Make the most of your summer break 

Posted on by Careers Service

You’ve just finished exams and you’ve got three months until you’re back in lectures. Now is the perfect time to work on your career journey.

A shot of Bristol harbour

Here are seven things you can get on with while you’re on your break. 

1.    Identify your strengths and make some goals 

Understanding your strengths is a great way to find jobs that will suit you. A strength isn’t only something you are good at, but something that you enjoy and motivates you in your work. Spend time thinking about the strengths you have, and you can start looking for these in job adverts. 

Understanding areas you want to improve can help you set development goals. Being more aware of the skills you want to develop can help you focus your personal development. You could find training opportunities or choose experiences that prioritise these skills. This will help you grow in confidence. 

One way you can identify development goals is to use My Skills. This online platform uses a survey to help you identify your strengths and areas to improve. You can also find useful pathways to help improve areas you are less confident in. The survey focuses on skills employers expect to be important for the future. Pin areas you want to work on and come back to the survey later in the year to see how you developed. 

A screenshot from the My Skills platform, demonstrating how results from the survey are displayed. This user has selected Clear About My Direction and Ready for the Future as skills to develop.

2.    Reflect on your experiences this year 

Reflecting back on the experiences is a great way to recognise the skills you’ve used and developed. Don’t just think about the extracurricular stuff you’ve done though – include activities from your degree too. Research projects, group projects, data handling and essays all demonstrate valuable skills. 

You can use My Skills to reflect on your experiences. The skills statements tab allows you to keep a record of the different experiences you’ve had this year, what you did and the skills you used. You can then use this record when tailoring your CV to remind you of what you did and the skills you used.  

A screenshot of the Skills statements section of My Skills. This user has written about representing LGBT+ students, being a PASS leader and writing their Dissertation.

3.    Improve your skills with work experience 

Spotted a skill you want to develop in your reflections? The summer is the perfect time to do something about it. For instance, you could develop your verbal communication skills as a tour guide at a local museum. 

Finding a company, charity or cause related to potential career plans can give you valuable insight into a particular sector. But don’t fixate on getting the perfect internship for your future career plans. Any work experience helps you develop valuable transferable skills employers are looking for.  

You can also gain formal recognition for any extra-curricular experiences with the Bristol PLUS Award, our employability award. The award can be undertaken at any point of your studies, and you can backdate experiences from your first year onwards (including vacation periods!). 

A student posing for the camera with his Bristol PLUS Award certificate.

Registrations for the PLUS Award will reopen in September 2024. Read about the Award’s requirements and deadlines on the PLUS Award webpage.  

4.    Get networking online 

LinkedIn is a great place to go networking, especially as you don’t have to do it face to face! 

If you’re trying to work out what you want to do in the future, you can use LinkedIn to explore career options. For instance, head to the University of Bristol’s LinkedIn page, click on alumni and explore the jobs and organisations our alumni have ended up in. This could inspire you to find something similar when you’re ready to apply. 

If you want to find out more about working in an organisation or sector you’re interested in, you can use LinkedIn to reach out to people already there. It’s heartwarming to see how many people will respond to simple requests asking for advice.

You could ask: 

  • What is it like working in your organisation? 
  • What tips do you have for getting into a similar role? 
  • How did you get to where you are now? 

Don’t jump straight in and ask for a job with them – this can be off-putting and limits the help contacts can offer, especially if there are no jobs available right now. 

You don’t need a perfect LinkedIn profile to start networking. Just make sure you have a few details and a professional-looking photo and you’re good to go.   

5.    Look at graduate schemes, but there’s lots of other options out there 

Lots of graduate schemes open their applications in TB1. If you’re thinking about joining such a scheme when you graduate, you can use the summer to research options and plan what to apply for. 

But don’t worry if you’re not sure if a graduate scheme is for you. Most people go into other jobs when they graduate, rather than a graduate scheme. Jobs are advertised throughout the year, but you’ll mostly apply towards the end of your final year.  

You can also apply directly to organisations that offer graduate schemes. For instance, you can apply for a job in the Civil Service directly or join the Civil Service Fast Stream, whichever is right for you. 

And if you realise a graduate scheme might be right for you after the deadlines, you can apply after you graduate too. 

You can read more about graduate jobs and graduate schemes on mycareer.

6.    Get some rest! 

You don’t need to fill your summer with work experience and volunteering. It’s so important to take a break so you can come back to university ready to study. And you’re going to get more out of work experience if you’re well rested. 

7.    And finally, don’t panic! 

Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to do when you graduate. Even if it feels like everyone already has plans in place, many other students across the university are in the same position as you. You’ll still have plenty of time to explore careers ideas and start applying. 

The front doors of the Careers Service at 5 Tyndall Avenue

If you are starting to worry about your future career plans, the Careers Service is here for you.