How to use spring break to give your résumé the boost it needs

Spring break is usually seen as the time to sit on the beach and take in the sun—but you could be missing a major opportunity to give your résumé the boost it needs to really stand out.

It really says something about you that you gave up your leisure time to do something more involved, so here are some ideas for what you might do to give your résumé that extra edge.

1.Volunteer
This is one of the easiest things you can do over your break! Volunteering is generally free to do, and requires very little by way of applications. You can work with a local soup kitchen to help serve meals for the week, or you could go on a trip to somewhere more distant, either by yourself or with a group.
For example, Give Kids the World is a popular and wonderful organization to work with. They run what is essentially a mini fantasyland resort for sick children near Orlando, and provides the children and their families free access to theme parks nearby. Volunteers do everything from serve ice cream to entertain the children in costumes—but keep in mind, it requires a bit of preparation beforehand, including background checks. You can check out the details here.
Or, if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can search for other volunteer opportunities here.
 

2.Take an online course
Oh no. Study more?? Over break??!!! Well, yes—what better time is there to study something interesting without three papers and four tests hanging over your head?
But more than that, you can study an area that provides a useful skill—like basic computer science, or nutrition. And the best part, it’s all free!
Khan Academy is an excellence resource for learning materials, and Coursera has multiple classes online that you can watch in one sitting (if you want). I strongly recommend “Learning How to Learn,” which explains the best neuroscience-backed ways to learn and study. It’s very useful!
 

3.Create your online presence: Personal websites and LinkedIn
It always looks nice on a résumé to list your own personal website—and there’s no better way to show yourself off than with a beautifully-designed site. WordPress is free, doesn’t require knowledge of web design, and has plenty of options that can make you shine. Or, if you haven’t created your LinkedIn profile, now is a great time to create it!
 

4.Get professional experience: Shadow, get an externship, or attend a conference
Nothing expresses interest in and dedication to a field better than seeking out opportunities to learn from the experts. This can be done in several ways.
You can shadow a relevant professional. This is generally pretty simple to do—often, it’s as easy as researching who is nearby and calling them to ask. Healthcare and education, however, will likely require HIPAA training or background checks—so ask early!
Likewise, check to see if your school offers any externships—short learning opportunities to get practical experience in a field of study—for a more rigorous spring break experience.
Or, look to see if there are going to be any conferences in your future career, as there’s no better way to learn about the latest news and breakthroughs in your area.
 

5.Make your résumé actually look good
But by far, the easiest way to boost your résumé? Take some time to update it with recent experiences, and then format it in a unique way.
Most résumés look fairly identical, meaning a future employer or application committee will find their eyes glazing over when they try to read it. Adding a small amount of color, a font other than Times New Roman (but *not* Comic Sans), or giving it a unique layout will make it pop against the normal black and white columns of other people’s résumés. Here’s a site with some good ideas to really help it stand out.

Image credit: By Official U.S. Navy Page from United States of America MC1 Chris Fahey/U.S. Navy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons