Summer is almost officially here. It is time to polish your white shoes and iron your white pants! While some of you might be wondering how we got here so quickly… well, as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. (Just a tad of sarcasm here.)
Memorial Day weekend is generally filled with barbeques, picnics, parades and gatherings. This provides ample opportunity to get out of your house and be around people. It isn’t too late start scheduling your long-weekend plans. Here are some thoughts to get you started.
ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS:
- Volunteer to help a Veterans group
- March in your local parade
- Set up a pre-parade or post-parade gathering at your house
- Check out your local paper for happenings and events and attend one
- Invite friends or neighbors over for a “last minute” cookout- BYOB (Bring your own burger) is perfectly acceptable
- Reach out and touch someone- call a family member or friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile.
- Golf anyone? Or maybe take in a baseball game? How about a sailing regatta? Tennis tournaments? Either participate or spectate!
*If you really want to host a picnic, but you ran out of time, 4th of July is just around the corner, you could start planning that now.
Obviously, it goes without saying, you’ll need to be ready to build relationships (old and new) and have conversations.
Have these things ready:
- Your business cards (you don’t want to be scrambling for a piece of paper to write your email address on)
- Your elevator pitch or whatever you call it
- The names of 5-10 target companies you would like to work for/pursue
- Conversation Currency (As Keith Ferrazzi calls it) in other words, know something about current events, industry news, local happenings/issues
- Good casual clothes (I know, it seems trivial/frivolous, however, you want to look your best, first impressions do make a difference)
- And by the way, it is perfectly ok to say you are looking for your next great opportunity (positive outlook) Being unemployed is a reality, not a stigma
Any other ideas or suggestions before the weekend begins? What are your plans for Memorial Day? How are you going to incorporate job search into the weekend?
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
