5 Smart Ways To Use Holiday Gridlock To Fuel Your Career

5 Smart Ways to Use Holiday Gridlock to Fuel Your Career It’s Thanksgiving! Or Christmas! Or a while in between! You’re within the airport, train station or on the freeway… and you’re caught in a looooong queue of individuals or line of visitors. The highway ahead seems infinite, so does your persistence, and it looks like everything’s shifting at a snail’s pace. But wait! This is helpful. (Say what?) Yes! You can use the inevitable and uncontrollable “downtime” during your vacation travel to tune up (and rev up) your profession for next 12 months. Here’s how: 1. Appreciate Make a listing of the highest 5 to 10 individuals in your life who made a major, optimistic impact on your career this 12 months: a boss, colleague, former colleague, recruiter or coach who gave you a fantastic piece of recommendation, mentored you, helped you on a giant project, introduced you to a priceless business connection, and so forth. Then thank them! Send them a quick however gracious e mail, mail them a thoughtful handwritten notice or take them out for coffee. Your attitude of gratitude goes a long way, now and into the longer term. 2. Renovate Take a personal inventory of your career artillery and list which pieces want upgrading. These might embrace a brand new energy swimsuit for conferences or upcoming job interviews; a sooner, extra productive laptop computer; a new briefcase or suitcase; industry trade publication subscriptions; association memberships; etc. Then, go get ‘em! 3. Accelerate Think of who would make a fantastic mentor to assist speed up your career development (if you don’t already have one, or when you’d like a further one). Possible candidates may embody a current or former manager, colleague, business chief, someone in your desired “three years from now” role at one other company, and so forth. Hint: If you don’t yet know this individual personally, use LinkedIn to search out and join with them. 4. Strategize Think about where you’re at in your job/profession right now. Are you cheerful? Or not? Time to maneuver on? Now’s the most effective time to plan what motion steps are needed to get you the place you need to be in 2014. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Do your resume, cowl letter or LinkedIn profile need a tune up or main overhaul? Spend a couple of minutes reviewing them and making notes. Want professional assist and steering getting you to your profession goals sooner quite than later? Research career coaches online, in your LinkedIn community or get suggestions from folks you belief. 5. Investigate Thinking of transitioning to a brand new profession or trade within the new yr, but not quite certain? Brainstorm your burning questions, in addition to the essential information and sources you realize you need to allow you to make that decision, be it web sites, books, networking events, etc. And if informational interviews are certainly one of them (trace: they need to be!), you need to use LinkedIn to search out potential interviewers, as well as a broad vary of trade data and views. See? Now all that annoying wait time could be put to nice use and can help get you targeted, forward of the curve and ready to begin off your career in the new 12 months with a bang! Now, go forth and rock that gridlock! Happy holidays and secure travels! Vicki Aubin, “The Rockin’ Career Coach,” helps rising professionals kick-start the career of their dreams. With over a decade in HR and recruiting, she offers sensible, savvy strategies for a kick-ass profession they by no means taught you in (or out of!) school. She blogs, tweets, pins, faces and links often and is the writer of twenty-two Secrets to a Kick-Ass Interview. Image: Keep Calm Studio