So the festive break is upon us again, and a welcome escape from work for many. But whilst I will always be a fierce proponent for the benefits of time off work, this period of the year can produce an opportunity that many overlook.
We see from survey after survey that many of us are unhappy at work, many of us wish to consider career change, many of us want a better work life balance…. but the fact that work dominates so much of our time - so much of our thinking hours - means that it is necessarily difficult to find the headspace to do anything about it.
So whilst it is important to relax and enjoy the freedoms that Christmas brings, this can be a great time to set yourself some very soft targets to help with your career planning.
Be reflective
Use this time to put some thought into your current career and your future aims. Try and identify what needs to change and why. Is there anything you can do to make your situation better? Or is a new job/career the only real solution?
Get your networks in place
This is still the number one way of finding employment opportunities so make the most of the contacts you have. Be upfront and honest about what you are looking for. Use tools like LinkedIn to grow your networks or to spot useful contacts within key organisations
Dust off your CV
January brings with it a deluge of new job seekers but also of new opportunities. Make sure you are first in line to make the most of these as soon as the New Year begins. Update your CV with your latest skills and experience. Consider restyling it in line with the latest trends and expectations that recruiters have.
January will be over before you know it and February never quite holds the same optimism or impetus for change. So now, amongst all the relaxation, don’t forget to spare a little time also for preparation, and the New Year could be the start of very positive changes. Happy Christmas everyone : )