Working Strategies: Finishing the summer strong

Amy Lindgren And vroom That whoosh you just heard It s the sound of summer racing past The wails by the way signify pretty much everyone realizing they re not ready From little kiddos to working stiffs to senior citizens we all have things we want to do before summer ends I hate to add something to the list but well that s kind of what I do If you re in job-search or career-change mode this is a good time to clean up errant details from the past limited months while preparing to start fresh in the fall It s not that everyone turns into a pumpkin once September starts of module you can hold off a couple of weeks without consequences But consider how a couple of weeks turns to three or four how long can you get away with an email that starts It s been a busy summer The point being if you ve dropped any balls you can claim a short grace period to blame summer while picking them up again Here are chosen checklists to jog your memory while you re considering what those dropped balls might be For job seekers If you ve been doing a job search this summer you may have conducted outreach on a number of levels while also identifying various organizations and opportunities to pursue Your checklist might include Organizing your efforts from the past three months including the postings you responded to the cover letters you used the individuals you met or corresponded with etc This can involve a spreadsheet or just a simple method of putting everything in a file on your computer labeled Summer Sorting the relevant statistics into categories such as Nope Possibly and Demands follow up Triaging the follow up and possibly categories to identify those you should contact within the next week or two in order to pick up the trail again Crafting emails or making phone calls to help move things forward in each scenario For career changers Career changers may also be in job-search mode but the career change adds another facet of activity In this affair the checklist might include Reviewing information gathered to this point about the new career paths you re considering This figures may also need to be organized and could include categories such as Training Job options and Contacts for example Emerging or reviewing a list of questions you need to research before making your decision Growing or reviewing a list of people you plan to contact have already initiated contact with who can help answer your questions Creating or revising a timeline for making those contacts then moving forward with the outreach so you can stay on schedule with your career change For students with summer jobs or internships Job seekers and career changers aren t the only ones with an end-of-summer to-do list Students who have held summer positions also benefit from moving smoothly from one season to the next That checklist might include Checking in with supervisors to be sure they re satisfied with how things have been going Requesting letters of recommendation that can be used in future hiring processes Inquiring about future prospects for employment including the possibility of weekends or evenings during the school year Gathering contact information from club members or workers to help with future networking Creating a short list of people to thank more formally including the boss and the school contact if this was an internship Updating LinkedIn entries and r sum s while the experience is still fresh For everyone While there s nothing particularly special about the end of summer when it comes to jobs and careers it s as good a time as any to conduct a review and confirm the path forward This process also helps ensure a strong start in the fall less encumbered by loose ends and the guilt they inspire Whether you ve been power-housing all summer good for you or succumbing to summer s multiple distractions much more common this first week of September is your chance to rev the engines and move into the new season with determination Enjoy your Labor Day holiday and I ll see you in the fall Arrgh Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St Paul She can be reached at alindgren prototypecareerservice com