Gifts for the Career Professional

The holidays are almost here, and it can be difficult to think of gift ideas for hard-to-buy-for friends and family. There may be a student in your life who’s graduating soon, or you might want to spoil a hardworking loved one with something they wouldn’t buy for themselves. If so, a gift to use at work might sound dull, but if it’s well-chosen, the recipient will enjoy using it practically every day. Here are a few ideas:

The Statement Gift

You can’t judge the quality of a person’s work by their appearance. But the career enthusiast knows that it can pay to look the part. There’s no limit to what you can spend making yourself stand out, but there are plenty of ways to choose a gift that’s affordable and also stylish.

In the age of the smartphone, a watch isn’t a necessity, but it is a statement—a well-chosen watch conveys a sense of responsibility and timeless style. Watches can get expensive, but a simple leather strap watch for men or women doesn’t need to cost a fortune. There are some great designs in digital watches, too—1face has a line of affordable watches with sleek designs, and a portion of their profits go to charity.

A functional, professional-looking bag is always a great choice. Messenger bags are often designed to carry laptops and today’s work-related necessities, and come in a variety of styles for men and women, with some closer to a traditional briefcase design and others distinctly more modern. (Not that there aren’t still great briefcases.)

Most people in offices spend their working lives typing, but the pen you reach for in a meeting says a lot about you. Rollerball pens make a good compromise between the elegance of a fountain pen and the practicality of a ballpoint. Parker and Lamy each have a range of rollerball pens with elegant designs, many of which are very affordable.

The Tech Gift

Of course, these days gifts are often more high-tech—but for the career enthusiast who has all the devices they’ll need, a productivity app can be an unusual gift. You can give an app directly through Apple’s app store (here’s how) and though you can’t yet do that in Google Play, you can give a gift card.

There are a lot of great apps that will help your career enthusiast have a productive year. Evernote is a virtual workspace that gathers notes, photos, lists, and articles in one place and allows you to tag and search them efficiently. A premium subscription gives them use of enhanced search features and offline access to notes on their phone.

For the career enthusiast wanting to manage their time better, a RescueTime subscription lets them track time spent on websites and in applications. The app generates reports which give invaluable insights into your productivity. If they ask it to, it can also shut down the news websites they keep refreshing through the day!

If you’ve got a little more to spend, you could invest in some premium speech recognition software—Dragon is probably the best-known name in the business. With practice, dictation can be three times faster than typing out your thoughts. And if you really want to splurge, a voice-to-text digital recorder allows your career enthusiast to dictate anywhere.

The Practical Gift

Some of the career enthusiasts in your life may have expensive taste. But that doesn’t mean that a great gift has to break the bank—your holiday gift can be practical, affordable, and fun.

If your career enthusiast’s job requires travel, there are a lot of affordable gifts that can make their lives easier. An external battery can be a phone-saver—and a lifesaver—and they start at very reasonable prices. For foreign travelers a universal adapter is indispensable—and a color-coded adapter from Flight 001 is both compact and fun.

Exchanging business cards is still part of business life, and there’s an etiquette to their use which varies by culture. A business card holder can add the recipient’s personal touch to the ritual and help keep track of cards. Etsy has many beautiful holders which make unique and affordable gifts.

Finally, it’s not entirely office-appropriate, but this desktop nap pillow looks amazing.

We hope we’ve convinced you that a career-related gift can not only serve a purpose, but be something your friends and loved ones will be excited to unwrap. And with any luck these ideas will make shopping just a little easier. Happy holidays!