7 Things to do during the Holidays

So real talk: two whole weeks of Winter Holidays is one of those things that sounds amazing, until you wind up slumped on your couch in a Christmas Coma. You’ve slept, you’re rejuvenated, you’ve gorged yourself on food and movies, and now you’re, well, bored.

If that sounds anything like you, this extra time might be perfect for working on Professional Development! If you could never find the time to do so before, now is a great time to upgrade your skill set with a few online courses (I know you’re probably tired of those, but at least they’re accessible!), skill quizzes, information sessions, and more. So grab that mug of eggnog, hunker down with some leftover Nuts and Bolts, and let’s get started on some career education!

1) Self-Reflection

The first step to figuring out what Professional Development you need is self-reflection. If you don’t know what you want your career journey to look like yet, you should ask yourself questions like: “What do I enjoy doing or learning?” “What skills do I have?” “Are there any gaps in my knowledge?” 

Even though you know yourself best, these questions are tricky especially because for a lot of students there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the future (I know I have my fair share!). If you started University aiming for a certain job position or degree only to later change your plans, you’re not alone! That’s why it’s good to have a wide breadth of transferable skills that will be useful for any potential job position. Think about your skills, and reflect about any gaps there that you may find. Maybe even try talking to a friend/family member, or writing down what you think about your skill set. Will you need that skill for your planned career? How can you know?

2) Research

Well the answer to that is Research! Say you’ve got a career in mind, or you know the kind of environment that you’d like to work in. From here, it’s a good idea to look into the kind of companies that offer such work. Take a look at their websites and see what their company values are. What skills do they prioritize? Do they have any job offers currently, and if so, what qualities does the job posting ask for? 

You can also try searching for the company on professional websites like LinkedIn. If anyone working there has a position you find yourself interested in, check out what qualifications they have and see if there are any you can develop for yourself.

3) Skill Cards

Still having trouble figuring out your skill set? Try this exercise developed by Queen’s University, during which you can go over their huge list of skills and figure out which ones you do have and which ones need more attention. 

These Skills Cards are great for thinking about your skills in new ways, as well as for finding out about some skills you may not have even realized were things you could put on a resume. As long as you have some concrete examples to go with these skills, be sure to include them in your resumes!

4) Courses

Let’s say you’ve done the self-reflection, the research, and have even tried out the Skills Cards, and now you want to focus on improving the skills you’ve selected. While there are a bunch of resources the University provides that you can turn to during the year - like the Career Centre - it’s the holidays, so now’s the time to turn to places where you can learn at your own pace (for free!). 

You can turn to websites with free courses like Coursera, or if you want something a little more local, EPL.com is a great way to access a learning database that’s from Edmonton. While our libraries are closed, there’s still a huge amount of information available to you online! By signing in through your library card, you can access sites like Lynda.com for free. Just check under their resources tab, and explore courses that will help you with skills like building communications skills to programming basics.

5) Skillshare

So you’ve got a couple extra weeks with a bunch of free time, right? Coincidentally, Skillshare’s free trial period is two weeks long. While it may not be enough time to fully learn a new skill, it is enough time to get started and figure out if you’re interested in pursuing skills like web development, graphic design, copywriting, and many more!

6) Resume Upgrades

Now that you’ve spent the time learning about skill development and then put that development into practice, it’s time to focus on upgrading your Resume! Check out these guides, brought to you by the Career Centre, about how to write a resume that not only highlights your most relevant skills but also uses the kind of professional language that will catch the attention of employers. 

Remember, your resume is your first impression, so make sure it’s a great one!

7) Make a LinkedIn Profile

If you’ve been putting this off, now’s the time to create that LinkedIn Profile! Social Media has changed the way that a lot of employers look to hire, and LinkedIn is a prime location for people to look for work and, more importantly, network! It’s as easy as setting up any other social media account, just keep in mind that you want to keep things professional. That means no selfies, and be serious and truthful when it comes to listing your accomplishments and previous employers.