Holiday Networking Survival Guide
Welcome to the Cutting Room Floor, a newsletter where I round up all my personal finance articles, put out exclusive content and interviews, and flag my favorite job listings from around LinkedIn.
I know what your calendar looks like right now. You're too busy, your inbox is overflowing, you have too much stuff on your to-do list, and the last thing you want to do is schlep to the hundred different holiday gatherings you have been invited to.
You want to blow them off. So here's some career advice: Don't.
The holiday season is a kind of networking Olympics. Whether it's your workplace, your volunteer organization, your kid's school, your alumni association, your faith group, your local neighborhood -- everyone wants a piece of your time, and you would be smart to bite the bullet and say yes.
These gatherings are where you can build real relationships that can launch you into a successful 2024. They are where you hear about opportunities, make new connections, and get face time with the boss.
To get some tips about how to navigate this time of year, I talked to a few experts in the field of networking, leadership, and public speaking: Michael Urtuzuástegui Melcher , Selena Rezvani (she/her) , and Matt Abrahams . Here's what they had to say for my new Reuters column.
Best Productivity Hack: Dorie Clark
I'm sure you're all aware of Dorie Clark , a speaker and author who has been named one of the "Top 50 Business Thinkers in the World". In fact I have bought a number of her books myself, including "Reinventing You," which is terrific for those interested in personal branding. A more recent one is "The Long Game," which helps us get beyond our short-term concerns and create a life that's more meaningful.
I asked if she wanted to contribute a success tip for readers, and she came up with a brilliant one -- one that I guess I use myself, without even realizing it. It's especially useful at this time of year when it feels like there are just not enough hours in the day. Over to Dorie:
"None of us has enough time - but in my book The Long Game, I talk about a concept I call 'strategic multitasking.' We all know traditional multitasking - like trying to answer emails while you're supposed to be listening to a webinar - doesn't work.
"But you can actually accomplish a lot, and "create" more time in your week, by picking activities where you can legitimately do two things?at once because you're using different parts of your brain. For instance, when you're doing a physical?tasks (like exercising, or driving, or making dinner), you can multitask in productive ways by expanding your learning (listening to a podcast or audiobook), strengthening?your relationships (calling a friend or doing the activity in person with them), or practicing a new skill (listening to stories in a foreign language or practicing meditative breathing techniques).
"We often waste these moments because we don't realize how much they add up, but I've been able to add as many as 30 "extra hours" to my week by identifying my regular rote tasks and thinking strategically about how I can layer another important activity onto them. In a time-starved world, that makes a real difference."?
Jobs of the Week
As I write this, the November jobs report just came in, and once again it beat expectations. Almost 200,000 jobs added, and the unemployment rate down to a miniscule 3.7%.
And yet, people always tell pollsters they are extremely angry about the economy! Not sure where that comes from, to be honest, because the numbers are outstanding.
As we have seen over the last few years in this country, people's ability to accurately tell what is true and what is not is ... not great.
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At any rate, an economy that's humming along means good news for interesting job openings. Here are a few in the journalism and communications spaces that might catch your eye:
As always, feel free to get in touch via Twitter (here), or email ([email protected]) -- to suggest story ideas, or hire me as a freelancer, or broadcast your job opening.
Or maybe even to appear in this newsletter, if you've got something interesting to say. In particular I'm looking for experts to talk about 2024 Predictions: What's coming our way next year, in money and the markets? If you think you know, drop me a line and I might include it in an upcoming edition.
Feel free to share and subscribe!
-CT
Columbia Business Prof; WSJ Bestselling Author; Ranked #1 Communication Coach; 3x Top 50 Business Thinker in World - Thinkers50
11 个月Thanks so much for sharing my tip, Chris, and great insights about networking during the holiday season, too!