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SnowDay Professional Development


I live in New England. That means that this time each year, I am in the midst of snow season. February is the month when we receive the most snow. The amount of snow can vary each year. Some storms bring an inch and others bring a “snownado” or “snowmagedon.”  Some of you reading this out there cannot relate at all and think I should be blogging about how to do professional development on the beach, while others out there in readers land think that they live somewhere it really snows and people in New England should just deal with it, but my frame of reference is snowy New England and therefore SNOW DAY!

I just want to say that we do not shut down the Northeast every time it snows. Sometimes we get a snow day because it is a blizzard and the governor of the state will shut it down. Other times, we self-impose snow days because we live somewhere where the plow has not got to us before it was time to leave for work and are stuck at home. No matter the reason, one could find themselves at home. If the urge to shovel is not strong, professional development should be the next thing on your mind after you have made French toast. (As a side note, French toast is a joke tossed around because every time it snows people rush to the grocery store to stock up on milk, bread, and eggs.)

So after you have devoured your French toast, you can indulge in one or more of the below activities to enhance your professional development.

§  Read a book!  Seems really silly that I should say this, but people always say that they don’t have time to read. The best time to read is when you can snuggle up in your warm clothes and blankets, with a belly full of French toast.  Rather than indulge in the latest shades of best sellers, why not expand you professional horizons. I recommend trying out authors such as Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Pink, or Zig Ziglar. Another option is a classic like “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. Although technically this is a book about military strategy, many college level business courses read this book.  

§  Work on your résumé. If you work in workforce development and you counsel job seekers on job seeking, there is not any excuse for your résumé not to be up to date. This is one of those “practice what you preach” moments.  It doesn’t matter if you are actively looking for a new opportunity or holding steady in your current position, you never know when you may need it.

§  Social Media update. Snow day does not mean stay home and tweet how many inches are at your home and post some pictures on Instagram of you making snow angels. Sounds like fun, but this is the perfect opportunity to update your Linked In profile or evaluate your influence and reputation on Naymz.

§  Portfolio Development. After your trip to the grocery store before the storm, why not stop by your local office supply store and get the materials to make a career portfolio? What should you include? Anything that sells you to an employer? Maybe there are newspaper articles about your programs you have saved?  Samples of your work are great to include, especially if you are a résumé writer or have published material.

§  Goal Planning. Anyone out there in workforce development land that has ever worked in the case management aspect is aware of the Goal Plan, Individual Employment Plan, or Employment Plan.  It is kind of the standard in those positions. When was the last time you have evaluated your goals, wrote them down, and defined the steps necessary to achieve them? A common interview question is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Start there and work backwards. Every great tomorrow starts with today.

§  Conversation with your mentor.  Just because you are stuck at home does not mean that you cannot have a meaningful interaction with your mentor.  In the digital age, we can Skype someone, text with a person, or pick up the old fashioned telephone.  Having a day where you do not have other priorities on your mind is the best day to converse with your mentor.
Now for readers that do not get the opportunity to experience a snow day, I suggest replicating this experience in this manner. Take a random day off during the week.  The day before, go to the grocery store and get all the ingredients to make French toast. On your planned “snow day,” get up and make French toast. Stay in your pajamas or wear sweat pants. Do not go to the gym or leave the house. The point of the snow day is that you are stuck inside. Then start your snow day professional development experience.  If professional development is not enough for you and you would like to replicate shoveling, I suggest to go put layers of bulky clothes on, go outside and start digging until you are tired. Then dig some more.

For the rest of us that can end up with a snow day, I hope that you maximize your snow day experience. If you are reading this on a snow day, great for you!  Thank you for reading everyone. Feel free to post comments below or email me. ~ Karen Cirincione

 

 

 

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