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InvestIN Summer Careers Challenge

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Investin summer careers challenge Go above and beyond this summer Name: ....................................................

Use our interactive journal to the make the most of your summer, take part in challenges to help you develop key skills and gain valuable experience!

6 weeks

WELCOME It's time to maximise your potential ! The next 6 weeks are for you to relax and recharge after a busy year. But if you use your time wisely, you could also enhance your employability this summer. We've compiled six challenges for you to complete. Take a look below to find out more!

CHALLENGES

Your employability can be developed in a number of different ways, including whilst socialising with friends! We've put together a few quick tasks to help you get started. Once you have completed each challenge, tell us what you got up to in the boxes provided!

REFLECTIONS

When you've finished all the challenges, you can use the back pages to reflect on your progress and consider your next steps. Here we've included some ideas for what you can be doing throughout the next academic year to

COMPETITION

You can then submit your completed booklet to be entered into an exciting prize draw! Remember: the school with the most submissions will win a prize too!

increase your employability!

If you'd like to download an editable version of your journal you can do so by clicking this box!

If you really want to go above and beyond this summer, check out our once-in-a- lifetime Summer Experiences. Click on this box for more information!

6 challenges

Plan your time!

We've included daily, monthly and weekly planners to help you manage your time this summer. These will help you decide when to focus on your challenges and when to relax!

Learn something new

Push yourself

Take the lead

give back

Get connected

Have a go

Monthly Planner

month:

You have six whole weeks ahead of you to complete your challenges, so map out your time with this short noughts and crosses exercise. This should help you to see how much free time you have to dedicate to your employability! Some advice from us: map out all your plans, holidays and rest time first, and then slot in your challenges around them.

Dedicated time to rest, recharge and go on holiday!

time you can dedicate to completing your challenges

M T W T F S S

Weekly Planner

Week Commencing:

Challenge of the Week:

Lessons learnt:

Priorities for the week:

Skills developed:

REMEMBER: Your summer holidays should be all about balance. When planning your weeks, slot in time for rest, social time and any days out. The more recharged you are, the more likely you are to smash these 6 challenges week in, week out!

Daily Planner:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

If you have found these planners useful after week one, feel free to download or print multiple copies to help you plan all six weeks of summer!

Sunday

Learn something new

Learning more about the industry you want to go into is the best way to find out if it's right for you and impress potential employers. We challenge you to do your research and complete the two tasks below.

Which industry will you be researching for this challenge?

Task 2: Find a podcast, documentary, film or book that will help you learn something new about your chosen career. Tick which one you chose and name it below!

podcast

Task 1: Find two recent news articles that are relevant to your industry and summarise the key takeaways in a sentence below. It's important to be aware of the latest trends and developments in your chosen field!

Documentary

Film

book

Can you name a recent event which might have impacted your industry and can you explain how?

Name of resource:

Did you find any other resources?

From your research, what is one thing you have learned about your industry that you didn't know before?

Push yourself

Extra-curriculars and hobbies provide us with so many useful transferable skills. Get outside your comfort zone and try something new!

Challenge yourself to pick up a new hobby or take an existing hobby even further. See some ideas below...

where to start?

Enjoy playing a sport with your friends? Is there a league you can join?

Love walking? Explore some new areas local to you, or try running your usual routes!

...or take up something completely new!

Hoping to become a writer? Start a blog!

Enjoy singing? Can you find a local choir or take part in a show or competition?

Like taking photos? Start a new Instagram page to showcase your portfolio!

Which hobby did you develop this summer?

Did you know? CVs have a dedicated section for hobbies and interests - it's a fantastic place to demonstrate your personality and passion!

Take a photo of your new hobby and pop it below!

Name three skills you are developing by dedicating time to this hobby or extra-curricular...

Give back Volunteering is a great way to support a cause that's important to you whilst impressing potential employers. There are all sorts of voluntary opportunities out there, each offering you the chance to learn valuable new skills.

If you are stuck for ideas, you can find some inspiration below...

Offer to walk a neighbour's dog

Volunteer once a week at a foodbank

Help out at a local charity shop

Raise money for a cause you care about by doing a sponsored challenge or bake sale

Now document your volunteering experience!

Date

Volunteering Role

Why did you choose to spend time volunteering here? Why are you passionate about it?

What skills did you develop through this experience? Be specific about tasks you completed!

get connected There is so much to gain from speaking to others first-hand about their experiences. Challenge yourself to ask someone three questions about their career journey and use their insights to help you on your own path!

Whether it's a university student, a junior employee or someone who's worked in that industry for years, there's something to learn from everyone! Do you have family or friends you could ask about their work or studies? If not, try speaking to a teacher or careers advisor, or reaching out to local organisations.

You can start by asking the following questions. Then, try and tailor these to make sure you're getting the information most relevant and useful for you.

In the professional world this is called networking!

What advice would you give to someone like me who's looking to go into your industry in the future?

How did you break into your field?

What does a typical day in your job look like?

Who did you choose to ask?

What was it like to study your degree?

What three questions did you ask and what did you learn? 1 2

How were their answers useful? What else might you ask next time?

take the lead

Taking ownership of your work can be daunting, but accountability is a key skill employers look for. Start developing this skill now by taking responsibility for a project or event. It doesn't matter how big or small it is: take the lead on each aspect of the organisation and, when you're done, pinpoint how you contributed to its success.

Plan a day out for family or friends

Get involved in the planning of a local event, club or campaign

Organise a trip to a museum or local point of interest

Stuck for ideas? You could...

TOP TIP! Break down all the

Re-organise your bedroom

smaller tasks you need to do and work backwards from the deadline. Assign a time to complete each small task.

Keep a log of what you have organised over summer...

What did you take responsibility for planning or organising?

How did it go? Is there anything you would do differently next time?

Date

have a go

This one is a little nerve-wracking, but it'll benefit you in the long run! We challenge you to ask a friend or family member to give you a mock interview. It's crucial that you are able to talk confidently about your skills, experience and accomplishments to future employers. The more practice you have, the more confident you'll feel in a real job interview!

Click me

Communicating your strengths is really important. Don't be put off if this doesn't come naturally to you - practice makes perfect and confidence is key!

Click on the stars to find out how you can give the perfect answer to any interview question.

Below are 3 examples of typical questions you might be asked in a job interview (or even an interview for university!). Have a think about how you could answer them, then give them to your friend or family member as a starting point for your mock interview. Why are you interested in this industry? (Pick any industry you are interested in!) 3 2 1 What would you say is your greatest strength? Tell me about a time when you worked well in a team.

Write below any other questions they asked you in the interview...

3 2 1

Out of 10, how well did you feel the mock interview went?

Ask your interviewer for feedback...

What did they think went well?

What could you improve?

Reflections

Congratulations, you've completed the InvestIN Summer Challenge! Make sure you reflect carefully on everything you have learned and take some time to celebrate your achievements.

Which challenge did you enjoy the most and why?

Which challenge did you find the hardest and why?

Was there a particular area you felt less confident in?

Did you notice any gaps in your skills that you could work on over the next term?

& Looking ahead

So, what comes next? How will you use your new-found skills and experiences to take you even further? Below are a few more tips and resources to see you through the next year and beyond. Don't forget to submit your journal for the chance to win a voucher and access to AmbitionX, our cutting-edge online careers platform! NETWORK REFLECT

The relationships you build to benefit your career all come together to form your professional network. By asking others about their career journey this summer you have already begun to network. These contacts can help you develop your skills, gain experience, or even advance further in your industry. It is widely known that only 40% of jobs are actually advertised, because employers often go directly to their network to offer opportunities to those they know and trust.

Use the reflection page to ensure you are clear on everything you have learned and your personal achievements. Once you have done this, make sure you are compiling all that information into one place. Add relevant experience to your CV and think carefully about how you can refer to what you have learned or practiced in future interviews to justify the skills you have. It can be nerve-wracking approaching potential contacts, but remember everyone has once been in the same position as you. If they don't have the time to help you, stay positive and don’t take it personally! You can always ask them if they know someone else who might be able to help. STAY CONFIDENT

REACH OUT

There are lots of ways you can continue to expand your network. If you are old enough, create a LinkedIn profile and connect with professionals in your industry. Alternatively, you could try speaking to more family and friends or emailing local businesses!

another step further...

Resources for getting motivated and aiming high:

Who Says You Can't? You Do - Daniel Chidiac

Advice to My Younger Me - Sara Holtz

Click here to enter your completed challenge journal into the prize draw!

Self Belief: Challenge 1 Motivation - Youth Employment UK

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