Dear Jonathan, my summer looks a bit empty. Is it too late to plan something that will help for getting a job next year?

Dear Jonathan,

Many of my friends seem to have internships or work experience all set up, and my summer looks a bit empty, except for some travel with friends and family. Is it too late to plan something that will help for getting a job next year? I’ve got one year to go in Oxford and thinking about what comes after.

Perhaps only in 19th-century novels could Oxford students spend the long summer vacation travelling and socialising; today, many students understandably wonder how to balance time off with gaining experiences that future recruiters may value.

So, what do recruiters value?

Many employers are risk averse and want to hire someone who has had some experience of the workplace: at its most basic, this means turning up on time, being reliable, doing the job well, and being pleasant to work with. Those are all important, and you can gain this experience working in hospitality (pubs, cafés, hotels, festivals) or retail (boutiques, market stalls, supermarkets).

More broadly, recruiters seek people who take responsibility and achieve things. You could do this in many ways: teaching children to windsurf, cycling across America, driving a car to Ulan Bator are all examples of valuable activities that students have done and can impress an interviewer. Think of the transferable employability skills that were gained.

It’s not too late to plan something that would give you some of these experiences. The Oxford Internship Programmes are still advertising opportunities, and CareerConnect remains an excellent resource for browsing roles, with employers posting opportunities specifically to recruit Oxford students.

If you cannot find an opportunity that suits you, you could also consider creating your own internship by approaching an organisation directly with an idea or project. Even if you’re travelling or staying with family or friends, you could write a blog on a theme (walking the Kennet and Avon canal, wine growing in Spain, markets in south London).

Even at 16 weeks long, the summer can go by quite quickly, so do sketch some plans now and be ready to adapt if opportunities arise.

 Jonathan Black - Director, Oxford University Careers Service

  Read more guidance on Job Search Strategies:

• Finding Advertised Opportunities
• Making the Most of Careers Fairs
• Networking
• Using Agencies
• Making Speculative Applications
• Finding Work in Oxford
• Finding Jobs Outside the UK

About the Dear Jonathan column

For six years, the Oxford University Careers Service Director Jonathan Black, wrote a fortnightly column for the Financial Times answering readers’ careers questions - you can still find it here.

Now, the “Dear Jonathan" column has come to Oxford.

If you are an Oxford University student, send in your career question to dear.jonathan@careers.ox.ac.uk and each week of term, he will answer one of the questions in this feature. We’ll anonymise the author (but please tell us whatever is relevant) so you can be sure that readers won’t know it’s you.