Small Steps to Taking Advantage of Your Time

By: Caitlin Charles

In light of the fact that today appears to be Snowmageddon round two, and I am once again cooped up inside, I began thinking about how I could best take advantage of my time.  I can only spend so much time on the couch before I need to get up and take a walk around my apartment. With Career Week coming up, there are so many things that I could be working on in this time.  So how can you take advantage of those snow days, or lazy Sunday afternoons? 

There are always small steps you can take to make sure you are prepared for your future.  Its best to take these steps before attending events on campus like career fairs and networking events, but you should always be prepared because you never know when you might meet a future employer.

Step one: re-read your resume.  It may have been a few months since you have updated it, and re-reading it may spark ideas on how to refresh it.  Make sure all of your contact information is correct, and fix any areas that might be confusing.  If you have not yet started creating a resume, this is a great place to start writing down small bits of information that you can gradually start putting together into a cohesive resume.

Step two: Develop your elevator pitch.  How would you describe your skills and assets in 30 seconds?  You may meet a potential employer while waiting in line at the coffee shop, so have a rough idea of what you tell him. Be confident and conversational.  You don't want it to sound perfectly rehearsed word for word, it should sound extemporaneous.  Simply highlight some key points that you would hope to say and practice different ways of expressing them.

Step three: Start creating a business card if you have not already.  Business cards are much easier to carry around than resumes.  So when you meet that business professional you hope to keep in contact with, or potentially get a job with, you can hand them your contact information without giving them a full page resume.  If you aren't sure where to begin, ask your friends for ideas.  Start laying out designs and content, and ask around for feedback.  Then invest $25 dollars in an online printing service, so that you can have some with you at all times.

There are many other small steps you can take in a spare 30 minutes to make sure you are always prepared.  So the next time you find an afternoon with nothing good on television, consider taking a few moments to make sure you are ready for your future.