Written by Alice McLeod on 06 / 03 / 2024
Gap Year Advice
Summer holidays are a great time for rest and relaxation, but they're also a great chunk of time to pursue personal interests or travel. You can use this valuable time to see some of the world, but just because you're having fun, doesn't mean that some of the experiences can't be translated onto your CV. Whether you're a student looking to enhance your academic profile or boost your career prospects, the summer months
offer a valuable opportunity to flesh out your CV.
In this blog, we'll explore how you can strategically plan your summer activities to make them applicable to your CV - the perfect mix of fun and personal development. We're here to show you how to translate your summer of fun into something that will make your CV shine.
This is the summer gold-standard, a month of volunteering overseas. Most importantly it shows that you're willing to provide funds/time/resources/manpower to projects and communities that need help, but for many projects, ours included, you can get hands-on experience, which maybe career specific. For example, on our Kenya programme you'll be getting stuck into a marine conservation project that you might not otherwise be able to access, and in Colombia you can experience how it feels to be a teacher. Getting hands on work experience abroad is a lot easier than dodging red tape at home.
Not only is joining a team travel experience a win for your social life, but it adds a lot to your CV. For example, you can focus on your experience of working in a team, often under more challenging circumstances than you're used to back home, especially as for certainly all of our programmes, nearly all of our team are heading out solo and don't know anyone else. All of our teams work together towards a set of volunteering goals, whether that's painting a classroom in Colombia or building a coral structures in Kenya, meaning you'll have tangible things to write about on your CV and personal statement.
You'll also meet a tonne of new people whilst in-country, each of whom will have an interesting and varied life story to share.
Being in unfamiliar situations gives you a whole host of experience to draw on when asked the dreaded interview question: tell us about a time you overcame a challenge. Talking about a time you missed the last bus in Vietnam shows that you can not only deal with the unexpected, but that you can stay calm and come up with a new plan (if you had a little cry on the side of the road maybe don't mention that, but don't worry, we've all been there). No matter how well you plan your travel, something with inevitably go wrong, and you'll learn to be resilient very quickly.
Here at Leap HQ we really love travel. There are things you can learn travelling that you simply can't learn any other way. Being fully immersed in a different culture will teach you a whole host of soft skills - empathy, communication, language skills, and social skills. If you're nervous then there's no reason to be, as long as you pick the right country for you. So many of our Leapers are nervous about making friends but don't be, everyone is in the exact same boat as you, and if you join a team programme then you have a ready-made social life. Still nervous? Read our guide to making friends whilst travelling here.
We think if you're going to travel then you need to make it worthwhile, and make an effort to support local communities, whether that's meeting local tribes on the Lost City Trek in Colombia or working with High Andean communities in Peru. If you make a conscious effort to step way from the well-worn tourist trails then you'll discover hidden gems and amazing experiences you wouldn't have otherwise found.
Really that's what travel is all about isn't it? You might love Europe, in which case a summer of interrailing is perfect. Or perhaps island-hopping in Greece is more your vibe? If you're a nature-lover then Costa Rica is the place for you, and if you love hiking then check out Colombia. Whatever you love, you'll find ways to do it in new and exciting places. Employers are always keen to hear about your hobbies and interests, even if they don't directly relate to the job itself - it shows you're a well-rounded individual. You summer is meant to be fun, so find something you love and go from there.
There you have it,
five ways to make your CV shine via a summer of adventures. You can
check out our summer volunteering programmes abroad to see what options
you have. All of our
team programmes
will give you plenty of content for your CV or personal statement, as
well as taking any stress out of your travel planning. Did you know our
programmes also count towards your Gold DofE Residential? So if you're
trying to find a way to get that signed off then get in touch.
Whilst your summers are meant to be fun, it doesn't hurt to add some CV-worthy activities on there too.
How do I plan my summer travel? First work out where you're wanting to go and what you're wanting to do. Travel around Europe is pretty easy to navigate (we have a blog on popular routes here and a blog on top interrailing tips here), but if you're wanting something a little further afield then get in contact to hear more about our summer volunteering programmes.
Should I talk about travel on my CV? Absolutely. If you've done something worthwhile (volunteering, community contribution etc) then absolutely talk about it on your CV. You probably don't need to include your latest trip to Majorca on there though, only talk about if it was meaningful and if you learnt useful skills from it.
Does summer travel have to be expensive?
Whilst you'll probably find that prices increase over summer due to
school/uni holidays, there are ways you can save on costs. Take a look
at less popular travel routes, plan to stay in
hostels,
and don't leave big ticket items like flights until the last minute. If
you've just finished school or are a uni student then you can make the
most of those long, long summer holidays by travelling at the start or
end of summer when schools haven't broken up for the holidays yet or
have already gone back.
