Career Success Tips for December
For many things in life, December signals an end. It is the end of the semester or quarter, the calendar year. It is the end for many of the plants in my yard. But for your career, December can be the one of the most fertile times for networking and outreach. Here are three things you can (and hopefully will) do in December to set yourself up for better career options in 2022.
1. Explore one future career path. Too often students and professionals select jobs based on what is offered to them or what is around them (like where their family and friends work) instead of targeting something they learned about and then intentionally pursued. It is also important to remember careers and education are VERY different. Don’t judge your career compatibility based on how much you like to dislike seemingly related classes. Instead, dive deeper into professions to dispel any myths or misconceptions.
This applies for working professionals as well. Most of my career coaching clients are experienced professionals wanting a career change to get away from what they are doing – but are unsure of what they would like to do. Career exploration is important at all levels – it helps to better understand if the grass is really greener and allows time for retooling or strengthening qualifications to prepare for the future.
2. Conduct one informational interview. Human connection is a magical thing in our overly digital world and connections make a huge impact on professional success. Although the holidays are busy, many people are in a good mood and open to helping others. Additionally, many companies have lighter schedules at the end of the year.
You can select someone related to the career path you are exploring, or they could work for an interesting employer, growing industry, desired geography, matching academic background or any other criteria that appeals to you. Prepare questions that you are genuinely curious about, and then conduct a timely and organized meeting.
Be sure to be polite, professional, and prepared before, during and after the meeting. And, absolutely send a thank you note or email to show your appreciation.
3. Identify one technical skill to strengthen. Given the rapid rate of innovation, it is critical to keep your relevant technical abilities strong. Of equal importance is maintaining (or developing) your ability to learn new technical skills. Over break, challenge yourself to spend 1-2 hours getting better at one technology. It could be reading the shortcuts to use in Outlook or creating templates for email that you send frequently. It could be watching a LinkedIn Learning or Udemy video on Tableau or understanding Salesforce Reports. Building digital dexterity doesn’t have to be painful if you practice periodically.
I am a huge fan of simple strategies with big impact. These three lead my list! In total, executing on the three suggestions above requires about 8-10 hours to be done fully – but you would still yield significant benefits in only a couple of hours.