High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Balance Work and the Holidays

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Balance Work and the Holidays: "Check if your company offers an employee assistance program. If you need to take time off to just recalibrate, that is perfectly okay."

• 10 Commitments to Live a Truly Accountable Life: "If you develop a strong personal belief in the importance of these commitments, and if you begin acting on those beliefs, you will benefit from them."

• 11 Ways to Be More Productive: "The restaurant business can be unrelenting, especially when you’re shuttling between five of them. Nonetheless, the chef, restaurant owner, and cookbook author says that the experience has an upside: It makes you an excellent problem solver."

• 7 Tips for Successful Delegating: "View it as a means to free up valuable time -- more hours you can use to act on your big ideas, grow your business and achieve greater success."
• 5 Steps to Turn Experience (and Failure) Into Wisdom:"They recognize that by knowing what they did to produce a great outcome, they can repeat the actions and duplicate the result. That’s wisdom too."

How to Stay Focused at Work During the Holidays

 © Andrii Klemenchenko | Dreamstime.com

This is the time of the year when our attention turns to family, gifts, food, celebrations, and time away from the office. But if you’re like most, you still have a job to do over the coming weeks. 

It can be tempting to spend valuable work time shopping for the final gift you need to buy for your cousin, and it’s easy to find distractions that prevent us from giving our full attention to the job. 

Implement these steps to help you stay focused on the task at hand. 

Put away the phone. When you get to work put your mobile phone away and turn off notifications. Lock it in a drawer if you can. This will prevent you from checking your personal email, scrolling through Facebook, and making personal phone calls throughout the day. 

Don’t sign up with your work email. You likely enjoy getting deals and so you’ve probably signed up to be emailed coupons and special offers from many of your favorite brands and retailers. This can be a big distraction if you have these sent to your work email address, especially with the increased number of messages sent around the holidays. Use your personal email and review them on your own time and unsubscribe from any of these emails that are coming to your work email address. 

Restrict access to shopping and news sites. If you spend time on a computer at work be sure to avoid sites you find particularly distracting. You might want to consider an app that prevents you from loading sites such as Amazon, Facebook, or CNN from your work computer, particularly if it is difficult for you to manage this on your own. 

Refocus at lunch. You finally have a few minutes in your day to relax and take a break. Feel free to reward a focused morning with some personal time but also use your lunch time to refocus and prioritize the remainder of your day. This can be an important time to reset the goals you have for the day and evaluate your progress. 

Reward your focus. Over the holidays be sure not to overwork and miss out on the fun. The holidays are a great time to reconnect with others and it’s important to reduce stress levels by attending the company’s holiday party and other opportunities to celebrate with your colleagues. 

By taking a few actions to stay focused over the holidays you can enjoy work and experience both the holiday work time and vacation time with reduced stress.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Manage Your Workload During the Holidays

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• How to Manage Your Workload During the Holiday Season:"if you’re concerned about keeping up with your workload in the absence of much of your team, try suggesting to your boss that you hire some temps to help compensate."

• Well-Meaning Career Advice to Avoid: "There are probably just five people in the world who have learned to like–or at least tolerate–the unfiltered version of you, and I doubt your boss is one of them."

• A New Way to Become More Open-Minded: "If openness to experience means you’re willing to try pickle-flavored ice cream, intellectual humility means you’re willing to admit you like it, even if you initially thought you wouldn’t."

• How to Ensure That You Are Constantly Improving: "Hearing others’ stories oftentimes helps me to avoid difficult situations but more importantly motivates me to set goals for myself."
• What Makes Teams Work?: "When we face the fact that none of us is above making a mistake, we create a space where innovation can take place."

Do These 5 Things With Your Time Off Over the Holidays

With the Christmas and New Year’s holidays coming up you might be planning to get away from the office or job for a few days, or perhaps even a week or two, if you’re lucky.

Make the most of your time away from work to come back with new energy, new ideas, and a new attitude. Here are some ways to do just that:

Get adequate sleep and rest. We’re often tempted to spend our vacation time staying up later than normal, finally getting a chance to watch TV late into the night, and then sleeping in late the next day. Give your body the physical rest it needs and avoid getting out of your normal routine. This doesn’t mean you can’t stay up late at the holiday party but you’ll be grateful you made sure to sleep well once you return to work.

Upgrade your wardrobe. If you receive some holiday money or gift cards this is a perfect opportunity to pick up a few items to enhance your style at work. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or purchase a full outfit. Adding an accent or two to your wardrobe—such as a new tie or scarf—can liven it up and help increase your confidence when you return to work for that important meeting with the boss or a key client.

Read a good book. While you’re relaxing and making the most of your time away from work be sure to read an interesting and entertaining book. It doesn’t have to be nonfiction, nor does it have to be a business book, or something related to your field of interest. Reading a great novel can open you up to experiences, cultures, and lifestyles that are different from your own, helping to develop empathy and understanding.

Focus on your health. As mentioned with the first point, don’t neglect your health during your time away from work. Get good sleep, avoid excessive amounts of alcohol, control the urge to overindulge with Christmas cookies and other treats, and stay active. If you do these things, you’ll feel ready and perhaps even eager to return to your work routine.

Give. We’ve all heard “it is better to give than to receive” and this can be true. If you focus of your time, talents, and resources over the holidays you will experience this time with more energy, peace, and joy: all qualities that will enable you to be more effective and impactful in your work.

Be intentional with your time off over the holidays and you will set yourself up for more success in your career and life as you head into the new year.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 4 Ways to Advance Your Career Over the Holidays

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 4 Ways to Advance Your Career Over the Holidays: "The holiday season is a major time people reconnect, and see each other socially at everyone's holiday parties. Ask them to open up their Rolodex, and when they see people who can help you, they'll ask."

• 9 Ways to Say No to Negativity: "We collected the best negativity reduction tips from psychologists, coaches and authors to help you identify your look-on-the-gray-side habits and begin to chip away at them."

• Why You Should Always Say Yes to New Opportunities: "Jordan Taylor Wright explains how his passion and personality have propelled him to the success he enjoys today."

• 17 Of the Best Business Books to Give as Gifts This Holiday Season: "This book would make a great gift for anyone, but it's especially helpful for those who have expressed feelings of boredom or disdain towards their career."
• How to Convince Your Boss to Let You Work From Home: "More and more people are working remotely, and many say it improves their productivity and satisfaction — while also saving them time and money."

5 Things to Do On Your Holiday Vacation From Work

The holidays are upon us and with it, if you're fortunate, will be a week or two away from the work place.

You should definitely use that time to unwind and relax, while avoiding any stressful thoughts of work or overdoing it with the eggnog.

However, time away from the job can provide an opportunity to evaluate where you are and where you're headed and prepare you for future success. If you'd like to relax on your holiday vacation and also be productive, here are five things you can do:

1. Work on developing a new habit now. Don't wait until January first to start your new routine, whether you want to do yoga in the morning, or go for a run. Get a jump on it and it will be part of your life by the time you return to work.

2. Read a good book. Check out a great read from your local library, perhaps something in a field you're interested in but no very little. This can help generate your creativity and spark ideas that you can take with you back to the office.

3. Connect with an old friend. It's fine to share Facebook posts or messages on twitter but make an effort to meet up with a friend in person, or over the phone if they live out of state. Reconnecting will boost your spirits, increase your energy, and might even lead to deepening your networking contacts.

4. Get a lot of sleep. This is likely on your agenda but sometimes the busyness of the holidays, with family and social events, can keep us running around and needing a break. Be sure to take some time for yourself. The holidays provide a great opportunity to kick back, sleep in, read a good book, or binge-watch that show you've been missing.

5. Set some goals. What do you want the coming year to look like? Take a look at your life and career situation and consider what changes you need to make in order to have a great year. Refer back to point 1 and implement a new habit now, rather than waiting until January 1st.

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Career Over the Holidays

With the holidays fast approaching you are likely looking forward to some time off and some time away from the job. Use this time away wisely and you can do some simple things to strengthen your career and feel good about getting off to a great start in 2016.

Here are 5 ways to strengthen your career over the holidays:

1. Read a good book. It doesn't have to be a business book or a career-related book but there are many good ones out there. You might simply read a book that inspires you to think about the world or a particular problem in a different way. This can help you apply some creative thinking to your job.

2. Take time to dream. Think about your future and where you want to be and how to get there. Think about what motivates you and what your passions are. Connect your passions and these future dreams to a career path and set it in motion for next year.

3. Rest and recharge. Be sure to take some time to simply rest and relax and avoid thinking about the stresses of your job and career. Do fun things you enjoy.

4. Set goals. Take a few minutes to consider some goals for 2016. Don't spend all day on this but identify one to three goals that would propel your career and life forward in an exciting way.

5. Connect with people who inspire you. Meet up with an old friend over coffee or take that former colleague to lunch. Spend time with others who motivate you and inspire you to be your best.

And enjoy the holidays!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Holiday Movie Lessons

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 8 Career Lessons from Your Favorite Holiday Movies: "As silly as it sounds, your favorite holiday movies can teach you valuable lessons, which you can absolutely apply to your career."


• End of Year Networking Tip: Keeping Your Network Engaged: "This time of year offers a great opportunity to re-engage your network with a small amount of effort. Keep it simple, keep it social."


• 4 Clever Ways to Connect with Powerful People: "Would you like to have [someone famous] in your network? Of course. The real question is, what can you offer someone who’s better-known or more famous than you are?"


• 5 Career Boosts for Your Holiday Break: "These are the realistic things I can do to help me when I go back to work after the holidays."


• Top 10 Resume Tips for 2014: "While you’re busy ramping up your job search, here’s a handy guide to help you give your resume [and cover letter] a nice competitive boost."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Goofy Freelancing Advice

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Top 10 Pieces of Goofy Freelancing Advice: "Here are some common examples of goofy freelancing advice [and] a few tips on how to pick good freelancing advice."


• 7 Pieces of Career Advice You Wished You Had Known Earlier: "Through trial and error, and the wisdom of others, I now know 7 things to do that I wished I had known when I started out on the path of each career."


• What To Do When Your Field Is Oversaturated With Talent: "Companies are looking for top talent for the lowest cost. The goal of the job seeker is to rise to the top of the pile."


• 4 Ways Your Personal Brand Wins with No: "Refusing work for small business can be a real issue for young entrepreneurs. In order to establish your small business [though], it will be necessary to take a stand and refuse some work requests."


• 10 Holiday No-Nos for the Office: "The holiday season—while filled with joy and good cheer—can be a landmine in the office if you’re not careful. Here are 10 potential pitfalls you should watch out for this season."

The Holiday Recipe for Strategic Networking

It is the time of year for two very important things - baking and holiday parties. Since I don't think you follow this blog to receive my recipe for Christmas tree-shaped almond butter cookies (which are fabulous, by the way), let's talk about your recipe for networking strategically at all these upcoming holiday parties.

• The stock of your networking recipe is a gallon of good cheer at the prospect of attending. The thought of attending a party with people I don't know puts me in a cold sweat. However, if you go into the event with the thought that you are there to have a good time, bring holiday wishes, and make new connections you will be much more successful.

• You next need to add a cup of preparation. Go into every holiday event with a clear definition of what you are looking for. Networking in any setting will never be successful if you do not have a goal in mind. When you meet someone, be sure to introduce yourself, tell them your specialty, and subtly tell them how they can help you. For example you might say: "My name is John Smith, I am a civil engineer. I specialize in residential design and quality control to ensure designs are cost-effective and safe. I unfortunately find myself unemployed this holiday season, but I am looking to land with a company that needs someone with my skills. I would appreciate it if you would keep me in mind if you hear of anything."

• Add a teaspoon of helpfulness. The key to networking is that you must always be on the lookout for ways you can help other people. It is so gratifying to know that you connected someone with their potential employer or made an introduction that led to another person's success. You know what they say about putting good things out into the world - they will come back to you!

• Last, add a dash of follow up. It does you no good to make these connections without following up on  them. Go home and connect with the people you meet on LinkedIn by sending them a personalized invitation about meeting them at the party. The next day write them a nice email reminding them of all the things you discussed at the party. Within the next month - holidays are a busy time - touch base with them and offer to buy them a cup of coffee and sit down to talk with them one-on-one.

Many people give up their job search during the holidays. However, it is the perfect time to take advantage of all the social opportunities and optimize everyone's sense of good cheer. Have an fruitful and prosperous holiday networking season!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 6 Steps for Rekindling Your Career in 2013: "Tis the season to begin thinking about New Year's resolutions. Get a jump start on your career and professional development by including some of these items to your list."


• 8 Tips for How to Ask for a Raise: "Don’t just go storming into your manager’s office and pound your fist on their desk asking for more pay.  Keep track of your performance as you go through the year.  Gather data and statistics that clearly demonstrate your contributions."


• 14 Ways to Stay Focused at Work Through the Holidays: "
  Avoid multitasking. Work on one project at a time ... 
  In addition, try to avoid working on personal and work-related tasks at the same time
  ."


• 6 Lessons From a Work-From-Home Mom and CEO: "There are countless studies that show working from home can be more productive than working in a traditional office setting with benefits such as fewer interruptions from colleagues, less office politics to deal with, a work environment that's in your control, etc. BUT, in order to benefit from these, you really need to be disciplined with your focus and time."


• How to Win New Contacts and Job-Search Allies at Holiday Parties: "Make sure you follow through with anything you said you'd do during your first conversation and don't squander potential opportunities by failing to keep in touch. When you do, you'll have a better chance of adding new allies to your job search efforts."

How to Optimize Holiday Party Networking Contacts

Most holiday parties have come to a close and although you may
still have some opportunities at the upcoming New Year’s Eve parties, it is
time to plan how you can take full advantage of the new contacts you made
during holiday festivities. Congratulations to you for going out on a limb and
taking the initiative to make new networking connections at these events. However,
now you may be asking yourself what to do next. Here are some tips to help you
optimize these new relationships.

> Follow up with these new contacts as soon as possible.
If you have not yet touched base with your new contact, it is time to reach out
to them. The longer you wait, the more likely you will be forgotten in the
bustle of the holidays.

> Use the upcoming new year as an ice breaker. Send your
new contact a card, email, or voice message with wishes for a Happy New Year
and inquire about the remainder of their holiday since you last saw each other.

> When you make the initial contact, remind them where
and when you met and who introduced you. Use the topic of your conversation –
your shared interests or goals – as a reminder of your conversation. Remind
them of how you can be a resource for them and clearly express what you are looking
for from them as a networking contact.

> Search for the person on social networking sites such
as http://www.linkedin.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/. This is a way to
reconnect without asking for too much of their time.

> Don’t wear out your welcome before you make an honest
connection. Keep in mind that people are often just returning from work after
an extended absence and they may not be able to get back to you right away. Be
respectful of their time, their schedule, and their other commitments.

Holiday Job Hunter Tips

The holidays can be a tricky time if you're newly graduated. You may be tempted to slide right into party or relax mode and forget all about job hunting, internships and networking. Please don't give up hope for the holidays! Here are some tips to use the holidays to your advantage to score a great job:

1. If you haven't been able to find a job in your field yet, do take a seasonal job. Working at a retail store may seem like the last thing you want to do right now, but it could lead to some great contacts. If you can find a seasonal job in a field that you may be interested in, take it! You never know where it may lead you.

2. Use holiday parties to network. Suck it up and join your parents or relatives to their holiday parties if they can bring guests. Bring business cards or your contact information and try to talk to everyone. Again, you never know who you may meet or you may find someone who knows someone who can help get you a job. Remember to be pleasant, polite and dress well.

3. Join professional groups that are related to your field. They may be holding holiday parties that will allow you to meet with other professionals in your desired field. Find any opportunities to party and network!

4. The holidays are a great time to remind the people in your network that you're still searching for a job. Sending nice e-cards or emails to wish someone a happy holiday is a nice way to get back in touch with someone if you aren't sure how to reconnect.

Learn to Disconnect from Work for the Holidays

I love being a freelancer at this point in my life. The flexible schedule, the different projects constantly changing from different companies and the ability to work at home in my pajamas are all pluses. One of the only downsides is that while my schedule is flexible, it also has the ability to force me to work constantly. I've learned that if you don't set boundaries, as a freelancer you could be working all day and night and even weekends if you have enough work. Unfortunately, sometimes I get asked to do assignments right away at 8 p.m. at night.

This could be the case for anyone who works a job where their boss has their email addresses and phone numbers and contacts them day or night. Some people take work home with them. This can be a slippery slope that leads to extreme stress that could even lead to illness. Especially around the holidays, when you have holiday to-do lists, presents to shop for, and parties to host. How do you let yourself take a break if you've become a workaholic?

1. Set hours for your work time whether you're a freelancer or a regular 9-5 worker. Stop responding to emails at 6 p.m., for example, unless it seems to be an emergency. You may have to talk to your boss about what an emergency entails. Something may seem like it could wait until the morning, but they consider it a priority task.

2. If your boss gives you grief over not being available 24/7, explain that you need time away from work to enjoy your life. If you do not get this time, you will be too stressed and will not be able to give your best work.

3. Take time off for the holidays. Even if you're a new post grad and don't have vacation days yet, take a few days off without pay if you have to. This may seem like a waste, but it will help keep you sane. Enjoy the holidays and spend time with family and friends to recharge for the new year.

How to Deal When Work and Holiday Stress Combine

The holidays are stressful enough without jobs or job hunting. When you were younger and even in college, you had breaks around the holidays. Exams are finished and you can focus on holiday gifting, celebrations, your holiday to-do list, and simply relaxing and having fun! But as a post grad, when you're searching for a job or managed to land one, things can be very different. Here are some tips on getting through the holidays with ease whether you're still searching for your dream job or landed one.

How to be stress free if you're job hunting:

1. It can be tempting to take the holidays off. You figure, who is hiring right before Christmas anyway? You just want to have this final time to relax, recharge, and get all of your holiday shopping done without distractions. Don't give up just because it is the holidays. Keep plugging along and you may find a great job that will be the perfect gift.

2. Deal with all the family questioning with ease. It may be tough if you haven't landed a job in your field or at all yet and your family is bogging you down with questions or even accusations. To stop from getting aggravated, just tell them that you're currently doing your best and looking for a job and you will update them when you have an interview or job. If they keep bugging you, politely say you don't wish to talk about it anymore and change the subject to one of their hobbies or something they're doing.

How to juggle job tasks and holiday obligations:

1. Now that you've gotten a job, you don't have as much time off as you would if you were still a student. You have responsibilities and your own stress at work. Throw in all the holiday obligations and it may make your head spin! So make the most of your weekends. It is tempting to sleep in and do nothing all day, but if you cross off a little of your holiday to-do list on Saturdays and Sundays it will make things easier.

2. If you're busy at home and at work, use your lunch hour to get some holiday tasks done. This may not be an ideal time to get things done but it can definitely help you feel accomplished and less stressed at home.

3. Be honest with yourself. If you are becoming too overwhelmed and getting sick from too much stress, take a day off. Sometimes all you need is a day at home to get things done and then rest and not have to worry about work for one day. Also, determine which holiday parties or tasks you can say 'no' to this year that will help you stress less.

Have a happy and stress free holiday!

Should You Give Your Boss a Present This Holiday?

As a post grad, you are entering your first job after graduation and may not always know the do’s and don'ts of the office. With the holidays quickly approaching, the question begs: do you buy your boss a present? Consider these options this year.

1. Does your office or workplace do a group gift for the boss? Ask around and find out what the etiquette normally is each year. Does everyone chip in cash and someone buys something from everyone? Is everyone on their own to buy gifts? Or does the boss tell everyone not to get them anything? Finding out what has happened in the past will be your biggest clue on what to do.

2. If everyone is on their own to buy a gift, be discreet. Some people may not buy a gift, but I would when you're a newbie. Leave the gift on the boss's desk and don't make a big deal out of it because that may rub your co-workers the wrong way.

3. So now, what to get? Don't just give cash. Know your boss has a certain hobby? For example, if they love golf... buy some nice golf balls. Keep the gifts simple and kind and relatively inexpensive. Food gifts are always appropriate, too. Just make sure you know of any foods your boss dislikes or food allergies s/he may have.

4. Finally, if you have no idea what to get and the office isn't doing a group gift, consider starting the tradition. Ask around and see if anyone would like to join you in a gift and brainstorm together to pick out the perfect one.