Every workplace needs employees with different skills, strengths, and natural or acquired talents. Leveraging your skills is defined as showing the strengths you are good at and utilizing them to your advantage. Summer jobs provide unique opportunities to gain valuable life-long skills and knowledge.
Start by identifying your skills. Think about what you excel in and do really well. If you need advice on how to determine and understand your skill sets, schedule an appointment to meet with one of the Center for Career Development Career Education staff members. Appointments are scheduled through Handshake.
Once you know your skills, they help you to perform tasks better, build confidence, set goals that use your strengths, and find a position that is a good fit for your skills and interests. Making the most of your skills, abilities, and talents can be a boost to your career.
You can develop many skills in jobs not related to your career interests that will transfer to other industries or career fields. These are called transferable skills. Demonstrating them will make you an asset to any employer. Some of the top skills employers look for are developed during summer jobs.
Below we’ve listed some examples of transferable skills that can be gained being a lifeguard, camp counselor, or when working in hospitality:
Lifeguard
- Responsibility
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Attentiveness
- Critical thinking
- Time management
Camp Counselor
- Leadership
- Responsibility
- Making decisions
- Communication
- Conflict resolution
- Teamwork
- Organization
- Creativity
- Patience
Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, spas)
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Multi-tasking
- Flexibility
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Interpersonal skills
- Problem-solving
- Resilience
Once you’ve identified the skills you developed while on the job, it’s time to leverage them. Highlight them on your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. Discuss your experiences using your skills during interviews. As with any job, stay connected to your summer employers and supervisors for future networking opportunities, and be sure to ask permission each time you want to use them as a reference.
For assistance identifying your newly acquired skills and applying them to your professional materials, schedule an appointment with a CCD Career Education staff member on Handshake.
BU + Beyond 