It provides you with the much needed time to reflect
From you college days and from your prior work experience, you already know your work habits, you should utilise this vacation to interact with employees of your future employer, these may be alumni from your college or may be some long lost friend. This will ensure that you're better equipped to adapt your working style to your new environment when the time comes. What did you learn at your last job? What strategies were effective, and which failed? Which do you want to bring to your new office, and which do you hope to discard?
Take the time to identify what worked, what didn’t, and how you will approach similar challenges in your new job before you get there. Once you’re in, you’ll be grappling with a whole slew of extra things to think through: like new office politics and new email systems.
Make a fresh start
And by fresh, I mean one in which you are refreshed! It’s hard to make a good first impression if you show up on Day One already stressed, or still answering emails from your previous employer or toiling with college submissions when they're long overdue. The gap between cutting the ties and starting anew is a great time to center yourself, find your best self, and lead with that when you’re ready.
Make sure you relax during the vacation
There is no rubric for this. Pick a place and a journey that will relax you. For some, this means traveling to a distant place for a few weeks, for others, it means going home to visit family for a few days. For still others, it means staying right at home, sleeping in, and enjoying a staycation that rarely comes your way.
Engage in a new hobby
A bike ride, a massage, a stack of tomes by the beach. Give yourself headspace to decompress and not think about work. Pay attention to the world around you instead, let your mind wander, and get zen.
Leverage upon the much needed me-time
While you are no doubt making career changes thanks in part to the support of loved ones and mentors, the transition to a new job is ultimately about you – so take some time to be alone and reflect on what the next phase of your career will mean for you. What are your goals? What are you afraid of? How will you know you’ve succeeded? A little introspection can go a long way in helping you feel ready–and excited–about your new job.
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