break Checklist

The holiday break is almost upon us. For some of you, this may be the first time you’re experiencing the joys of the long-awaited Christmas and New Year’s break from the busy schoolwork and extracurricular meetings. For others, this may be the final time you’ll be getting time off before launching into the next season of life. If you’re one of the people in the latter category, there’s a few things to keep on your radar for over the break. Although it’s a break from classes, this time is precious and can be used to help get some things in order as you prep for the next phase.

  1. Résumé. Brush off the dust and update it if necessary. If you haven’t created a résumé yet, you should begin. Click here to see a good template to get you started. If you’ve already done so, update your résumé to make it more current, make several versions catered to different jobs if you have a lot of various experiences, and give it a thorough proofread.
  2. LinkedIn. Start or update your LinkedIn portfolio. There’s a whole series of blogs on how-to use LinkedIn. The first one is catered towards the basics of your LinkedIn portfolio. Basically, you want your LinkedIn to be your professional Facebook. Have activity on your account and make sure that you’ve filled out your profile page.
  3. Job Applications. Once we all return back from break, the months will fly by. If you haven’t started applying and locking-down a job for post-grad, it’s a great time to start seeking out and applying for different opportunities. Keep your options open and apply to plenty to give yourself the best chances and choices.
  4. Portfolio. Some majors may benefit from having a solid portfolio. Art, writing, and education majors are some examples of people who may want to exemplify their work via a different platform. It’s always a good idea to have another way to showcase your hard work, and sites like Wix and Weebly are highly beneficial to helping you get started.
  5. Cover Letter. You’re going to want to have a solid cover letter to go along with a résumé and application. It’s always a nice idea to have a letter on file that can be edited and tweaked for various jobs. You can have a couple of samples that range from more professional and direct to more creative. Here you can find a basis for writing a cover letter.
  6. Interview Prep. Take common interview questions and write out answers. When you’re thinking about answering questions keep in mind the S.T.A.R. method. This acronym stands for situation, task, action, and result. Keep in mind how your experiences can showcase how you’ve handled situations, specifies your skills, shows the ways in which you’ve demonstrated those things tangibly, and what were the overall results and takeaways.
  7. Get the Garb. Dressing the part is an essential aspect of the interview process. You may already have interview and job-appropriate clothing options, but, if not, the holiday season is a great time to invest in some new garb. For ideas of what is appropriate, check out our Pinterest page. Your garb is a great way to display your professionalism as well as to showcase your unique style and personality.
  8. Know Your Options. You have plenty of resources to utilize here at Hope to help make the next stage of life feel a bit easier. The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career offers plenty of choices for various sessions and appointments. Be sure to check out our offerings on our website. To schedule an appointment, feel free to log into your Handshake account.
  9. Do Your Research. When interviewing with a company, it’s essential to have a basic grasp on who the company is. Be sure to check out their website and also look into the benefits and other perks of the company. Things like pay structures, stock options, travel allowances, and especially benefits like insurance and retirement can end up being big factors in what makes you choose one job over another.

Whatever you spend your break doing, make sure to take some time to rest and rejuvenate. With graduation coming in a few short months, it’s important to refocus and re-energize to prepare yourself for the next steps in life. If you want to learn more about practices in self-care, this article is one that will hopefully challenge you to grow as you prepare for another busy season of life.

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