Taking a gap year, either after high school and before college, or after completing your college degree can be whatever you want it to be. It can involve trying a few different jobs and seeing what you enjoy, to traveling the world and ticking off all of the places on your bucket list. The key thing with a gap year is to use your time wisely, though. When it comes to getting a job after you’ve done your studying and had taken a gap year, you want to impress at interviews with all that you’ve been able to see and do.

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[ctt template=”4″ link=”HQYfC” via=”yes” ]Can a gap year improve your career? The key thing with a gap year is to use your time wisely, so you can impress at interviews with all that you’ve been able to see and do.[/ctt]

Can a Gap Year Improve Your Career?

A senior adviser at the bank Lazard was recently reported to have said that he believed that if you have taken a gap year as well as studying, you will have experienced plenty, and grown to be more mature, than those that simply went to college. What you have done on the gap year needs to play a part, though. Simply doing nothing wouldn’t count! So if you are thinking of a gap year before or after college, then here are some of the ways that you could make it count.

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Volunteer

Being able to volunteer around the world can be a great thing to do. You could look for opportunities closer to home, like community programs, Habitat HM volunteer opportunities, or working with animals and local rescue centers. You could go abroad, though, if your budget allows, and get into teaching English in schools, or building schools and community projects elsewhere. It shows potential employers that you have determination and courage, and are able to commit to something. Showing a compassionate side can always be a good thing too.

Write a Travel Blog

If you do plan to travel, then writing a blog about your travels to document them and share your experiences can be a productive use of time. Not only will it help you to remember all that you got up to, but you’ll be able to use it as a portfolio of work. It shows dedication and creativity, which can all be great to talk about at job interviews. And you never know, if it goes well, you could end up using it as your career.

Learn a Language

Along similar lines of what has been discussed, travel, and even staying home but working locally, can allow you to learn a new language. This demonstrates so much to an employer about commitment and hard work, as well as improving your employability. So many businesses are international nowadays. So if you are able to share your language skills for the international side of the business, then you’re going to look more employable with someone else with the same degree but no other experience.

While the jury is out on whether or not your career prospects will be better if you have a year out, it can certainly help to mold you as a person and give you some much needed life experience that can help you as you start your career.

This is a contributed post.

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