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5 easy ways to boost your career search over winter break

5 easy ways to boost your career search over winter break

December 15, 2022 at 3:33pm

Whether you’ve just completed your first semester at FIU, or you’re about to start your final semester before graduation, the winter break is a great opportunity to spend some time planning for your future career.

These five simple actions can help boost your job or internship search and prepare you for positive interview experiences in the coming months:

  1. Update your resume. Add any work experience you completed during the semester, such as a job or internship, research or other relevant projects and community service. Then, make sure your contact information is current and run a spelling and grammar check. “Make sure you're happy with it. That will be your base to easily update all your online career profiles, like Handshake and LinkedIn,” says Adriana Pinera-Cruz, a career specialist at FIU Career and Talent Development (CTD).
  • Pro Tip: Use VMock, an online platform available to FIU students that leverages powerful data analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance your resume.

2. Request an appointment with a career advisor through Handshake. It’s a good idea to visit CTD every semester. Request your spring appointment now, so you don’t forget come January. (Handshake gives FIU students access to career search tools, job and internship opportunities, professional development webinars, and more. If you haven’t claimed your free account, register today at fiu.joinhandshake.com.)

3. Brainstorm talking points for future cover letters. Remember that every cover letter should be tailored to the individual job application, but you can always keep a list of your main job experiences and qualifications on hand so you don’t have to start from scratch.

4. Clean up your social media. Take some time to review your digital footprint (what you post online) and your digital shadow (what others post about you). With the holidays coming, it’s a good time to ask family and friends to check in with you before they post anything about you online. “This will help keep a better handle of your digital presence and what people, including potential employers, can find about you,” Pinera-Cruz says. Learn more about cleaning up your social media in this article in The Muse.

5. Take time to self-reflect. If you’ve had a recent interview, consider what went well and what you could improve on next time. If you’re still trying to figure out your future career path, take a strengths test or complete an interest profiler assessment online to gain some helpful insight. Really think about what makes you YOU and how that relates to the world of work. “The goal is to have a very good idea of yourself so you can speak more eloquently and introspectively about yourself in career situations,” Pinera-Cruz says. She shared the following online tools to help guide you in the right direction:

With all that in mind, be sure to mark your calendar for FIU’s Spring Career Fairs:

  • All-Majors Fair: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the GC Ballrooms)
  • Technical Majors Fair: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the GC Ballrooms)