Five ways to build your summer experience toolkit

 

Gather material | Informational interviews, coffee chats and mentorship

Questions about a specific discipline? Unsure of where to start in gaining relevant experience? Does someone you know have an exciting job that you want to learn more about? Setting up informational interviews or coffee chats to learn more about a profession and ways to build your network are essential, regardless of where you are in your career journey. In addition, consider engaging in Auburn Engineering mentorship opportunities through Auburn Connects. These exciting mentorship connections can lead to connections and relationships with Auburn alumni and professionals in industry.

 

Construct your brand| Networking and engagement

Develop your professional brand and pave the way for future success in your intended career field. Create and update your LinkedIn profile, Handshake account, personal online website/portfolio and other online platforms to ensure consistency and effectiveness in your future search. Check out this Muse article around building a LinkedIn profile that gets results.

 

Sharpen your skills | Learn something new

Refining skills and learning new processes, technologies and concepts will never leave you. As you develop in to a future engineering professional, your willingness to learn new ways of solving problems and new approaches to the work that you do will be a continuous process. So, what are you waiting for?

Dive in to some of these FREE certifications and trainings:

 14 Sites for Online Classes That'll Boost Your Skills

 

Prototype your interests

While you may know internships and co-op are a great way to gain experience, there are many additional ways to test out your interest areas as well. If a summer internship or co-op has not panned out just yet or it isn't the right time - check out other ideas for how to gain valuable experience through research, global programs, on-campus jobs, design competitions or hackathons, volunteering, or self-initiated projects.

 

Build your resume| Define experiences

Documenting your experiences, developed and refined skills, and ways in which you stay connected through student organizations and professional associations are essential elements for your engineering resume. Check out these resources in the CDCR Toolbox. In addition, you can schedule an individual appointment with a career coach in our office to discuss ways to develop and tailor your resume towards a specific position of interest.

 

 

Want to navigate building your summer engineering experience toolkit further? Let us help! Our Career Development Team is available all summer long to assist! Schedule an appointment to meet (face-to-face or virtually!) with an Engineering Career Coach.