Shopping. Spending. Crowds. Masks. Packed stores. Wrapping. Packing. Travel. Family. Extended family. Christmas cards. Secret Santas. Cookies. End-of-the-year project deadlines. Holiday parties. Cold weather. Short days. Flu season. More spending. More cookies. Another year passing. Another year looming.
Not exactly a dull time of year!
During the holiday season, goodwill flows and festivities abound. Yet at the same time for many of us, time evaporates and stress skyrockets, impacting our health, happiness, relationships, work performance … and job search.
Stressed or not, if you’re in the midst of a career change or just starting the hunt for a new job, it’s easy to lose focus during the holidays. Perhaps it’s the stress of an impending New Year, the flurry of social obligations, and the pressure of family obligations and expectations. Or maybe it’s the pull of activities that seem a little more fun — hot cocoa, sledding, snuggling up with your loved ones to watch It’s A Wonderful Life.
There’s a good chance it’s a combination of both. Either way, it can be a challenging time of year to stay on track and enthusiastic about your job search. My best advice is this: Take a deep breath and be deliberate in your decision to either:
A) Relax, enjoy the holidays and give yourself a fresh start at the top of the New Year.
OR
B) Identify a handful of activities you can do before the New Year that will let you maintain your job search momentum while still enjoying holiday time.
Choose the path that’s best for you! The most important thing is to make your choice intentional so you don’t disperse your energies and focus. You definitely don’t want to feel like you should be wrapping gifts while you’re researching job opportunities, and you don’t want to feel like you should be polishing your resume while you’re visiting with family.
Unless you are precise with and committed to how you will spend your time, neither the holidays nor your search will get the best version of you. You’ll run the risk of getting sloppy and frustrated with your job search and disappointing family.
To help you choose your right path, here are 10 different ways you can infuse aspects of your job search into your schedule over the next couple of weeks. See which appeal the most, and go forth merrily!
