Holiday Career Coaching – Family Style

In my December Huffington Post column, I wrote a piece about capitalizing on family over the holidays to get some motivational career coaching. You can check out the full article http://huff.to/h7IrVQ but here is a summary of the salient points to tap into your family’s ideas and inspiration.

• Over hot chocolate turn the fireside chat towards you and ask your friends and family what they believe you do really well. Have them each write down five things and give examples of why they believe these are your strengths. Compare your list of self identified strengths with theirs and you may be surprised to see what others think you are really good at.
• When mealtime conversation lulls or when you want to change the subject to something positive, ask your guests what they envision for you career wise. Tell them to dream big and not be restricted by money, location, or education but most importantly, ask them why they believe you would excel in this particular career.
• If rarely seen relatives surface for the celebration, and if they are working in a field you find fascinating, be sure to ask them for some career counseling. Perhaps they would consider an informational interview or even a job shadow so you can see what they do up close and in person to ascertain if this might be a professional fit for you. They might be very willing to help you jumpstart your career research and having a family member in the industry is brilliant networking.
• Take advantage of some quiet down time to really reflect about what you want in your new career life. A serious self assessment is the first step to discovering what you value in a work environment. Then you should consider how you can play to your strengths and monetize your passions in the workplace. Journal your ideas so you can keep a written record and refer to it as you move forward in your career development plan.
• If you write a holiday newsletter or plan to see a lot of people at festive gatherings this season, be sure to tell people that you have a plan and are working towards a new job or a specific career goal. The holidays are a natural time to network so continue to build your community and have your customized pitch polished and ready to go for all occasions and audiences. People can’t help you if they don’t know what you need and you can’t get what you want if you don’t know what that is. Have goals and be ready to talk about them!
• Holiday cards are a perfect opportunity to rekindle those in your professional network. Go through your contacts and reach out to people you want to cultivate as well as new relationships you want to develop. Include a personal business card that has your name, phone, and email so follow-up is effortless. This is especially important if you are looking for work.

Instead of waiting for the New Year to start your resolutions, go into the holidays with an open mind and be ready to share your career ideas with loved ones. If you are down and frustrated this is a perfect time to capitalize on the family pick-me-up and let them help you by illustrating what you do well. Your new career journey starts with a single step but don’t hesitate about asking for help and inspiration from others!