Experts share the perks of working the holiday week instead of vacationing

Experts share the perks of working the holiday week instead of vacationingExperts share the perks of working the holiday week instead of vacationingThe week between Christmas and New Years Day is generally a slow one for in the professional world. Besides those who work in the retail, medical or hospitality industries, the week is considered a time when most office staff is on PTO.If youre parte of the skeleton crew who has to cover and handle the workload while your coworkers are on holiday or hiatus, look at the silver lining.Job experts say there are perks to working this slow week.Embrace the holiday spiritA gesture of kindness you can do that week is work during the holidays.The Number One perk of working the holiday week is that you instantly win friends among your coworkers who need someone to hold down the fort while theyre celebrating at home with their families, says Chris Chancey, founder of Amplio Recruiting, a staffing firm in Atlanta. Offering to work for a colleague du ring the holidays fosters a sense of camaraderie, he says.Coworkers of different faiths and cultures can grow into a more tightly knit unit by sharing information about one anothers traditions. Employers can foster this by planning holiday-themed potluck lunches that take various ethnic celebrations into account, adds Chancey.Enjoy the quiet officeThe main advantage to working during the holiday week is that it is quiet, says Graham Shorr, chief of staff at SquareFoot, a commercial real estate startup based in New York.Finding undisturbed focus time can be especially difficult towards the end of the year with- holidays, annual planning, budgeting, and projections, but having a week with fewer managerial or collaborative responsibilities can hugely valuable for strategic planning, building process, or getting ahead of deliverables for the new year, says Shorr. Plus, the managers are likely off so theres even more opportunity to enjoy a slower pace and more casual dress.Start the new year off successfullyLauren McGoodwin, CEO and founder of Career Contessa, creator of The Salary Project and host of the new podcast, The Femails, says working during the holiday week is a great time to focus and catch up on a project without the distractions of emails flying in, interruptions from colleagues, meetings, clients or anything else.Its also a great way to start the New Year with a clean slate at work organized and fully caught up, she continues. This allows you to hit the ground running and be incredibly productive in the first few weeks of the New Year versus playing catch up and having to tie up loose ends from before the holiday.

RBG Proves You Can Be Friendly With Any Co-worker - The Muse

RBG Proves You Can Be Friendly With Any Co-worker - The MuseRBG Proves You Can Be Friendly With Any Co-worker She walked onstage to the sounds of The Notorious B.I.G.s eponymous song blasting from the speakers. Hardly the introduction youd expect for a Supreme Court justice- unless, of course, its Associate Justice-slash-pop-culture-icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At a recent appearance at Columbia Universitys She Opened the Door womens conference, Ginsburgs entrance to a rap soundtrack was accompanied by a standing ovation. I was sitting all the way in the back of the large room, peering over hundreds of heads (and nearly as many smartphone cameras as attendees clamorad to capture the moment), at the 84-year-old legend.Clockwise Courtesy of Alex Wong, Robin Marchant, and Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesGinsburg may identify as a flaming feminist litigator, as CNN anchor Poppy Harlow reminded the audience in her introduction. She may have gained unprecedented status for a judge as a pop star for the liberal crowd, exemplified by the nickname The Notorious RBG (hence the song). And she may have gotten into hot water in the past when, to some observers, she got too political. But her final point in the conversation with Harlow can serve as a reminder to all of us that no matter how much your views differ or how vehemently you disagree with your co-workers- no matter how important the issues and how high the stakes- you can mucksmuschenstill be friendly and maintain a harmonious work environment. I love the work I do. I think I have the best job in the world for a lawyer. I respect all my colleagues and genuinely like most of them, Ginsburg said, speaking about her work at the end of a response about the things she has loved most in her life, a list that included her luck, her dear spouse, her family and children, and beautiful music. She paused just enough before most of them to elicit a big laugh from the audience. But even the hint that she wouldnt necessarily choose ev ery fellow justice to be her best friend didnt deter her from pressing on with an important pearl of wisdom any employee could learn from.Ive never worked in a more collegial place than the Supreme Court. Let me give you two examples. We have a tradition started by Chief Justice Melville Fuller at the end of the 19th century, and its the handshake before we sit to hear oral arguments and before we confer. We go around our conference room, each justice shaking hands with every other. Its as if to say, Maybe I was miffed yesterday when you circulated that nasty dissent, but we are in this together. Ginsburg went on to explain that the justices also lunch together every day they sit to hear arguments and every day they confer, that the chief justice usually brings in wine for a toast when its a justices birthday, how its the former junior justices job to make a dinner in honor of a new justice coming on board, and how the group frequently travels together both domestically and abroad. So theres a lot of togetherness, she said. Think about it These are the nine members of the highest court in the country. They deliberate over and make decisions in some of the most important cases, sometimes altering the course of history (think of their 2015 vote making same-sex marriage a right nationwide). And they have staggeringly different views on how the Constitution should be interpreted and, in some instances, which way the court should rule. Yet they still manage to cultivate a respectful and amicable environment- friendly, even if everyone isnt friends with everyone else. But even friendship is possible, as Ginsburgs close one with the late and quite conservative Justice Antonin Scalia demonstrates. In the compilation of Ginsburgs writings My Own Words, her biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams quote a 2007 bewerberinterview in which she speaks fondly of Scalia. We are two people who are quite different in their core beliefs, but who respect each others charac ter and ability, Ginsburg said. There is nobody else I spend every New Years Eve with.If Supreme Court justices can be friends- or at least friendly- with the colleagues they disagree with, surely we all can too.

Your Side Hustle May Help You Land Your Dream Job

Your Side Hustle May Help You Land Your Dream Job Your Side Hustle May Help You Land Your Dream Job When I say side hustle, Im not only talking about a side business. Im alsotalking about all of the little things you do aside from your day job or career. This includes volunteer work, freelance work, hobbies, and even part-time work.I spoke with two separate clients last week who didnt mention the extra work theyd been doing because they didnt think it would benefit their resumes. The funny thing is that both clients left off pieces of information that could potentially score them their dream positions.The Power of Side HustlesWhen I first started college, I applied for a PR internship in San Francisco. I didnt have a huge amount of office experience, but I had worked at the front desk in a cupcake shop. I didnt think much about it, and Iconsidered the position to be filler onmy resume, but it turned out that the PR company had just landed a major cupcake shop as one of itsclients. The company wasthrilled that I had inside experience. I dont know if this was the deciding factor in landing the internship,but I do know that a jobI thought wasinconsequentialended up weighing heavily in my favor.Another great example of when highlighting your side hustle can be extremely beneficial is when you are between jobs. Almost everyone will have that experience in their lifetime, and more and more employers have come to understand that its a natural result of the market. However, whats really important what will really wow potential employers is what you do during the interim.If youre in between jobs, try doing some volunteer work that is related to your industry and career. For example, if youre in marketing or events management, you can offer to help plan an event at alocal charity or school. Whilevolunteer workmay not be a traditional job or a source of income, it will boost the power of your resume and showcase your motivation, work ethic, and sense of community.When someone hands me aresume showing that their last job ended more thana month ago, my first thought is always, What have they been doing this whole time? Employers will have similar thoughts, so be sure to fill your gemeinsame agrarpolitik time with valuable work.Everyone needs a break at some point, and there is nothing wrong with taking a little time for yourself when youre in between jobs. However, if your transition lasts for more than a month or two, you need to be sure you are staying active in your industry. As mentioned above, volunteering is a great way to do this, but there are other options as well. Taking classes or adopting a constructive hobby (e.g., building websites or starting an industry-related blog) are also great ways to show employers that you arent just sitting around all day, waiting for your next role to land in your lap.Today, it is rare to have a perfect career path, and most people do a lot more than just their day jobs. If you are one of those people, don t be afraid to show offeverything you do even the things that arent directly related to your career.Remember, your side hustle may just help you land your dream job.Michele Lando is a certified professional resume writer and the founder of Write Styles.