K’s Winter Break is long, right? What can you do during this time? Here are a few ideas: 

1) Reflect on who you want to be after graduation. Stepping away from the busy pace of campus life offers you a valuable opportunity to think deeply about your personal and professional goals. Go for a walk and allow yourself to imagine your life in five or ten years. Sit with a trusted friend or family member and talk together about your hopes and dreams for your lives. Checkout PathwayU. 

2) Polish your resume, LinkedIn profile, or other professional documents. Our Resume Modules and other resources available on our website offer tips and tools for updating and refining your all-important job-search documents. You might take your resume along to an information interview and ask for feedback from the professional you are interviewing. Make sure you’ve included recent internship and employment experience, as well as relevant educational achievements and accomplishments.

3) Explore KConnect, Kalamazoo College’s Student/Alumni connection platform. Find K grads who have relevant experience to answer career-related questions. Schedule a call and chat with them. Wondering how best to do that? Make the most of your connections with these resources. Keep your eye out for pre-scheduled opportunities to meet with alumni through our Hornet Huddles program, often offered during Winter Break.

4) Check out potential summer opportunities. The CCPD’s postings database on Handshake is constantly updated with new internships by employers seeking K student applicants. Check out where other K students have interned in the past on this page (you have to log in with KNet credentials). Most large companies have their own internship programs, some with fall/winter deadlines. Look online for interesting opportunities, and if your heart is set on an organization that doesn’t list internships, don’t be afraid to contact a human resources representative there to ask if you might set something up. Learn more about internships and work-based learning here and save the date for upcoming on-campus Employer Connection Fairs or career fairs at neighboring WMU.

5) Network through informational interviews in your hometown. Want to find out more about careers in a particular industry? Most professionals are happy to be asked to talk about their work and their career path. Ask to schedule a short informational interview with alumni professionals in your area, or use your network of family and friends to help identify potential interviewees. And remember to send a thank-you note afterwards! 

6) Figure out what “professional dress” looks like in your intended industry. Sooner or later you’ll need to dress to impress a potential employer or graduate recruiter. Invite someone whose opinion you trust to help you find a suit that fits well and conveys your serious intentions. The CCPD website has suggestions for how to find a suit that fits your budget. Is a suit not required for your intended area of interest? Figure out what will work best by connecting with a K grad in the “real world” and feel confident at future interviews. 

7) Arrange a job shadow. Arrange a job shadow with a K grad to learn more about their day-to-day work life. CCPD staff are around over break to help you find and make these connections. Stay tuned for K in the Zoo, a local job shadow program coming up for Winter Break Day (February) and Spring Break. Not sure where you’d like to shadow? Check out Forage, a platform where you can test out a job without even applying!

8) Build your skills. In addition to the critical thinking, communication, intercultural and problem solving skills you’re acquiring as part of your K-Plan, there are other transferable skills you may want to hone during break.

9) Remember that we’re here to help. Overwhelmed? Career Coaches are available over winter break for appointments, both in-person and virtually. Schedule yours via Handshake.

Remember: Take a break! Spend time relaxing and celebrating with family and friends. After giving your all throughout Fall Term, you deserve it.