Summer for a college student typically involves internships and summer jobs. This summer is a little different. With COVID-19, a lot of summer internships and jobs have already been cancelled. Some internships have made the switch from in-person to virtual and if that’s your case — consider yourself lucky.
Where to Start
For those who aren’t as lucky, there are several ways to build your resume over the summer months. For starters, reach out to local companies and see if they need help building their brand or advertising it on social media. This is an easy way to gain experience on how smaller companies work and provides insight on how a company deals with unexpected events such as COVID-19.
Online Resources
There are also courses that can be completed as well. For starters, the Adobe suite course is usually over $700. Recently, it has been priced at around $39. This course has over 60 hours of content and allows you to be certified in programs such as Lightroom, Photoshop, Premier and Graphic design.
There is also a program called LinkedIn Learning that offers certificates and training in programs such as Microsoft and other “expert-led” courses. The first month of LinkedIn Learning is free for most, but with Penn State’s subscription, it is free to Penn State Students. It also allows for a flexible schedule — making it convenient for you.
Skill Share is also a website that has several options for courses on career development, interviewing and how to make and organize a resume. It is also a way to learn new skills to add to a resume. This includes but is not limited to: photography, video and website development. The opportunities on this site are endless — search what you want to learn and there is most likely a class on that topic.
In-Person
Another easy way to build a resume is to volunteer and serve your community. Whether it be at a local park to pick up trash, or help out and a local food pantry, these are important things that could be added to a resume.
In the midst of something that might not always seem positive, it is important to focus on things you can change. This includes building your resume in a way you might not have time to if you had that internship or summer job — and even lets you have a flexible schedule while doing so!
Check out Penn State’s website for more learning resources!
