Christmas will hopefully be a fun period where you can spend quality time with family members and friends. It will also hopefully be a time when you can relax and unwind. It is good to look back on the year over the Christmas break, particularly in the gap between Christmas and New Year, but we know many people are ready to look forward.
We know that December is a busy month but in January, people are going to make resolutions and attempt to make positive changes in their life. We recommend enjoying an early start, as this will provide you with an advantage in a competitive market. If you are looking to prepare for a new career, we believe the festive downtime is your chance to make changes and ensure you are perfectly placed to find a new role or gain that job you’ve always wanted
Do you know what next step you want to take with your career?
It may be that you know you don’t want to keep doing what you are doing now, but that you want to do something else. If you feel like this, don’t worry, you are not alone. Many people feel ready for a change without knowing what they want to do next.
Having some quiet time over Christmas is the perfect chance to evaluate your options, review what is available and consider what you want to do next. No two people are alike, so we aren’t going to give you a list of what you should do next, and there is a lot to consider. You need to find a balance between wages, income, convenience, ambition, location and many other factors which will make a job perfect for some people and a terrible option for others.
Even if you do nothing but narrow down your options or settle on what your next role should be, you will find that the Christmas period can be productive.
Review and update your CV
If you have some spare time, make sure your CV is up to date and relevant. Your CV should represent what you have done and achieved but it should also represent what you want to achieve. Focus on the aspects of your life or career that will help you take the next step in your career.
Not everything you have achieved in your career deserves equal billing, so prioritise your CV with respect to what you want to present to potential employers.
Are you on LinkedIn? Are you using it effectively? Now is the time to update your profile
Employers pay attention to social media and LinkedIn is the perfect platform for making connections, developing relationships and finding out what jobs are available. If your LinkedIn profile represents you in an effective manner, and you connect with others, you will find that you will increase your chances of finding out about interesting jobs while also increasing your chances of obtaining your ideal job.
Also, remember that some employers will review your Twitter and Facebook accounts when you apply for a job. If you think there are items on your account that you wouldn’t want an employer to see, this is the ideal time of year to refresh your social media accounts ready for your new potential employers .
Would you benefit from further training or courses?
The festive break is an ideal time to get online and research what training courses are available which could help enhance your career. At GSS we are constantly reviewing our courses to ensure we meet the demands of our customers and can enhance their skills in this ever moving job market.
We know if there’s a gap in what you do and what employers are looking for, you need to bridge this gap, and training that provides you with the required skill or expertise will be of benefit.
Another good reason to review what your training requirements are in December is that come January, many online retailers have sales or offer discounts. When you know what you need to improve on, having the chance to take a course that’s free or at a lower fee is of benefit, and this can help you take the next step in your career.
Get help from a professional
While there be many things you need to take responsibility for when looking for a new job or a switch in career, it never hurts to get help from the experts. At Global Solution Services, we aim to provide you with dependable and actionable Careers Information, Advice and guidance. Whether you are looking to make a step on that career ladder, or you just need support in making that change
We hope you have a fun festive period but if you are intent on using this time productively, get in touch with us and we will do what we can to ensure 2019 gets off to a flying start for you.
You can also go to our Training pages to see what course we have in your area.
New for 2019
We also have a suite of free courses specifically for unemployed residents of Greenwich & Merton so please feel free to give us a call to check course dates and times.