Amidst the copious amounts of turkey, tangled lights, family visits and well-wishes that fill the holiday season sits an opportunity for you to improve your job search and career in general. Using the three ideas in this article, you can get yourself looking more polished, in better standing with your connections, and on the right path to personal success just in time for the New Year.
The New Year Means a New Look
Well, not necessarily a completely new look. Since the New Year is a time for making your life better with new goals, it is also perfect for polishing your business look. Whether you’re looking for a job or think you might look at some point during the, it’s good to optimize and fine-tune your business cards, website and LinkedIn profile.
- Business Cards: Your business card is often your first impression. Take the holidays as a time to treat yourself to newer cards. Whether it’s adding social icons or re-designing the entire card, giving yourself a distinct look for the New Year will set you up for success.
- Website: If you have a website, you’d better believe that the holidays are a good time to make some changes. Add more personal information to your site, change your current aspirations and goals, or just make a resolution to write more blog posts next year if you didn’t this year.
- LinkedIn Profile: If you’re attentive of your LinkedIn profile, this tip doesn’t pertain to you. However, if you’re someone who checks out their profile once or twice a month, take the holidays as an opportunity to clean up your profile, get it up-to-date, and make it look exceptional for potential employers.
Wish Your Connections a Happy Holiday Season
One effective way to keep your networking connections interested in your life is by sending them a custom Christmas card. While holiday cards are often sent to close friends and family, a special greeting to a few of your connections can go a long way for your relationship. This can be especially helpful if you’re looking to find a job around, or just after the holidays.
A good way to start is by mining your LinkedIn profile. Sift through and see which of your connections you’re either the closest to, or think can help you out in the near future.
*Note: If you haven’t spoken to this connection for a while, re-ignite the conversation before your send them a card. This way, the card seems less like an arbitrary ploy for advice and help and more like a genial statement, which it is.
From here, it’s all about writing something that gives them your gratitude. While this card won’t get their undivided attention. The fact that you sent them a Christmas card will be remembered the next time you ask them for advice or leads. A simple card can lend itself to big wins in the future.
Take a Look in the Holiday Mirror
Similar to the first piece of advice in this article, the holidays can be the best time to reassess your business appearance. Even more important is revisiting your personal development and the direction you want your career or job to go in the future. New Year’s is a fresh start. This step can be one too.
Take a look back at the past year and the road ahead, and think about these questions about your job and your life:
- What career goals did I accomplish this year, and did this job get me to those goals?
- Did I not get done what I wanted to this year, and why?
- Will the position I’m currently in get me to where I need to go?
- Have my previous goals changed, or has a totally new idea sprung up?
Asking these questions can be like opening Pandora’s Box. Thoughts that are very difficult to swallow or comprehend (especially if they are much different than the previous year) may come pouring out. But taking the time to hash out what you truly want will lead you towards a job that not only satisfies your career goals, but your life goals as well.
There’s always an opportunity to improve your worth to potential employers, and the holidays are no exception. So in between wrapping presents, traveling to see family, and stuffing yourself full of delicious food, remember that it pays to invest just a little time in your career development during the holidays.
Bobby Gaglini is a Marketing Associate for SEO for Vistaprint, an online print leader in Christmas cards, business cards and other small business marketing needs.
