This is a post I wrote back in May and recently came across. Yes I know summer is nearly over but there is still time to do everything on this list. If you haven’t been trying to hone your skills the past two months then now is the time to get on it. Take me for instance, not having a job didn’t keep me down. For the past two months I’ve been interning at a small PR firm in New York City, while continuing to search for a job. Although my blogging became more about pop culture, I still kept my writing up nonetheless. Here are some things in your spare time you can do before you’re hit with another wave of work to maximize your time.
1. Blog. If you don’t have a blog yet then you should definitely look into starting one around something that you’re really passionate about. This will help you keep up your writing skills for next semester or future employers will have a sense of how you’ve been using your time wisely. For those that have blogs, you have so much time to now to dedicate to your blogs and maybe even guest blog for a friend.
2. Create an online portfolio. With websites like Wix and Weebly, it is now easy to compile all your work in one location. This makes it easy for when future employers want to see your work and you can direct them to a link where all you work is displayed. In addition, you may not have to care around a huge binder anymore.
3. Update your resume. Most likely, you update your resume frequently but are you really highlighting your abilities? Under each experience make sure you really detail your responsibilities.
4. Read. You may be by a pool sometime over the summer so why not pull out a PR book. Some great reads are Putting the Public Back in Public Relations by Deirdre Breakenridge and Brian Solis or If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone.
5. Grow within social media. There’s Twitter and Facebook but where else are you making a presence? Have you checked out Foursquare, Tumblr, Google Wave, or maybe a new way to tweet? Now is definitely the time to check them out and play around with all the features.
6. Practice. Find someone that could use some PR help in your area. Even if it’s just freelance work you can never have enough practice to improve your skills.
7. Learn. There are so many types of software you can learn like Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Best part is that YouTube has videos to help you learn.
It's Me Brittany.... 
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