Happy New Year!
After the whirlwind of the holidays, I’m excited to be back to Talk About Talk with restored energy. Instead of starting the year with gusto and grand resolutions, I’m easing my way into 2025, and selecting mini goals that prioritize behaviour changes over concrete achievements.
I encourage you to do the same.
Here’s why:
- Small steps create a roadmap to greater goals.
- Small steps are the foundation of gradual change, and you’re more likely to stick with them.
- Small steps are just easier. They’re less daunting and faster to complete.
One of my resolutions for 2025 is to consume more art, which can easily be broken down into small measurable steps like attending a play or concert once a month. Best of all, this is a fun one, so I’m eager to do it. (If your goal or resolution sounds like a chore, it’ll feel like one too!)
For many of the people I work with, career growth is one of those vast and vague goals that they set, without knowing what their first small step will be.
So this week I’m sharing three small and clear steps you can take to experience career growth in 2025.
3 Things to Talk About This Week
- Easy wins on LinkedIn
- How to outsmart ATS
- Taking that first small step
Easy wins on LinkedIn
Career growth may look like a promotion, a job transition, or taking on greater responsibilities at work. Whatever it is, it’s not generally something you can snap your fingers and create, it comes down to timing.
So the best thing you can do is set yourself up to be ready when the moment strikes.
I spoke with Martin Buckland, a coach with over 25 years of experience in helping senior executives reach their career goals, and he shared the easiest steps you can take to elevate your LinkedIn profile to stand out. Things like:
- Choosing impactful descriptors over “wussy” words.
- Replacing your selfie profile photo with a professional one, STAT!
- Writing a rich About section. This is an area where more is more, and Google will reward your efforts!
For more of Martin’s easy tweaks to win on LinkedIn, listen to my latest Talk About Talk podcast ep.178.
How to outsmart the ATS
Hiring managers have become secondary in the hierarchy when it comes to evaluating all those impressive resumes. These days it’s all about speaking the language of the ATS—applicant tracking software.
Martin Buckland elaborates on this in the latest podcast episode, and how ATS rejects up to 70% of resumes simply due to formatting issues!
Yes, formatting your resume to conform to the ATS is complicated. So to help you take the guesswork out of refreshing your resume, Martin and I created a helpful “Above the Fold” resume template.
Your first impression matters (even to AI!)
Taking that first small step
Eager to invest and grow in your career this year but unsure where to begin? Education is the perfect small step to achieving this.
My first live training of the year focusing on “5 Ways to Kickstart Your Personal Brand” happened earlier this week and it was a big success!
In case you missed it, I’m sharing the full video with you here!
You’ll learn how to make 2025 the year you define your true, unique value.
Watching this 49 minute video is an easy step to develop your brand—and it’s FREE!
I have so many more exciting live trainings and bootcamps planned for the year, all in an effort to help you harness your brand, develop your skills, and communicate with confidence.
I can’t wait to help you grow this year!
Talk soon,
What else is going on at Talk About Talk?
Kickstart 2025 with my Professional Identity & Personal Branding Bootcamp. In this transformative four-week bootcamp you’ll learn how to introduce yourself in any context, create your customized personal branding template, and learn how to articulate your expertise, passions, and superpowers. Make this your year for change! Bootcamp starts on January 15th!
Build the confidence you need to make change this year in my Career Transition & Job-Seekers Bootcamp. You’ll learn strategic networking skills, how to optimize your LinkedIn and CV, and insights to help you nail your job interviews. Bootcamp starts on February 12th.
Podcast Episodes
