‘Tis the season for career progression

Posted by Sarah Hobbs

Christmas affords many people the opportunity to wind down from work. There is a whole swathe of parties to attend, drinks to be drunk, turkey to be eaten and fun to be had. But whilst you are having a great time, please spare a thought for your career. Remember a career is for life, and shouldn’t be ignored at Christmas!

For the career-minded amongst you, remember that now is one of the best times to focus on your career. The lead up to Christmas brings some of the best networking opportunities all year, and in addition, many people have a little more time available to take those all-important career actions. Some of the key things to focus on over the next month are:

Volunteer – Christmas events bring with them lots of fetching, carrying and organising. From Secret Santa presents to full-scale Christmas parties, there is a lot happening. How can you get involved with implementing these? Involving yourself in this kind of task is particularly good if you are not very strong at networking. One of the best ways to forge relationships is by connecting to other people on the basis that you have a job to do. And being seen as helpful builds great future relationships.
Extend your network – Christmas events are probably the best time of the year to get to know the other people in the office. Make sure you don’t just stay with the people you know. Take the time to speak to people who you have never met before, or you have got to know a little. People who are ‘just a voice at the end of a phone’ come to the party and you have a chance to put a face to the name. Don’t think of it as ‘networking’ – just as a chance to find out a bit about them, and get to know them as a person rather than just a job role. It’s also a good chance to speak to your boss or even their boss and to reflect on the best achievements of the year, and look ahead to where work is headed next year.
Think about 2014 – many people use the start of a new year to set up new plans, objectives and strategies. What new projects, budgets and initiatives are going to be started in January? Keep your ear to the ground and make sure you are asking around. There may well be some new interesting work that will be starting up. Make sure that you are well positioned to be involved.
Start your career planning – next year might provide opportunities for you to take on greater responsibility or even to move to the next level of the organisation. This is not going to happen by itself. What career actions are you currently taking and is there anything else you should be doing? A great place to start is to think about who you could ask to be your career mentor to help keep New Year’s resolutions and enthusiasm on course.

But finally, a word to the wise. In career terms one of your greatest assets is your reputation. We all know the effect that drunken Christmas parties and unwisely spoken words can have! Make sure that you don’t slip up and do your career some unplanned damage. Have fun, but remember that you are at work too!

Take Away
Have a great Christmas period, and enjoy some great networking opportunities. Take control of building your reputation so that people see the best of you.