It’s that time of year — the company holiday party flier is hanging on the bulletin board, and you’re starting to wonder what to wear, who might be attending, and most important, how you can use the time to make a great impression on the big execs you don’t normally have access to.

The good news is with a little pre-planning, the holiday party can be more beneficial to your career than the team project you’re working on. “Seasonal social events are a great place for networking,” says Maribeth Kuzmeski, author of “The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life,” and founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. Here are some of her party pitch pointers…

Study the guest list. Make a wishlist of which bigwigs you want to try to schmooze. “Make a point to speak to each of them during the event (instead of hiding behind the dessert bar the entire night!),” says Kuzmeski. Beforehand, do some online research (LinkedIn is a great starting point) to learn more about the attendees.

Be armed with small talk topics. The last thing you want is to end up next to the CEO at the bar and have nothing to say. Kuzmeski suggests keeping some questions  handy to help break the ice. Some ideas:

• Where will you be spending the holidays?
• Where did you grow up? Do you still have family there?
• How are your kids? What are they up to this holiday season?

Once you get the conversation flowing, you can drop in a few thoughts about the company, or what you’re working on. Which brings us to…

The buffet line pitch. It’s the cousin of the elevator pitch, in which you should be able to tell about who you are and what you’ve accomplished in about 15 seconds or so. ” Be creative and think about how you can frame your accomplishments in a way that gets other guests’ attention,” says Kuzmeski, who always mentions her experience working with the NBA, as well as some U.S. senators.

Do some post-party follow-up. Before you pass out after a long night of spiked egg nog, spend 10 minutes jotting down some notes about the connections you made. Kuzmeski says to include reminders of interesting things that people said so you can refer back to them in later conversations. For example, she says, if you both like the same sports team, you might make a prediction about the upcoming game the next time you run into that person. Also, use social media to keep in touch by requesting connections in the immediate days afterward.

Of course, you don’t want to sound like you’re at a job interview when the holiday punch is flowing and the music is pumping, so be subtle, but charming.

Have you ever made a connection at a company party that paid off later? Tell us about it!

-Dawn Papandrea

I’ve lived in New York City all my life, and the eight years I lived in Brooklyn were some of the best. There’s one thing I’ll never miss about Brooklyn, though, and if you’re a city dweller, you know exactly what I’m talking about – parking. I have, however, managed to parlay my less-than-fun parking experiences into a few words of wisdom about finding the right college. Join me for the ride, won’t you?

It might take a while.
If you live in the city, being on time for a doctor’s appointment, dinner reservations, or a playdate requires you to factor in extra time to find a parking spot. There are no parking lots, and friends blessed with driveways are few and far between. Fight the urge to drive back home, and resign yourself to the fact that you’ll have to take a few trips around the block before you get what you want.

In the same way, finding the right school doesn’t happen in an instant. You’ll definitely want to give yourself plenty of time to get there, and it may require a few trips around college campuses before you find what you’re looking for. You might not find what you want right away, but don’t give up and go home – there’s a good college spot out there waiting for you.

Looks can be deceiving.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about finding parking in the city, it’s that what looks too good to be true usually is. Chances are that the vacant spot I see up the block is not a legal parking spot, but a driveway, a hydrant, or – my favorite – an illegal spot because of alternate side of the street parking regulations. It’s also possible that a couple of cars did a lousy parking job and, consequently, the open spot is too small for me. Grrrr.

Sometimes, all you have to do is look at a college brochure and you’re ready to find your place there. The campus looks idyllic, the school offers the major you want, and the location is fab. It’s perfect from afar – but there’s a chance that what looks like a great school really isn’t for you. So before you park yourself there, take a tour to see the school up close and decide if it’s really a good fit.

You should never sell yourself short.
Since parking is a pain near your friend’s apartment, and you always seem to get to a spot five seconds too late, you decide to just bite the bullet and park five blocks away. It’s doubtful you’ll get anything better. But then, after walking all that way (in the freezing rain), you see a spot right in front of her apartment. Oh, the agony.

Your grades have never been the best, so it doesn’t seem likely that you’ll get into the college of your dreams. Applying feels like a waste of time and experience tells you it’s better not to get your hopes up. Getting in to a “reach school” is far from a sure thing, of course, but how will you know what you can achieve unless you try?

When you do find the right school, take some time to revel in the joy of a mission well-accomplished. When my husband and I found a legal parking spot right across the street from our dinner reservations in Manhattan on Valentine’s Day, we spent at least five minutes celebrating the victory – before we even got out of the car.

Rest assured that you will reach your college destination sooner or later. Until then, try to relax and enjoy the ride!

-Robyn Tellefsen

Some people love the holidays. For others, it’s just a tough time of year. Add to that the stress of feeling stuck in a bad job, and the pressure is magnified. But anxiety is not inevitable – it’s possible to make it through the holidays intact and to find a career that doesn’t make you want to drown yourself in eggnog.

Try commencing your career do-over the way you might approach holiday shopping:

Step 1: Devise a plan of attack.
Before I brave the throngs, I try to write a list of all the people I have to buy for, what I might like to get them, and how much I want to spend. That way, I’m not wasting time and energy wandering aimlessly through the mall, and I’m less likely to get sucked into buying something I don’t need. I’m on a mission.

If you’re thinking about getting a new career, start by outlining the work you want, the education it will take to get there, and how much you’re willing and able to invest in this career change. That way, you have a clear career direction and a strong sense of your intended outcomes. You’re on a mission.

Step 2: Comparison shop.
Once I have an idea of what I need to buy, I find out where I can snag the best deals. This typically entails surfing the Web, figuring out who’s selling what, and how I can get what I want in the least amount of time. My goal is to shop smart, not hard – why take a trip to the toy store when I can get the same doll for my niece for the same price online?

You shouldn’t cut corners when it comes to making your way in a new career, but you don’t want to waste precious time and money, either. Why spend $40,000 on a degree that only costs $10,000 someplace else? (Unless the higher-priced program offers exponentially higher quality, of course.) And why spend time in traffic if you can get the same education online as in-person?

Step 3: Shop till you (almost) drop.
Now that you’ve done your homework, it’s time to make your purchases. Figure out the best times to do your shopping, whether online or in-store. Then fork over the cash, pack up the trunk (or click and ship), and bring it on home.

And now that you’ve done your due diligence, it’s time to turn your career reboot into reality. Sign up for the courses you need to meet your career requirements; fork over the tuition; and dive into class. Thanks to your meticulous planning – see steps 1 and 2 – you know exactly what it takes to get what you want, so take action.

Step 4: Wrap it up.
If you can get away with handing your family and friends their presents in a plastic bag, more power to you. The rest of us need to buy some pretty wrapping paper, maybe even ribbons and bows if we’re feeling fancy, and create the packaging our fabulous gifts deserve.

Once you’ve met all the pre-reqs for your new career, you’re ready to market your talents. I’m not suggesting you wrap ribbons and bows around your resume, but you do need to put your assets out there (LinkedIn, anyone?) so employers have a chance to take a look and decide you’re a keeper.

Follow the steps and choose not to stress. With the proper planning, you can get the goods you need and wow the ones you aim to please. Happy (career) shopping!

–Robyn Tellefsen

This guest post is contributed by Louise Baker, a freelance writer and blogger who writes for the ZenCollegeLife blog, as well as car insurance comparisons at CarinsuranceComparison.org.

A wise person once said “The only thing that you can count on any more is change.” There is a lot of truth to that statement. Change is constantly happening all around us whether we want to admit it or not. Companies are outsourcing repetitive, predictable tasks overseas that can be done at a fraction of the cost. Competition and the bottom line drives and influences the decision making in the corporate world everyday. Companies are also quick to re-organize and restructure at lightning speed in order to keep pace and stay relevant with today’s technology.

So, how do you manage a career in the fast lane? What can you offer a company who also has their pick of fresh new graduates? Adaptation and innovation have never been more important, and they begin with continual learning and integration of new ideas into your expertise. This is why you must update your skill set and stay on top of the latest trends. Here are two fields in which staying on top of your game is vital…

Accounting
You might not realize it, but the world of accounting is constantly changing and evolving. Think about this fact: a good number of accounting professionals can still remember a time when accounting was done on a paper ledger. There was a time not too far in the distant past when converting your paper general ledger to computer software was seen as a risky and dangerous move. Accounting professionals that refused to become experts in various accounting applications became outdated rather quickly as their competitors applied the benefits of computer-assisted accounting to their business. Today, every accounting professional has to attend the latest classes in Excel, Access and specialized accounting software packages like Sage, and be aware of the newest additions and tools that can make their business more efficient or make their services more useful. Accounting is more than having a mind for numbers, and those who cannot incorporate computers in their work run the risk of being defeated by those who can.

Computer Programming
Recent statistics are now telling us that the pace of technological development is advancing faster than ever. If you are employed in a position even remotely related to modern technology, keeping your knowledge current is a necessity. Programmers should subscribe to blogs and magazines in an effort to stay abreast of the latest discoveries, trends, insights, and strategies. Training courses are also vital, and plenty of IT workers set aside a certain amount of time to study new programming languages or attend seminars or conferences outside of their normal working hours. What used to take an employment force of 35 can now be done by a good programmer and entrepreneur – but being that programmer means staying on top of the technology field, and making sure your net worth as an employee is very high. It is important for you to be ready when the top executives come to you about any new strategy or framework, otherwise they will go looking for the expertise elsewhere.

Many careers require a lifelong commitment to constant learning and development. With the speed of communication in the modern world, improvements to a particular field in one country can be transmitted and implemented in another country almost overnight. There is simply no room left for those who think that their education ends with their degree.

For anyone who’s ever worked in an office environment, you know there’s always that guy… The one who says inappropriate things at meetings. The one who cannot grasp how to use the copy machine. The one who keeps his phone on speaker all the time.  The one who accidentally downloads a computer virus to the network.

The one who will never get ahead because he thinks he knows everything (and doesn’t!).

Instead, learn how to be the go-to guy by brushing up your business basics, office know-how, and more in a business training program. Beyond spreadsheets, marketing principles, finance and accounting — all super important! — you’ll also pick up these highly sought after soft skills:

• Communication. No one is going to help you prepare memos, send emails, or leave a voice message – it’s all you. And how you represent yourself will say a lot about your professional potential. A business education will provide you with the opportunity to refine your written and verbal communications skills.
• Organization. If you’ve never had to keep track of anything in your life beyond your social calendar, that’s going to be an essential skill to practice if you expect to work with spreadsheets, documents, contracts, and other “official” paperwork. Working on school project deadlines and compiling research materials are great ways to exercise those skills.
• Time management. How can you possibly get all of your work done if you’re bogged down in meetings half the day? Can you really work on four things at once? What’s the best way to prioritize several incoming projects? You’ll have to do it on the job, just as you’ll have to do in school. Practice makes perfect.
• Teamwork. You don’t necessarily have to party ‘til the wee hours with your co-workers to have a good working relationship with them. Learn how to utilize everyone’s strengths (and deal with their differing personalities) when working on a group project for class, and you’ll be well prepped for dealing with different departments.

If you want to climb the corporate ladder, consider some formal business training. And someday, you’ll be telling that guy what to do!

-Dawn Papandrea

NBC Photo: Trae Patton