This guy found one sure-fire way that no one will be walking away with his luggage any time soon! The suitcase wrap has been around forever, but you’ll often see wraps featuring flowers, birds or butterflies. He’s taken an age old idea, and put it to work in an effort to avoid enduring lost luggage. If you’re traveling this holiday season, this could work for you! Another thing that tends to get lost during the holidays is your focus on your job search. If you’re job hunting during the holiday season, your “to do” list can take center stage, leaving your job search cooling off on the back burner. So how do you navigate the demands of the holiday season while keeping your job search full steam ahead?
Holiday Networking
The holidays are the one time of year that you’re guaranteed to see certain people that you won’t encounter during the rest of the year. That can be a wonderful thing, especially when you’re trying to find the next step in your career. Take the opportunity during the required holiday gatherings to talk about what you’re looking for in your next job. If you know that there is a person in the network of a colleague or family member that you’d like to score an introduction with, ask. Don’t be aggressive about it, but saying something like, “Isn’t your next door neighbor the VP at XYZ? Would he/she ever be open to talking with me over coffee about ABC?” Either your contact will say yes and put a plan in place to make the introduction, or they’ll be a little more guarded and promise to take the person’s temperature and get back to you. No matter what the outcome of the conversation is, you’ve done the one thing that most job-seekers struggle to do, ask! Even if it feels awkward, you will hopefully find that the more of these conversations you have, the easier the “asking” will get. Ideally, you’ll also find that most people in your network want to help you once they know you’re looking, or offer to make a connection when you ask them directly for an introduction to someone they know. Most people are happy to help, and want to do what they can to assist in your job search.
Spread your wings
The holidays generally bring out the best in people. Meaning, even if they would never make time to volunteer the other 49 weeks out of the year, the magical weeks at the end of the year tend to make elves out of the most unlikely characters. This is a less-awkward time to get involved in an organization that you’ve wanted to join, and you’ll meet a lot of other “elves” who are in your same circumstances. They might be job-seekers too, or just wanting to give back during the holidays. Not only will you likely feel good about doing something for someone else, you’ll have the chance to expand your network, get the opportunity to experience a new organization, the potential to pick up a new skill, or get exposure to a new industry or type of job that you’ve never previously considered. You might get inspired after your volunteering experience to pursue a career or company you never knew existed.
Invest in “you”
If you have a few days off during the holiday season, you can use them to get that certification that you’ve been putting off. Or if your 2015 reading list is still nearly as long as it started off the year, tackle it one book at a time. If you’ve been putting off a project around your house that would make you feel more organized, or you’ve been meaning to update how you use an area of your living space, take your holiday break to put that space to work for you.
Take stock
Take a long drive or a long walk to focus on the year behind you. If you are traveling, use your travel time to get inspired and get some perspective. Honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, areas you could improve, areas/skills that you can sell to a new employer and what skills/attributes you want to pursue next year. Hatch a plan to make yourself more marketable as you move forward after the holiday season, and devote time in your schedule toward investing in yourself. Does this mean you have to quit your job and go back to school full time? No. But is there an industry group or organization that you’ve been dragging your feet to join? Is there a side project or side business you’ve wanted to start but have lacked funding or organization to launch? Figure out what is going to add inspiration to your evenings and weekends, it will actually make you a better employee!
Stand out in the crowd
The number one reason to stay focused on your job search during the holiday season is the fact that employers are still hiring, but a lot of candidates tend to hit pause on their search during the holidays. Your ability to stand out because the crowd thins this time of year is a reality.
If you stay focused on your job search during the holiday season, you’ll likely be considered for positions that other people aren’t finding. You’re also more likely to stand out in any pool of candidates because the sheer number of people applying to any open position is reduced. Don’t let the holiday eggnog, sweets and spirits bog down your job search spirit. Keep moving, keep going, and use these five tips to stay focused to start the new year off with a new job. And if you are traveling, the guy in the photo was on to something with his custom luggage wrap. Let us know if you end up using his idea, or you were inspired to start your own luggage wrap business!