The Three Ps of Career Planning - The Kendrick Rose Productive Summer Career Plan

For many, summer means holidays. Time off with family or friends. Trips to explore exciting new destinations. Or just taking it easy at home in our beautiful island. Summer can be as exhilarating and action-packed, or as relaxing and restorative as you make it. It can also be a great moment to press pause and begin your transition towards a new role.

Although hiring activity typically slows during July and August, activity from candidates often increases as people update CVs, look at vacancies, and plan career moves for the autumn. As Shelley Kendrick, Managing Director, Kendrick Rose, explains:

“Summer can be a great time for busy professionals to reflect on their careers and to take stock of how they are doing. For those of us who are very full on in our daily lives, a holiday can be the first opportunity to get enough distance to even think about whether a role is still right for us.”

If short term is ‘what am I doing now’, and the long-term is ‘What will I do in the future’, the sweet spot of summer planning may rest somewhere in between.

“We sometimes neglect medium term thinking in favour of short-term options- or long-term planning, but it can be a helpful part of the process. If you can see jobs out there that offer an overlap between what you do now, and some of the areas you may wish to develop, you have something to aim for. When you begin to list your skills and update your Linked In profile you may realise the next step is more achievable than you imagined.”

If you’re not already using AI to turbocharge your work, the summer pause can also be a good moment to work out how it can help.

“AI can be a great tool in career planning.” Shelley explained. “Like most recruiters, we use it all the time now and I advise candidates to use it for updating CVs, Linked In profiles and for preparing for interviews. However, we’d urge candidate to review everything first, and to be sure they are still saying what they mean, not what AI has interpreted.”

A productive summer career plan can be summed up in three simple steps:

Ponder What motivates you? What do you want more (or less) of from your next role?

Polish Refresh your CV, Linked In profile and interview examples. AI can help but make sure it’s still what you intend to say.

Prepare Register with recruiters, set job alerts and be ready when opportunities arise.

Six questions to ask yourself this summer

• Am I still learning in my current role?
• What achievements am I most proud of this year?
• What type of employer would suit me better?
• What salary or benefits would make a move worthwhile?
• Where do I want my career to be in two years' time?
• How can I use AI to get ahead and how can I stay ahead of AI?

Shelley added: "Many people assume recruitment stops over the summer, but that's rarely the case. We're often speaking to employers who want new hires ready to start in September, so candidates who begin conversations now can be ahead of the market. If you’re ready to make a move, summer can be a good time to act. Employers are usually hiring for a genuine business need, rather than speculative growth, decision makers who are working over the summer often have more time for interviews, and there may be less competition for vacancies.”

Your Summer Career Checklist

• Refresh your CV with your most recent achievements.
• Update your Linked In profile and headline.
• Make a list of the organisations you'd like to work for.
• Reach out to a trusted recruiter for an informal career conversation.
• Sign up for the Kendrick Rose newsletter and Linked In alerts ready for September.

Thinking of your next move? Whether you’re actively looking or simply exploring your options, we’d be happy to have a confidential conversation about your career goals and the opportunities available now or coming up this autumn.

Check out our Jobs page for the latest opportunities and please get in touch if there are any you would like to discuss.