While for many people, summer is associated with vacations, travel, and social interaction, many students choose to take advantage of the break from classes to join an internship or a summer job. It's also the best time to think about your future and develop your career plans.

Think about your future and your passion

Students often face significant social pressure to pursue specific courses of study in order to “succeed in life.” As a result, they continue their school and university studies on autopilot until they graduate. However, it would be more appropriate to take advantage of the school holidays to reflect on their professional future and the direction of their future career. It is recommended to take stock of their passion, the courses that interest the student, the added value of previous internships, etc. It is necessary to analyze their strengths and weaknesses to find the job that is most compatible with their personality and aspirations, while making the most of their assets.

To find your path, you could use techniques like Ikigai (finding your purpose) and mind mapping. These are options that allow you to have clear ideas, gain an overview, and better approach your future. These are relevant ways to detect whether you need to plan additional learning or acquire an additional skill to achieve your goal.

Complete your learning

After thinking about their future and what they are passionate about, young people can then define the technical skills they need to acquire to launch a successful career. They would only have to take advantage of the school holidays to acquire the knowledge or skills required to complete their profile, whether through an internship or by following a training course. It would be interesting to take advantage of this period to learn through MOOCs, tutorials, books or online training. The summer holidays are a good time to improve your level in a foreign language , learn design or a programming language, among other things. These skills can boost your search for an internship or job and are a plus on a CV.

Networking

Networking plays a vital role in a career. It's one of the most popular and satisfying recruitment channels. Therefore, students should consider cultivating their network of contacts to increase their chances in the professional world. To begin, keep in touch with professionals they meet during student jobs or internships. Don't hesitate to use LinkedIn, which is a very important networking tool. Staying in touch with other students in their class, former colleagues, as well as professors and speakers, is just as useful.

Don't hesitate to stay active on professional social media to increase your visibility among other members and contacts. Nothing should be left to chance when it comes to finding the job you want.

Refine your professional project with the help of professionals

During internship or summer job interviews, it's recommended to ask professionals questions. This is an opportunity to survey the market and its requirements, in addition to learning about the latest trends and news in a given sector. This is an opportunity not to be missed to learn about a career that interests the young person and understand their future prospects. Don't hesitate to use professional social networks to get information from managers, HR managers, and professionals. Establishing contact and then building a relationship can even help your career by learning about the requirements of a job, the missions, the qualities required to perform it, and more.

Choosing the right summer job

Students who choose to work during the summer season should carefully select their summer job. It would be wiser to find a job that will help them acquire or develop a specific skill. This is an opportunity to address any gaps that can undermine a young person's confidence and, at the same time, discover the strengths to highlight on their resume or during a job interview.

Survey the job market

It is recommended to take advantage of the school holidays to learn about the job market and explore it thoroughly. It would be interesting to know which sectors are hiring, the most sought-after profiles, which companies are most reputable, etc. It is important to do your research in order to better prepare for your professional future and know where, when, and how to apply to get your career off to a good start.

It's a good idea to take advantage of the summer to think about your professional project and the direction you want to take your future career. This period can shed light on young people's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the skills they need to develop and which will be useful in the future.