Hey 2nd years,
Congrats!! 3 semesters down. 1 to go!
Hope y’all have a relaxing winter break but I also wanted to send you some things you should do over break to make your lives easier next semester. It’s in list form. (I like lists and like to check things off.)
WINTER BREAK TO DO LIST:
1.) Continue to read the trades and make a “short list” of the places where you want to work.
- For agencies, the ADWEEK and AdAge “Agency of the year” lists might be helpful. They’re here.
- For brand/innovation consultancies, this might be helpful.
- It might also be helpful to look at where the Class of 2025 accepted jobs. Go here and scroll down to Job Placements.
2.) Update your resume to include new skills or projects from this past semester, freelance projects, etc. ESPECIALLY share the AI skills/tools you’re using.
3.) Update or create the FRAMEWORK for your website (design, layout, etc.) so that next semester, all you have to do is drop your work in.
4.) If you haven’t done so already, purchase your portfolio site domain name. If possible, try to make it your name www.ashleysommardahl.com vs. something like “www.goodwriter.com”…this makes recruiter’s lives easier.
5.) Polish work you’ve already done. If you have a project that you’ve done and think it it’s potentially book-worthy but needs more work, winter break is a great time to polish it…Next semester will be busy.
6.) Side projects – Don’t underestimate the power of side projects/hustles to convey creativity, storytelling, humor, etc…Sometimes it’s the side projects that get the most attention. They don’t have to be scholarly…look at the examples in the link that follows. Two of my favorites are Complaint Letters and Sick Burns. Here are a few examples of fun side projects.
Side projects also include your creative talents like painting, sculpting, photography, short stories, etc…however you channel your creative talents, there’s definitely a place for that on your site.
7.) Write the “About” section of your site. Here’s some advice from alums on that.
8.) It’s definitely worth spending some time looking through recent grads’ portfolio sites for reference.
9.) Join the Linkedin alumni group. It’s where we post jobs, share new alumni work, share resources, etc. It’s a closed group so request to join and I’ll add you.
10.) Start following the agencies/brands you like on Linkedin and Instagram. That’s the first place they often post about internships and open positions.