Summer FUN – “For Using Networking”

After celebrating the birth of the USA on July 4th, it seems like the summer is nearly over.   I, for one, just want it to go on and on – I’m a beach girl!

Many of you may have already completed one half or more, of your summer internship. If so, I hope you are enjoying your experience and learning more about the world of work.  Speaking about the world of work, this is a good time to reflect on what you have done thus far.  Think about the projects you are working on, the new skills you have acquired, the people you have met.  Have you connected with others in your department, learned more about the organization, acquired a good feel for the culture?  If not, you still have ½ a summer to do so!

Offer to take an experienced member of the staff to coffee, or arrange a lunchtime get together. Learn about their career and their experiences. Share your interests, enthusiasm for the job, and express your appreciation for the opportunity to work at the organization.   This is a wonderful time to network with others in the industry and learn first-hand from experienced professionals what it is like to work there full-time as a permanent employee. 

Have a terrific rest of the summer!!

Summer: A Time To Recharge

Image result for iphone low battery screenSo many of us, whether it be on our phones, tablets or laptops, feel an overwhelming sense of panic when our screens alert us that only a few precious percentage points of battery are remaining. I don’t know about you, but when I get the message that my phone is about to die I stop what I’m doing, scramble for a charger and immediately plug in my device until it’s back to its healthy color of green – out of the “danger zone.” Anything below 20% makes me start to sweat just a little bit.

Why is it then when our bodies tell us to recharge, that they are almost out of power, we are so prone to ignore them? Very few of us stop what we are doing and make it our priority to rejuvenate ourselves. Somehow it’s so easy to give up the sleep we need, ignore diet or exercise plans or fail to practice daily mental relief activities that can make us feel healthy, energized, motivated, balanced – and out of the danger zone.

For many students, the summer can be an excellent time to recharge. It can be a break from school work, a shift in your normal pace of life and you may be surrounded by family and friends you don’t see during the school year. All of that can be refreshing. But in so many instances, we forget to take advantage of the summer while there is time. After thinking about this a bit, I started to create a list of summer “best practices” that focused on healthy habits, but, in turn, found that our Director, Pat Rose, has already done it for me in her (still very relevant) 2012 post ‘Summer Checklist’. Pat advises to incorporate healthy living activities like reading a book for fun, catching up on sleep, having positive interactions with people and broadening your career network through casual, low stress conversations, to name a few. I encourage you to read her post to see how you may incorporate some of her recommendations into your own summer schedule.

We have a solid 7 weeks left of the summer before classes begin again. Try to focus on using that time wisely. Don’t constantly operate at a charge below 20%. Do what is good for you so you can feel your best and, therefore, hopefully do your best. By prioritizing your physical and mental health, you have the best chance to enjoy your summer, and ultimately come back to Penn fully recharged for the 2017-2018 school year!

Happy Fourth!

Career Services will be closing at 2pm on Monday, July 3rd and will reopen at 9am on Wednesday, July 5th.

Have a safe and relaxing Independence Day! The holiday weekend is a great time to get acquainted with our new Career Services platform, Handshake! Log in, fill out your profile, search positions, even schedule an appointment for later on! We look forward to serving you again after the holiday!