Dynamic and fun is the best way to describe the hospitality, tourism and events industry, and if you want to become part of it you need to learn how to sell yourself, according to the three panelists from Sky City, Vodafone Event Centre and International Hotel Group at last week’s Match Ready workshop at AUT.

The best way to overcome fear is to ‘do what you’re afraid to do’, says AUT student Jackie Chan, who received the AUT Edge Award Overall Achievement prize winner at the graduation ceremony late July, excelling in her leadership and volunteering work through the Award.

Priscilla Schwalger didn't see much point in volunteering before she started the AUT Edge Award. By the end she had clocked up over 110 volunteering hours (minimum requirement is 10) and is still volunteering - and loving it!

Having to volunteer during the AUT Edge Award opened Liubov Sidorova’s eyes to the huge social impact individuals, like herself, can make. Liubov won the Social Impact prize for her huge involvement in many community ventures around sustainability.

Leadership isn't easy, says Hilary Esterhuizen, winner of the AUT Edge Award Leadership prize, sponsored by CAANZ. Through the award Hilary learned that positivity and two-way communication are the secret ingredients of successful leadership for her.

When Yves Guo started the AUT Edge Award, he was a shy and introverted student who struggled to have any belief in himself. Over his AUT Edge Award journey, Yves developed into a more confident, creative personality who pushed outside his comfort zone to help others.

Clubs are vital - and I’m not talking of nightclubs or the clubs used by Neanderthals to clobber dinosaurs for food. I'm talking about the exceptional range of clubs set up at AUT offering opportunities for you to hang out with other students and do stuff,

I still remember the feeling of total inadequacy I had as a teenager when I was trying to impress the editor of our local paper. It was excruciating – I stuttered, blushed and said little. As a result I didn’t get the coveted summer holiday job I wanted but I did learn something important – I had to learn to talk properly to people.

Here's some ideas of how to find something to do over the break that will help improve your CV and your chances of landing a good job.

Giving back makes you feel good and it can also be fun, exciting, weird or down right nerve wracking –  you really can take your pick!