It’s inevitable. As another school year comes to an end, a question many university students ask each other is, “So what are you doing this summer?” And my answer, as it has been for the past five years, is “Working.”

I start my preliminary job search in September and October and research what’s available. I’ll reach out to my personal network and keep an eye out for any potential openings. I like to touch base with contacts in my professional network at least once or twice a year and keep up-to-date on their accomplishments via LinkedIn. By the end of January and early February, I’ll have sent off resumes and cover letters to my top choice companies. While I do use the Queen’s Career Services job bank, I also spend a lot of time doing my own research of companies I’d like to work for. Usually by early March, I’ll have secured an offer for the summer. While this timeline differs slightly from year to year, in general this is what works for me.

I mentioned in last week’s blog post that I was starting my new job in Marketing and Communications for a software development company. The first week at the company has been great! I’ve gone through orientation, met (most of) my new colleagues and been debriefed on the projects I’ll be working on for the next few months. I’ve made some new friends and figured out how to time my commute to and from the office perfectly. I was happy to learn that the company is very team-based, which is something I’m familiar with after all the group work we do in the Commerce program. Instead of working from cubicles and closed offices, the office is open-concept with team project rooms. This workspace is similar to Goodes Hall and the breakout rooms available to Commerce students on campus. As it turns out, there are a lot of Queen’s alumni at the company. I feel welcomed already!

Katherine Wong Too Yen, BCom’12