How The BEST Holiday Office Party I Ever Went To Shaped My Career

As a former recruiting executive, I hopped to the other side 20 years ago to become an advocate for YOU, the worker. I write weekly on LinkedIn about topics that help people secure good jobs and build better careers. Thanks for reading - I'd love it if you decided to follow my newsletter by hitting the subscribe button above!

My first job in the recruiting industry was with a large national staffing company called Office Specialists. They eventually got acquired by Randstad, one of the largest staffing companies in the world.

This was also my first job with a big professional services firm.

To say I had a severe case of Imposter Syndrome when I started would be an understatement. I went to work everyday focused on exceeding expectations. I didn't want to get fired. I had a steep learning curve and did everything I could to get over it. I'd go home every night wondering if I had made the right decision to work in a place where everyone was so smart and successful.

Several months after joining them, we had the holiday office party. It was being held in a huge ballroom in a Boston hotel. Given this was the first time I had ever worked for a large company, I had no idea what to expect.

I took my best friend to the event as my plus one because I was so nervous.

However, within a few minutes of being there, I realized I had made a great decision in joining the company. No, it wasn't the awesome food and open bar. It was the executive team ripping up the dance floor!

I love dancing. It's in my blood. I've danced my whole life. Seeing the C-suite and extended executive team having a blast and dragging us on to the dance floor with them blew my mind. In spite of being a highly professional company that was doing amazing things in the industry, they were also a group of intelligent, humble, articulate and FUN people.

In that moment, I remember thinking for the first time, "I belong here."

I spoke with people from all sorts of departments and all seniority levels that night. Titles meant nothing. Everyone was genuinely curious about getting to know each other. It was incredible.

I learned so much and was able to catapult my career with that company. That job was the beginning of what has been a 20+ year journey in the professional development industry.

But most importantly, that holiday office party helped me understand the power of feeling a true sense of belonging at work.

Which is one of the reasons why I'm obsessed with helping purpose-driven professionals secure good jobs and build great careers with companies they feel connected to.

Now, it doesn't have to be a party to prove to employees they belong. But, I do think employers in a post-COVID world need to think about how they can create more opportunities for their employees to feel like they belong. Especially, if they work remotely.

PS - I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below. What was the BEST holiday office party you ever went to? Or, what activity or experience helped you to realize you belonged at your employer?