Engaging students over the summer is the opposite of a beach vacation. Classes are out, and although internships are in full swing, most are committed to enjoying their hard-earned academic break.
However, career services professionals and recruiters see these few weeks differently. May through August is prime time for them to nurture students' career development–as long as they can get their attention.
Here are a few ideas for making career prep a natural extension of summer instead of an obligation. Mix creativity, interactivity, and humor into a multi-channel approach to keep students plugged in when they’re off campus, starting with the semester’s end in May.
May is all about capturing students' interest right out of the gate with an interesting multimedia approach: relatable video emails, student-designed resume templates, creative social media challenges, and an interactive networking workshop.
Introduce your plan by outlining what students can look forward to in a fun and maybe slightly silly video. Set the tone right away by proving this upcoming summer correspondence isn’t summer school. Including a popular resume template or sponsoring a resume design contest is a great way to draw in your creative majors.
Post personal branding stories from a career services team member and a recent alumni in their dream job as the invitation to create their own. Offer guidelines in the video or copy. Tag key recruiters (with permission) in the thread to encourage student participation. You might consider multiple threads so student videos are organized by majors!
Host an online, interactive role-playing meet-up to build students’ conversational confidence. An alum guest sharing an embarrassing networking fail keeps things real and encourages ongoing participation.
June is the skill-building month, combining self-paced online courses, interactive social media challenges, and an insider panel event. From curated course lists to tutorial-guided projects to candid industry Q&As, we're structuring their upskilling through modern multimedia formats proven to sustain their engagement.
Give your students “Top 10” lists of the hottest skills by industry or provide lists directly from recruiters sharing their employers’ requirements. Include career services programs to sharpen those skills, or recommend quality third-party resources if appropriate.
Send a follow-up email with a student-curated playlist for fun and pique interest in what’s next.
Turn skills development into a social media game with mini-projects for the Top 10 skills in your email. For example, if “Written Communications” is an in-demand skill, have students describe their current mood using 100 characters or less. Consider offering a donut party (or other incentive) for the author and friends of the most liked comment.
Host a panel discussion with entry-level professionals one to three years into their careers, answering your students’ anonymous pre-submitted questions. Take live questions, too, for deeper engagement. Offer students an authentic space with real-world answers.
July is a popular vacation month, so step back and offer events you can put on (almost) autopilot and enjoy some time off. Encourage casual networking with peers and recruiters. You’re offering students low-pressure opportunities to build relationships before fall recruiting, expand their peer and recruiter connections and hear valuable feedback.
Use your growing email list to invite students to this month’s "Career Café" meetups. These casual get-togethers, either online or in-person, provide a relaxed space for students to discuss their career goals and bounce ideas off peers they typically don’t interact with on campus. No professors, no parents, just a career services facilitator. Or better yet, an engaged local alumni!
Add a digital Job Vision Board so students can post dream job descriptions and ideal roles to motivate each other.
Practicing elevator pitches in a mirror is helpful advice; talking to a recruiter is more beneficial. Host virtual"Recruiter Speed Dating" sessions. Organize the events by industry, roles, or even alphabetical order. The purpose is to let students do live mock interviews with actual hiring managers through rapid-fire video call rotations with on-the-spot feedback.
Those recruiters provide direct feedback at the end of each short call so students can instantly iterate their approach for the next round.
Your August engagement period is short, typically two to three weeks, depending on your school’s move-in and start dates. First, thank students for their summer participation and celebrate their growth. Then, move them forward to on-campus career services events and upcoming recruiting events.
Encourage students to submit their career-related summer activities, especially their proudest moments or big wins toward their goals. Ask them to share which career services programs were most beneficial. Offer prizes to students and note which events were popular. Now you have immediate feedback and some post-campaign analysis!
In a follow-up email, map out a strategic game plan for conquering fall recruitment season. Send a downloadable career fair checklist and your event calendar for the semester, including related deadlines. Try this subject line: No more "I didn't know”--We’re Telling You Now!
Champion your students’ summer engagement by letting them take over your social media channels for a fixed period. Of course, they need to follow institutional guidelines, but you can help by suggesting they post:
And…suddenly, it’s recruiting season again. Offer pre-season training on proofreading and finalizing resumes, informative 15-second introductions, and recruiting event pro tips. Invite alums to share their cringeworthy recruiting experiences and career success stories to reassure students their professional dreams will survive random nerves.
Follow through on the circuit training with a social media blitz spotlighting employers with job opportunities visiting campus. Share insider tips for connecting with these recruiters and composing noticeable follow-up emails.
You can turn summer engagement into interactive challenges, relatable stories, and peer activities. Take a casual, conversational tone and schedule for flexible access so students can join as they choose.
Your goal is to make these skills-building activities feel relevant but not urgent. Give your students multiple chances and ways to gear up for the fall recruiting season without giving up their summer.