Summer is approaching, which means a break from regular courses and assignments. You might already know that internships are great way to leverage summer break and gain valuable experience that can help you secure a job after you graduate. But if you don’t have an internship lined up for this summer, don’t worry.

Here are some things you can do over the summer to prepare you for your next big internship or job.

1. Gain hands-on, applied experience

Applied experience is where you gain skills you could transfer to a different opportunity in the future—including but not limited to internships.

While school is in session, gaining applied experience could mean actively participating in: student clubs/organizations, research labs, or class projects.

Over the summer, gaining applied experience could mean a part-time job or volunteer project where you’re learning skills that are valued by the industry you would like to pursue. (It’s not too late to get a part-time job, volunteer in your community, or try out a virtual immersive employer experience this summer!)  

2. Expand your network 

While you may be on summer break, most employees at your target companies aren’t. Take advantage of that by reaching out to professionals in your desired field. Conducting informational interviews is a great way to connect with people and gain insight about the day-to-day experience of different roles you might be interested in pursuing further.

3. Learn new skills 

Have you ever wanted to learn how to code, use photo editing software, or become an Excel expert? As a UO student, we have access to LinkedIn Learning, a collection of hundreds of classes that are self-guided and self-paced so that we can learn and develop those skills on our own time, at our own pace. This helps make you more marketable to companies when applying to roles in the future.

4. Prepare your personal branding documents

Once you’ve gained some applied experience and learned new skills, you can start crafting (or refine) your resume and cover letter. If you’re not sure where to start, try using one of our resume templates and cover letter samples. Once you have a good foundation, you can use an AI tool like VMock Smart Editor to get preliminary feedback and improve the quality of your resume. Of course, stop by Mohr Career Services in the fall to get an in-person document review and hit the ground running with your career and internship search!