What to Do Over Winter Break: 3 Tips for Job Seekers From a Career Coach

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By Dr. Lindsey Plewa, Deputy Director and Career Coach at the Graduate Career Management Center


Lately I’ve been having conversations with graduate students and alumni who are seeking internships or full-time jobs and want to know how they should spend their time over winter break. Here are 3 tips:

1. REST

You’ve heard the phrase “you can't pour from an empty cup,” right? Usually this refers to helping other people and how you can’t help others unless you yourself are on solid ground. This is also applicable to job search. How can you give your time and energy to doing anything job search related if you’re feeling completely depleted? Once finals are over, take some time to rest. For some, that may mean literally that…sleep or a day to “hurkel-durkel”. For others, it may mean reading a book, listening to a podcast, going to the gym, or bingeing a show. Whatever it is you do to recharge, do that first. Rest IS productive.

2. RECONNECT

The holiday season is the perfect time to reconnect with former colleagues, classmates, professors, mentors, or anyone you’ve met in the last year. Not sure what to say? A note of gratitude is always welcome. For example, if you had a professor who was especially helpful, you could send an email that says:

Dear Professor X, 

I wanted to send a note to thank you for the x class this semester. I especially appreciate the time you took to explain x concept to me after class. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. 

With gratitude, 

Your Name

Additionally, if you met someone at an employer information session or had a networking call (more on that here), you could send an email or LinkedIn message that says:

Dear Name,
Thank you again for speaking with me this past Fall about your experience working for x.  Since we spoke, I followed up on x, which has (share what you learned). I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
With gratitude,
Your Name

3. VOLUNTEER

I recently prepared a friend for an interview where she’ll likely be asked about her leadership experience. Though she hasn’t had a chance to directly supervise others, she has had a ton of volunteer experience, which includes mentoring, so I suggested she share a STAR story about that. While it’s clear that volunteering is a great way to help others, it can also be a great way to add to your skill set and expand your network. Here are some organizations to consider:

You can search volunteer opportunities by time of day or category such as tutoring, STEM, or arts & culture. 

Some ways to volunteer include repacking food, collecting food from trade shows, or serving as an interpreter (Mandarin and Cantonese speakers needed).

These are remote volunteer opportunities that you can sort by duration (15-minute phone call to a 6-week project) or type (social media, data analysis, translation services).

Did these ideas resonate? Do you have any questions? Share in the comments below or direct message me!

For over a decade, Dr. Lindsey Plewa has coached thousands of clients on how to successfully navigate a job search. She is currently the Deputy Director of Career Advising at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in New York City. She holds an MA from New York University and an EdD from Northeastern University.

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