resume

5 Fun Ways to Maintain Your Mental Strength This Summer!

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Three lawn chairs in a row on a beach with the ocean in the distance.

As the hazy lazy days of summer approach a college student such as yourself may have fallen into a not so productive routine. You may have adopted an unsteady sleep schedule, a habit of not keeping up with news and advancements in the industry that you are studying, as well as watching maybe one (or 5) too many episodes of your latest Netflix binge. 

But alas the sharpness of your mind is not completely lost! We have compiled a list of “Five Fun Ways to Maintain Your Mental Strength This Summer”so that you may have a chance at entering into the fall semester knowing maybe even more than you did before the end of the last semester. 

Volunteering:

Two women pose together for a photo wearing shirt that read "Volunteer" .
Photo: rawpixel via Upslash.com

Volunteering is a great way to no only lend a helping hand in your community, but make potential employment connections, as well add true substance to your resume! You may consider volunteering at a local nursing home/rehabilitation center working with the elderly, spending some time in a local soup kitchen, joining an environmental clean-up group, as well  working with animals in a shelter, or helping kids!

 Listen to a Book or Podcast: 

This time spent outside of the classroom does not mean that your quest for knowledge has to a stop. Summer provides an awesome opportunity for you to listen to a new book or podcast! The true perks of being able to “read” while on a walk, while you clean, or during the commute to your vacation destination is incredibly valuable. Take advantage of this time where you can choose what you want to “read” before it is time to dive back in to your mandatory textbooks reading!

Go Outside/ Get Active:

Young man standing on top of a mountain hands up in the air.
Photo by Jake Ingle via Unsplash.com

This tip may seem unrelated- but hear me out! The best part of the summer (in my personal opinion) is the ability to get outside and explore! Getting active is a great way to give your mind a chance to absorb and potentially even apply all that it has learned during the past semester. Relieve yourself of stress- explore, learn, think, and be free!

Work on your Resume:

Time outside of the classroom is the perfect chance for you to begin putting together, or sprucing up your existing resume. You never know when an internship or job prospect may present itself and you want to be prepared to apply!  Add any skills or certifications you have earned over the past few semester, as well as any volunteer and campus club activities you have been involved in!

Need some tips for writing a resume? Check out our blog post : https://wp.me/p5odWC-7O

Binge a Netflix Documentaries:

Woman in a room on a laptop
Victoria Heath via Upsplash.com

If you absolutely feel the need to chill and watch Netflix (or whatever your preferred streaming service is) why not have it be something that will make you smarter? As of April 2018 there were 1402 movies in Netflix US library. Pick something you know a little about, or a topic that you have not yet explored and expand your horizons!

 

 

Writing a Resume When You’re Fresh Out of College

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Resume, coffee, and laptop on desk

If you’re applying for jobs or internships after finishing college, you will probably need to provide a resume. While it’s commonly required, it can be confusing to write one yourself. Which jobs should you include? How much detail should you get into? What is “relevant experience” anyway? These tips can help you fit everything you need onto that page.

Write About Your Education

Include your time at Ulster and any other colleges you have attended. Often, you include the years you attended, your graduation month and year, your major and the type of degree you received, and any awards you received during your time there, including academic and merit-based awards. Some people choose to include their GPA if it is particularly high.

Add Jobs

List the jobs you’ve held over your life. If this is a short list, you will want to include them all and give a brief description of what you did at each. If it’s longer, you can be selective and include only the most relevant ones. Generally, it helps to add a brief description of your activities in each position, especially if it is unclear what the job entailed from your job title alone.

Internships

If you’ve had any internships, be sure to list them and what you did during your time at the internship. These are often valuable, particularly for recent college graduates who may not have traditional work experience in the field they’re applying to.

Relevant Experience

Need some more things to add? Especially if you’re trying to get a job related to your major, it never hurts to discuss relevant class and extracurricular activities you have taken part in. COIL projects, SGO positions, and research projects you’ve done in class are all excellent activities to mention that highlight intercultural, leadership, and other skills you’ve developed during your college years.

Volunteering

Potential employers love to see that you’ve been involved in the community! If you have participated in any volunteer efforts over your lifetime (particularly long-term volunteer efforts), it’s great to add to your resume. Not only does it show you’re active in your community and care about giving back, but it also gives you a chance to showcase skills you’ve gotten from doing so. For example, volunteering in an animal shelter could be an excellent source of experience for a graduate looking for jobs as a vet tech.

Get More Help Here!

Don’t forget that Career Services can give feedback on your resume and offer assistance with other steps of the job-finding process. Contact them by phone at 845-687-5091, stop by their offices in VAN 119, or email careerservices@sunyulster.edu.