3 Creative Projects for Students to Showcase Their Skills
For students seeking internships or those aware of students in college aiming for one, this guide offers strategies to stand out in a competitive job market.
The current job landscape post-graduation is challenging, but the potential cut in interest rates by the feds might prompt companies to hire workers. During the pandemic, companies over-employed and later laid off numerous employees to offset rising costs in the economy.
Amidst these economic changes, it's essential to note that companies forced to lay off employees may now adopt a more stringent hiring process. Some, like Amazon, experienced increased demand during the pandemic, leading to a surge in online orders.
So to stand out in the job marketplace here is three creative project ideas tailored for current students and recent graduates seeking full-time positions.
1. Video Case studies
Yes! you should do a visual case study examination on your favorite business. It will demonstrate to employers the business knowledge you have learned so far.
You can publish the video on YouTube, Vimeo, or your own website where you can provide commentary on the reasoning behind the case study. It is a low level way to showcase your skills in business.
When it comes to the production of this video, it don’t have to be of movie studio quality but enough to keep your audience engage. In this case your audience would be a potential recruiter so when providing your commentary you could also mention how you of change it in this way if you had worked there.
Post the videos on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube to grab their attention. Especially if you tag the recruiters name on the post (LinkedIn) or the company.
Following the style of Youtube channels like ‘Company Man’ or ‘Business Casual’
2. Personal Website
A personal websites is still a professional way to build your digital presence as it can be for anything you want to creatively show such as typography, illustrations, music playlist, etc. Recruiters like to see what you do when you're not just looking for a job but how those experiences you obtain can be beneficial to the company you applied to.
A personal website can help establish your personal brand as well. It is a creative way to express to employers the skills you may have learned. This website will give them a space to get into your mind.
3. Market Research Report
Ok maybe research is boring but you can definitely get creative with how it is displayed. You can use infographs, PowerPoints, Vidcast, Podcast, or any media format that can give your audience an entertaining way to consume the report.
It don’t have to be comprehensive with footnotes, bibliography, or what ever professional touches that most reports includes. If your report has a main message with verifiable stats then it is good enough for an employer to view. It is also good to craft this report in a story so that it is more readable and entertaining.
These 3 projects can demonstrate your marketable skills such as research, design, management, and operational skills. It expresses to an employer your thought process for a company and took what you learned in school to apply it in a real business environment. Employers love to see it since some of what you did in these creative projects apply to your job responsibilities.