Your Student Life: Winter Break Personal and Professional Tips

December 3, 2024

Winter break is a time for rest and relaxation but it’s also an opportunity to start thinking about your well-being and your future career. Here are a few ways you can set yourself up for personal and professional success while still enjoying holiday traditions, hot chocolate and cozy fireplaces.

Here comes internships: Think ahead about future plans
BuckeyeCareers wants to remind students that it’s never too early to start thinking about internships. There are some employers recruiting year-round and some who are hiring for their internship programs a year ahead.

Make a calendar and check it twice: Plan out which spring semester career fairs to attend
Look in Handshake to see the schedule of upcoming virtual and in-person career fairs. Register for the ones that interest you and mark the dates on your calendar. Also, check in Handshake for any type of career-related events, including workshops and follow employers you are interested in to receive notifications when they post new jobs, host a workshop or plans to attend an event on campus.

Out with the old, in with the new year: Update your resume as well as your Handshake and LinkedIn profiles
Halfway through the school year is the time to reflect back on the skills you’ve gained and projects completed. Add these relevant experiences to your resume as well as your Handshake and LinkedIn profiles. Make sure they showcase the breadth of skills you could bring to a role. Be sure to include campus employment on your resume because it’s real-world work experience where you learn important skills like leadership, professionalism, teamwork, communication and critical thinking.

Rockin’ around the elevator: Develop your introduction pitch
Take time to think through how you want to introduce yourself to potential employers at networking events and career fairs. This short introduction is called your elevator pitch because it’s a way for you to “sell yourself” and should last about as long as an elevator ride. Your elevator pitch should include:

- Who you are: Your name and something unique about you like your year in school and major

o Hello, my name is ____________ and I am completing a ____________ degree in ____________ at The Ohio State University.

- Your future career goals and career interests

o I am interested in a career/internship in ____________ in the ____________ field/ industry.

- How you’ve been exploring that interest

o I have been involved during college in ____________.

- Key skills or experiences that show how you are qualified

o And developed skills in ____________. I have also had an internship/employment position as a ____________ with ____________ and discovered that I really enjoy ____________.

- A question or request for help

o Could you tell me more about ____________?

Practice saying your elevator pitch so it feels authentic. The more you say your elevator pitch the more comfortable you’ll become when it’s time to introduce yourself to a hiring manager or recruiter.

Sleigh bells ring: Schedule a career coaching appointment
It’s not too early to make an appointment to meet with a career coach who can give you individual guidance. Buckeye Careers’ career coaches help you clarify your goals, develop an individualized career plan, provide feedback on resumes/CVs and cover letters, as well as practice interviewing skills. To make an appointment, log in to your Handshake account, click “Career Center,” and click “Appointments.” You can also drop in for a quick career question by going to Handshake, “Events” and searching “Buckeye Careers: Drop-In Appointments.”

Buckeye Careers and your college’s career office are here to help you prepare for a successful career. Take advantage of the resources available to you, like Handshake and the numerous career fairs, workshops and networking opportunities offered throughout the academic year. Also, follow Buckeye Careers for Students on LinkedIn to get timely updates on events and insightful tips to help you feel confident in your search.

Debbie Wakefield

Marketing Specialist
Office of Student Life

Now I’ll turn this this column over to my colleagues in Student Life Counseling and Consultation Service for some winter break well-being tips.

· If you’ve typically experienced concerns during the winter months, try to plan. Consider scheduling an appointment with your existing counselor, identify new resources, reach out to friends and family, and make a few plans you can look forward to throughout the month.

On days where you have a blank square on the calendar, try your best to maintain a somewhat consistent sleeping and eating schedule. We know that getting enough sleep and nutrition is a major factor for our ability to regulate emotions, and sometimes we unintentionally let those things go when our routine changes.
Be intentional about spending time with others, whether that’s visiting friends and family back home or connecting virtually! It can be nice to decompress alone, but scheduling some time for connection over break helps combat the feelings of loneliness when it’s dark and cold.
Sunlight is good for our mood and our circadian rhythm, so if it’s not too cold outside, try to take some time outdoors, whether it’s a winter hike at a local park or a 5-minute walk break during the day. Not a fan of the snow? Many people who struggle with seasonal depressive symptoms find light therapy helpful as well.
Make sure that your break is exactly that—a break. You may still have important goals and projects to keep up with, but leisure time has benefits for our mental and physical health. Leisure time is ultimately a “win” for productivity, too!

Resources
Winter break can be a time of rest, relaxation, and celebration, but it can also come with its own challenges to mental health and well-being. As just a few examples, students may deal with loneliness, complex family dynamics, grief of celebrating holidays without loved ones, or impacts of current events. Multiple resources are available for students who are travelling for the holidays, no matter where they’ll be in the world.

Let’s Talk is a free, confidential resource for students to meet virtually with CCS counselor. These 15–20-minute, informal consultations are a great option for students who may not need ongoing counseling, but who could benefit from one-on-one support and consultation.
Uwill provides free access to 3-5 sessions of teletherapy and is available to all current Ohio State students. Students can request a therapist based on their unique needs and preferences (focus area, gender, language, ethnicity), at a time that best fits their schedule.
Several self-guided resources are available on-demand for students to work on wellness skills at their own pace.

Counseling and Consultation Service
Office of Student Life