Naughty or Nice, you need a Career Shopping List this Holiday!

If the length of time it recently took me to find a parking spot at the mall is any indication…the holiday season is in full gear! As busy as everyone is with holiday planning, now is the time to also get busy with your career planning for next year.

As you’re writing your shopping list, take a moment to read this:

1)  Write down this year's accolades before you forget them –

Do some retrospective thinking on the past 11 months. What were some of your successes? What did you get positive feedback on? What are the new skills you acquired?  Look for facts and figures that can be drawn upon in the future for updating a resume. This includes all achievements, awards, recognitions, recommendations, etc.

2)  Audit your Social profiles –

Your social profiles are your online brand. Companies look at a person’s web presence (especially LinkedIn), a data point almost as valuable as a resume. This is a great time to update your profiles, checking to make sure your information, photos and connections are up-to-date.

3)  Ask people close to you if you’re doing what you should be doing professionally –

I’m not saying “you should quit your job and open a taco truck”… (Nothing against starting a taco truck business- I love tacos!)  What I am suggesting is for you to seek a third party perspective. Talk to the people closest to you- those who know you best and know your strengths and weaknesses, what makes you happiest, and recognize when you are off course.

4)  Warm up your network –

Contact your valuable career contacts. This should include mentors, past co-workers, people whose careers you admire, and people who work at HOT companies you are keeping your eye on. Staying in touch will ensure that your network knows what you’re doing, where you’re headed and most importantly, how to find you.

5)  Update your online info sources –

It’s good to be in the know. There are new sites popping every day that are relevant to your industry. Sign up for their email feeds, follow them on social media, or check out their websites regularly. A quick read can give you an advantage when speaking with other professionals. I like tech sites such as mashable.com, venturebeat.com, theverge.com.  For life sciences/healthcare news, I follow sites like outsourcing-pharma.com, fiercehealthit.com, in-pharmatechnologist.com

Do these things now, and you’ll start the year off achieving your goals, not figuring out what they should be. Wishing you all the best for a good wrap of the year and an awesome start to the next!

~Bill