Last week, we gave you some ideas on how to spend this holiday season in ways that will increase your chances of starting a new phase of your career come early 2017.
It’s the middle of the holidays now: so far, have you been practicing what we suggested? How was it? Ready for more? That’s great! Here are some additional things you can do this season to up your career-seeking gameplan.
- Learn something new.
The important thing here is to keep your learning simple and functional. You don’t have to study an entire textbook or journal detailing your field of expertise. This can be the perfect time for you to brush up on some office basics.
Having some trouble with word processors, spreadsheets or slide presentations? Try to practice for up to 30 minutes a day with some simple functions of these tools. If you’re feeling ready for more advanced lessons, try mastering the features and functions of email clients like Outlook and Gmail or simple databases like Visual Basic.
If you’re in the creative field, or you just want to learn some additional skills, try some graphical, audio or video editing software.
Studying and understanding simple transactions and computations can keep your eye for accuracy sharp. You’ll then be less likely to make mistakes or be confused about salary-related conversations.
You can also try learning about employer-employee relations or your rights and responsibilities as an employee. The Labor Code is a good place to start; you don’t have to be an expert in it, just try to learn which of your rights and responsibilities the law covers so that you’ll know when you’re being given the short end of the stick.
Reading up on some surprising career-related trends and statistics is another a fun way to understand your desired place in the workforce.
All of these subjects and skills are aimed at increasing your potential value to a company. Plus, they’ll help you feel more capable and save you from feeling like a helpless newbie. The best part is, you can actually ask help from family and friends about these things while you’re bonding with them. You can even turn the skill practice sessions into mini-contests among you and your similarly-aged relatives.
- Get familiar with locations.
While you’re having an urban adventure with family and friend all over your city, try to remember some details near your destinations like other recognizable landmarks, street names and the kinds of public transport that pass close to them. You can even take photos of or selfies with the landmarks or the general area!
This is an effective way to become a bit more knowledgeable on how to get from one place to another. Also, recruiters often mention the nearest landmarks when describing how to get to their office. The more landmarks and streets you know, the better your chances are of getting to the right office on time for any future interview appointments!
Still with us so far? Good, now try these 2 new tips and have fun while boosting your employability chances during your vacation. And stay tuned for more as we near the end of the holidays and move into job-hunting season!