The holiday season isn't just a good time to shop and drink a lot of eggnog. It's also an excellent time to improve your career prospects.
If you'd like to move up in your company, chances are you'll have the opportunity to connect with the people who can help you do so. The office holiday party can give you the opportunity to meet and make an impression on company big-wigs in a social atmosphere. So make sure the impression is a good one. Here are a few dos and don'ts:
- Don't overindulge. You know not to drink too much, but it's also a good idea not to go overboard in other ways. Avoid being too loud or eating so much that the office "food monitor" comments on the dozens of meatballs you piled on your plate.
- Do talk with as many people as possible. Use this as an opportunity to establish and maintain relationships with people at all levels of the organization who can help your career. Don't forget the people who answer phones, deliver your mail, or fix your computer.
- Do love the one you're with. (Please don't take that literally; office party romances can cause serious hang-overs.) If you're having a conversation with someone, avoid too much shop talk, have some interesting anecdotes to share, be an attentive listener, and don't look around the room for someone more important to talk to.
If you're unemployed, you won't have an office party, but chances are you'll have invites to other holiday events. Use them as an opportunity to network informally and let people know you're hoping Santa brings you a job offer.
Contrary to popular belief, the holidays are an excellent time to search for a new job. According to Tony Lee, editor in chief of CareerJournal.com, "the holiday season may be the best time of year to find a new job." Positions open up in many companies at the start of the new budget year every January. But waiting until January to apply may be too late.
Managers will often use the slower holiday season to interview candidates, and competition for those jobs is lighter because most job-hunters are focusing on holiday activities instead of searching for work.
Dr. Jan Cannon, author of Finding a Job in a Slow Economy , says "most people are in a 'holiday mood' and, even if you're just looking for an information interview, in the spirit of giving, they'll generally be happy to talk with you."
Tony Lee of CareerJournal.com offers these tips for job-hunting over the holiday season:
- Accept every social and business invitation to attend as many holiday parties as you can, since networking is the key to finding a job.
- Send out holiday greeting cards that include an update letter about your job search. You also can thank people who have been helpful in your career through the past year and let them know the status of your job hunt.
- Hand-deliver resumes so they don't get lost in the holiday rush.<
With a little luck, and possibly a lot of eggnog, you might be starting the New Year with a new job.
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Related Article: 'Tis the Season for Holiday Jobs
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Tag and Catherine Goulet are founders of FabJob.com and authors of the book Dream Careers. Visit FabJob.com to discover how to break into the career of your dreams.
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by Tag and Catherine Goulet:
Sisters Tag and Catherine Goulet are the Dream Career Experts. In 1999 they founded FabJob.com, the leading publisher of guides on how to break into a dream career, which has been visited by 50 million people. They have been featured in media from ABC to Oprah.com and Woman's Day to the Wall Street Journal online, and their career advice appears on the career pages at AOL, CNN, and MSN. They are authors of Dream Careers and other career books. Visit FabJob.com to discover how to break into your dream career.
FabJob.com is featured in Woman's World Magazine ("Land Your Dream Job" article, April 2007).
FabJob Guides have been featured in stories at The Wall Street Journal and Entrepreneur Magazine sites.
