Summertime: Keep it in Gear

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/twelve-simple-tactics-to-shore-up-your-career-during-work-downtime/

Summertime is downtime for most students. This is a good thing! You may be asking "want fries with that?", but you may also not be ears-deep in research papers for various classes, and staring down a test at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. It's okay to let your brain regrow some of those cells you feel like you burned up the previous academic year.

But if you're a new graduate waiting for a job offer, or even if you're moving from your sophomore year to your junior year--there are things you can be doing to further your career prospects.

If you're in town, one obvious one is to check in with the Niagara University Career Counseling office--use the link here <http://www.niagara.edu/career>, email them at <careers@niagara.edu>, call <716-286- 8530>,or better yet visit these nice folks in their new home in Bailo Hall.

Other ideas:

• Sign up for LinkedIn, or grow your list of contacts by finding classmates and professors with whom you can connect
• Read some books or sign up for blogs on job-hunting, your target employment field, or other career-relevant stuff
• Learn new software, like Excel (plenty of free tutorials online), or productivity apps for your smartphone or tablet
• Start drafting a resume and cover letter template (operative word--"template," since you'll want to customize for each job application)
• Locate and participate in forums on LinkedIn, Twitter or other social media that may eventually generate connections and job leads