Power lunch can kick-start your job

For some people lunchtime is a time to escape and be yourself. Others head straight for the gym.

A survey by Domino's Pizza found the most common uses of lunch breaks include: reading, doing a crossword, going to the gym, surfing the internet, visiting social networking sites, running personal errands and shopping.

If you're serious about your career there are far more productive ways to use that hour a day, which adds up to 240 hours a year over 48 weeks.

Using your lunchtimes effectively is an idea that led Australian Geoff McDonald to offer Eat an Idea for Lunch events, with the first New Zealand one held in Auckland in May.

McDonald is a voracious reader and writes what he calls "book summaries on steroids".

The idea is that he summarises mostly business and personal development books in one-page "bookrappers" for others to digest.

The lunches allow professionals who may be interested in those ideas to get together and discuss them.

One such professional is Gilly Chater, a self-employed resilience expert who attended the first lunch, which was dedicated to Seth Godin's book Purple You.

Chater seeks out lunchtime events in order to network with others whom she can bounce ideas off. "It's too easy to get cooped up in your own business," says Chater. "It's good to get away from the computer and from your office. Expanding your mind outside of what you are doing is really good."

Scratch the surface and there are all sorts of lunchtime networking meetings available such as Ladies who Lunch Seriously, a North Shore-based lunchtime networking group.

The group acknowledges there is pressure on evening time and lunchtime is a great time to network. Many networking groups will be focused at self-employed and business people. However, professional bodies often have lunchtime events.

If you have a university or other educational institution near you there might be opportunities to attend lectures or other events at lunchtime.

Each year, for example, the University of Auckland runs a Winter Lecture series. This year it is on "The end(s) of journalism". Details at www.auckland.ac.nz/winter. In Auckland, AUT University also runs lunchtime lectures.

Lunchtimes are a great time to meet with a mentor. IBM's operations manager Sally Pursor does just that - although it doesn't tend to involve eating because there is too much to be done.

Pursor's mentor Daryl French, who is based in the Bay of Plenty but works throughout the Asia/Pacific region, was assigned to her by IBM. Their meetings are structured, says French.

They meet for 45 minutes and then have a 15-minute review of the session so he's ready for the next meeting.

It's not a casual conversation. French looks at the skills Pursor needs for her present and future roles and will set tasks to challenge her. Sometimes, says Pursor "I think: 'Oh my, what is he going to ask me today?'."

But those monthly sessions have had a huge impact on her career. "My CEO in New Zealand has commented on my performance improvement."

Not every employer offers mentors. If you can't find one it's possible to pay. A one-hour session a week or month with a life or career coach or even a therapist could be a valuable investment. It's always worth checking if your employer will pay for this or other lunchtime activities that improve you as an employee.

Even if you have a career plan, but not a mentor or coach, you can schedule in lunches or coffees with the right people. That's a matter of mixing with the people who can help you improve what you have to offer to your existing employer, or can open doors with you at the next.

Don't be nervous. It's flattering for most people to be approached by someone who wants to learn from them.

Professional organisations often offer lunchtime seminars, as do some employers. Kensington Swan Lawyers, for example, offers a lunchtime seminar series to staff - with past speakers ranging from a representative from the NZ Institute to members of Parliament and even image consultants.

At industry events what's important is the people you meet as well as what you might learn.

If you're struggling to find something to do, check out the Workshops, Conferences & Classes events on Eventfinder.co.nz. You'll find everything from BrainStorm, a regular "right brain workout" for people to Lopdell House's Winter Series lectures devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading".

Another lunchtime activity common with IBMers is to study. The company's intranet has a huge variety of educational topics staff can work on, says Pursor.

Even if your employer isn't as pro-active as IBM, e-learning is a highly developed industry and there are courses for everyone. It's a matter of doing a skills assessment for your job, which could be a DIY approach or completed by your HR department or an independent consultant, and looking to fill those gaps.

The choices for study range from simple online tutorials on grammar and spelling to a degree or diploma extramurally from institutions such as the Open Polytechnic or Massey University. To open your eyes to the online learning available, check out Worldwidelearn.com.

Or if you want something less formal, simply getting out to the library, a park or another quiet spot to read a career-related book can be invaluable.

Although many events are held in central Auckland, there are plenty of opportunities in all corners of the city and other centres. Albany-based Renee Lubbe nearly quit her job at the Apprenticeship Training Trust when told she had to MC the annual graduation ceremony. The idea of getting up in front of an audience, including the Prime Minister of the day, Helen Clark, was overwhelming.

Instead of quitting, she joined Glenfield One Hour Toastmasters club. It is one of seven lunchtime Toastmasters clubs across the Auckland region, including corporate clubs such as the Rodney District Council's RDC Raconteurs Toastmasters Club and ANZ Toastmasters.

Lubbe was amazed at how quickly she overcame her public speaking fears, stood up, and MCed the event. "I have been doing the graduation ever since," she says.

The one lunchtime a week at Toastmasters has had huge benefits for Lubbe's career. "I have been made operations manager here and I don't think I would have been able to step up and go into the boardroom without my Toastmasters training," she says. "Speaking and communication skills are one of the most important things in the business world."

Likewise Grant Boyd, of the corporate lunchtime Vodafone Toastmasters Club, says the lunchtime sessions have produced numerous wins for him including:

* The ability to network across the business with staff he would not meet normally.

* Structure to run meetings well.

* Confidence and skills to speak in front of senior management.

* An opportunity to coach other colleagues just joining Toastmasters.

Boyd, who is solutions design and delivery leader at Vodafone, says he is one of life's "quiet achievers working in the background" and his lunchtime public speaking practice has raised his profile within the company.

Going for a run or to the gym at lunchtime can, of course, benefit your career. It doesn't, however, do your career any harm if you can work out or run with more senior staff in your breaks.

Finally, if all else fails to up your game in your existing position, use your lunchtimes to do the rounds of employment agencies and others who could offer you a better job.