No Internship, No Job? No Excuse.

Summer is a-comin’ in, and if you’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’t mean you get to be malingering all day like a house cat.

From the NYT:

Q. Is there a way to develop skills you need for your chosen field, without yet having a job in that field?

A. 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.

If you register at temporary agencies, Ms. Kane says, “don’t focus on the job title — focus on skills development.”

“No matter what job you’re doing,” she adds, “you will learn how a company operates and develop business communication skills.”

Volunteer work is another option, but choose work that enhances your résumé, Mr. Black says. “Find ways of using your degree to help the organization — it might be marketing, finance or event planning,” he says. Don’t just look at established charities; find some small local businesses and offer to volunteer, while learning at the same time.

[NYT]