/9918578/Banner

/9918578/Banner_2

/9918578/Mid

section

articleId

product

orgType

parrefer

accountID

Consulting

Banking

Accounting

Fintech

Internships

Rankings

Internship Rankings

Intern Resource Center

Explore Internships

Vault Law Home

Practice Area Resource Centers

Regional Resource Centers

Summer Program Resource Center

Vault Law Culture & Inclusion Survey

Vault Law

Guides

Events

Financial Services

Technology

Grad School

Work Relationships

Productivity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Social Impact

Remote Work

Negotiating

Changing Jobs

Workplace Issues

Blog

Resume Samples

Cover Letter Samples

Interview Tips & Questions

A Day in the Life

International

Career Readiness

Explore Professions

Research Industries

Search Companies

Career Advice

Employers

Schools

&lt;p&gt;Summer is a-comin&amp;rsquo; in, and if you&amp;rsquo;re a college student or recent grad with no internship or job, the summer could be long and leaden. But just because you lack the formal kind of work doesn&amp;rsquo;t mean you get to be malingering all day like a house cat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;From the &lt;em&gt;NYT&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Q.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;Is there a way to develop skills you need for your chosen field, without yet having a job in that field?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A.&lt;/strong&gt; Talk to people in the industry and read job ads to learn what employers are looking for, Ms. Brooks says, then determine what you can do to get the necessary skills and experience. If you know you need more customer-service experience, for example, you might volunteer to answer phones at a charitable organization or try to get a job at a call center, she says.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you register at temporary agencies, Ms. Kane says, &amp;ldquo;don&amp;rsquo;t focus on the job title &amp;mdash; focus on skills development.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;No matter what job you&amp;rsquo;re doing,&amp;rdquo; she adds, &amp;ldquo;you will learn how a company operates and develop business communication skills.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Volunteer work is another option, but choose work that enhances your r&amp;eacute;sum&amp;eacute;, Mr. Black says. &amp;ldquo;Find ways of using your degree to help the organization &amp;mdash; it might be marketing, finance or event planning,&amp;rdquo; he says. Don&amp;rsquo;t just look at established charities; find some small local businesses and offer to volunteer, while learning at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;[NYT]&lt;/p&gt;

Vault Education Editors

Article

Private College Closures Are on the Rise: Here’s How to Protect Your Credits

2026 U.S. News MBA Rankings: What the Latest Results Mean for Your Career

How AI Is Changing the MBA: Why UNESCO Says Business Schools Must Adapt

How to Make a Lasting Impression at a Career Fair

The Library