A Christmas list to help your career

Emma Finamore
22 Dec 2015

And no, the latest Playstation is not on there.

It’s one of the few times a year when parents, grandparents, family and friends are all clamouring to buy you gifts: maximise on this opportunity people, and ensure your Christmas list helps with your career search.

Sort your interview wardrobe

In a perfect world, the most qualified candidate would always land the job. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world: experts agree that everything from job applicants’ clothing and grooming habits, to hygiene and hair style can impact on job interviews.

Help yourself make the right first impression with prospective employers by purchasing a new interview outfit: make sure you add vouchers for a good clothes shop to your Christmas list.

Professional doesn’t have to mean boring though, Topshop do great, fashionable outfits and suits, which look slick but don’t scrimp on style. Asking for one of their gift cards would also mean you can use your student discount.

Up your expertise with a magazine subscription

Whether you’re interested in art, design, architecture, HR or marketing, primary school teaching or events management: there are specialist magazines out there you can subscribe to.

This means you’ll be kept up to date with industry news and developments, as well as helping you figure out what specific parts of that industry you want to work in, and giving you access to specialist job / apprenticeship advertisements, and usually exclusive parts of the magazine website.

Asking for a magazine subscription for Christmas will also mean you have plenty to talk about at up-coming job interviews, and you’ll impress with your in-depth insider industry knowledge.

Build up your professional skills

These days, you don’t need to leave the comfort of your home to hone new skill sets. You could ask for membership to Lynda.com and take online classes in Wordpress or Photoshp, or ask for an online language course from Rosetta Stone and add a new language to your CV.

You could also make yourself more employable by asking for driving lessons, or even a weekend course in something practical: many art galleries and theatres offer courses in media, art and drama, like these ones in London.

Adding to your skills set will not only be interesting and useful, but will make you stand out from the crowd and appear proactive (and talented) to potential employers.

Kit yourself out with some professional gear

No one wants to arrive at a job interview carrying their CV in an old rucksack or a portfolio that’s falling apart at the seams. Help your job-search by asking for a new bag or portfolio.

Zara has a great range of sleek unisex bags that will look great with your interview outfit and suit all budgets, and Muji and Paperchase have smart, affordable portfolios for those who need to take examples of their work to job interviews.

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