As the calendar turns to a new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect, refine, and execute your career plans. Each January offers a fresh opportunity to evaluate where you stand professionally, determine where you want to go and map out how to get there. By being intentional about your development and taking deliberate action, you can turn 2025 into a breakthrough year for your career. Below are 21 actions to help set the stage for career success.
Reflection is The Foundation of Progress
Before implementing the 21 actions to help your career in 2025, you have to reflect on the past year. Ask yourself:
- What did I achieve this past year? Celebrate your wins, no matter how small.
- Where did I fall short? Be honest about areas where you didn’t meet expectations.
- Did I put forth my best effort consistently? Assess whether you gave your all or coasted at times.
When reflecting on your past, truth and brutal honesty are critical. Don’t beat yourself up over your failures. Instead, identify where you have opportunities for improvement. Consider the following tools to help you start reflecting:
- Journaling: Write daily or weekly entries about your accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned.
- A Personal SWOT Analysis: Assess your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats to clarify where you stand.
- Annual Review Templates: Use career-focused templates or apps like Notion or Evernote to structure your reflections and identify trends.
21 Actions to Help Your Career in 2025
Building and executing a development plan to advance your career requires intention. Career advancement doesn’t happen accidentally. Growing yourself and your career requires planning, commitment, and execution. Every action you take should align with your overarching career goals. Keep this mindset as you explore the 21 actions below.
1. Set SMART Career Goals
Define Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals. For example, instead of saying, “I want a promotion,” set a goal like, “I will earn a promotion to team lead by Q3 by exceeding sales targets by 15%.”
2. Update Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile
Highlight accomplishments from the past year and ensure your LinkedIn profile reflects your current role, achievements, and career aspirations. Updating your resume is critical because it assures you are prepared for new and unexpected opportunities.
Another benefit of updating your resume is that it helps you reflect on your progress to celebrate career wins. When you update your resume, you identify skills to add to your development plan you need to focus on developing. Above all, it enables you to prepare for your annual performance review by articulating your value.
3. Seek Feedback From Trusted Sources
Ask peers, managers, or mentors for candid feedback on your strengths and areas for improvement. Feedback is the best way to gain perspective and identify your blind spots. When asking for feedback, be specific and open to constructive criticism. For example, you could ask:
- “What is one thing I do well that I should continue focusing on?”
- “Can you share an area where you think I could improve or grow?”
- “Are there any habits or behaviors you think might be holding me back?”
4. Identify Your Career Skill Gaps
Review job openings aligned to the role you are looking for, and note the required skills or certifications. Look at LinkedIn profiles of people in the roles aligned to your career goals to gain insights into their skills, experiences, and certifications. Researching job openings and LinkedIn profiles that match your goals will inspire you to identify the areas you need to improve and help you prioritize where to focus your learning to grow your career. Add these competencies to your 2025 career development plan.
5. Invest in Professional Development
Enroll in courses, attend workshops, or obtain certifications based on the career skill gaps you identified. For example, I’m currently enrolled in the Google Data Analytics course because a large part of my day is reviewing reports using data analysis to drive decision-making.
If your goal is to become a manager, consider certifications like the Certified Manager (CM) credential or courses on situational leadership.
To improve communication, explore certifications such as the Advanced Business Writing Certificate from the American Management Association.
For public presentation skills, programs like the Dale Carnegie Course or the Public Speaking Certification by Coursera can help you gain confidence and expertise.
These courses and certifications enhance your skill set and demonstrate your commitment to professional growth.
6. Network Strategically
Get out of your comfort zone and start networking. You can easily network by attending industry events, joining professional organizations, and engaging with peers on LinkedIn. Building a strong professional network opens new opportunities that help you grow your career. You connect with people who can offer mentorship, share valuable insights, or inform you about hidden job opportunities.
Networking is a great way to stay updated on trends in your industry and gain exposure to diverse perspectives. For example, sign up for a seminar and engage people in conversation because it could help you learn about an open position that aligns with your career goals or receive advice that enables you to overcome a current challenge you are working to solve.
7. Find a Mentor or Coach
Identify someone whose career you admire and start engaging with them. A mentor can offer valuable tips and insights to grow your career. On the other hand, a coach helps you create a career roadmap and holds you accountable for reaching your goals.
Be respectful and specific about your request when contacting a potential mentor. Start the conversation by saying, “I admire your career path in [specific field/role]. Would you be open to meeting for coffee or a virtual chat to share advice on [specific topic or challenge]?”
Another way to ask someone to mentor you could be, “I’ve noticed your expertise in [specific area]. Would you be willing to share how you developed that skill?”
Showing interest and being transparent about your intentions makes it easier for someone to say yes to your request.
8. Improve Your Communication Skills
Improving both verbal and written communication will help your career. Consider joining Toastmasters or taking a business writing course. For additional guidance, consider reading:
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson to improve how you communicate under pressure
- Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds by Carmine Gallo for strategies on delivering impactful presentations.
Both books offer actionable tips to enhance your ability to communicate confidently and effectively in any professional setting.
9. Build a Personal Brand
Establish yourself as an expert in your field by sharing insights on LinkedIn, writing blog posts, or speaking at conferences. Consider sharing content highlighting your expertise, such as practical tips, industry trends, or case studies from your own experiences.
You can also post reflections on books, courses, or webinars you’ve completed to demonstrate your commitment to learning and growth. Sharing success stories, lessons learned from challenges, or even answering common questions in your field can position you as a go-to resource for others.
Consistently providing value-driven content will help you build credibility, expand your professional influence, and grow your career.
10. Learn to Negotiate
Negotiation is a critical career skill, whether you want to increase your salary, responsibilities, or resources. Practice negotiating in low-stakes scenarios to build confidence. For deeper insights, consider reading:
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury provides a framework for principled negotiation.
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss. It offers strategies from a former FBI hostage negotiator to apply to professional scenarios.
11. Strengthen Time Management
Adopt productivity tools or techniques like time blocking to manage your workload effectively and focus on high-impact activities. Tools like Trello and Asana can help you organize tasks and collaborate with teams, while apps like Todoist or Notion are excellent for personal task management. For further insights, consider these books:
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, which introduces a comprehensive system for staying organized
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport explores strategies for maximizing concentration and productivity in a digital age.
12. Take on Stretch Assignments
Volunteer for projects outside your comfort zone to gain new skills and demonstrate your initiative. Approaching your boss for stretch assignments by framing your ask in a way that highlights your passion to grow and contribute to the team. For instance, “I’m looking to develop my skills in [specific area] and would love the opportunity to take on a project or responsibility that challenges me. Is there a current or upcoming initiative where I could contribute and learn?”
Another approach is to ask, “Are there any areas where the team could use additional support that might help me expand my capabilities?” This shows your enthusiasm for growth and your willingness to help.
13. Master Your Current Role
Before pursuing the next step, ensure you excel in your current position. Aim to be the go-to expert in your area. To clarify your current skills and performance, honestly discuss with your boss. Frame the conversation with questions like:
- “How do you perceive my strengths and the value I bring to the team?”
- “Are there areas where you think I could improve or develop further to be more effective in my role?”
- “What skills or experiences do you believe I should focus on to prepare for the next step in my career?”
These career conversations demonstrate your commitment to growth and help you align your efforts with the expectations of your role and future opportunities.
14. Ask for Regular Check-Ins With Your Manager
Frequent one-on-ones provide opportunities to align on goals, receive feedback, and demonstrate your commitment to growth. These check-ins should already be part of your routine, but if they happen inconsistently, take the initiative to make them occur.
Approach your boss with a request like, “I’d like to schedule regular one-on-ones to ensure we align priorities and I’m meeting expectations. Could we set up a recurring time that works for you?” Be clear about your intentions, emphasizing how these meetings will help you stay on track and contribute more effectively to the team.
15. Cultivate Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Work on self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills. High EI can set you apart in leadership and collaborative roles. To deepen your understanding and practice of emotional intelligence, consider these books:
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves provides practical strategies to enhance your EI
- Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee focuses on the role of ineffective EI leadership.
These books offer actionable insights to help you excel in interpersonal and professional settings.
16. Build Resilience
Develop strategies to handle setbacks constructively. Techniques like mindfulness and journaling can help you stay focused during challenging times. The following books can help improve resilience:
- Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, which provides practical advice for navigating challenges.
- The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life’s Hurdles by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté, which outlines science-backed strategies for building resilience,
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth explores how persistence can lead to long-term success.
These books offer actionable insights to help your career bounce back stronger from setbacks.
17. Track Your Accomplishments
Keep a record of your achievements, metrics, and contributions. This “brag file” will be invaluable during performance reviews and job applications. Use tools like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to create a structured and sortable list of accomplishments. Apps like Notion or Evernote can help you capture notes and evidence of success on the go.
You can customize platforms like Trello or Monday.com if you prefer automated tracking to log milestones and progress. These tools ensure your accomplishments are organized, easily accessible, and ready to showcase when needed.
18. Read One Career Development Book Each Month
Expand your perspective and help your career grow by reading the following books:
- Atomic Habits by James Clear provides actionable strategies for building productive habits
- Dare to Lead by Brené Brown emphasizes courageous leadership and vulnerability in professional growth.
- Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People outlines timeless personal and professional success principles.
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie offers timeless strategies for improving interpersonal relationships and positively influencing others.
Starting a professional book club can also be an excellent way to gain diverse insights and discuss practical applications of these ideas in your career.
19. Volunteer
Use your skills to contribute to causes you care about. Volunteering can expand your network and provide leadership opportunities. Non-profits often have skill gaps or board openings that can benefit from your skills while offering valuable experience. For instance, you might offer your marketing, finance, or technology expertise to help a non-profit achieve its goals. Serving on a board can also provide strategic leadership experience that is highly transferable to your career. Contact local organizations or use platforms like LinkedIn and VolunteerMatch to find opportunities that align with your skills and interests.
20. Be Proactive
Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Identify problems and propose solutions, pitch ideas, or request additional responsibilities. For a deeper understanding of urgency and assertiveness, consider reading these books:
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle teaches how to act decisively in the present moment
- Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott emphasizes the importance of direct and assertive communication while maintaining respect.
These books provide actionable frameworks to help you act urgently and confidently assert your ideas, ensuring you maximize career opportunities and make impactful contributions.
21. Celebrate Progress, Not Just Results
Acknowledge your milestones, no matter how small. Celebrating progress keeps you motivated and focused. Consider treating yourself to a special meal, sharing your achievements with a trusted friend or mentor, or taking a day off to relax and reflect on your progress. You can also reward yourself by investing in something that aids your growth, like a new book, course, or tool that supports your career goals. Marking these moments reinforces the value of your efforts and keeps your motivation high.
You are the architect of your career. Ultimately, you are responsible for your career development and success. While mentors, managers, and colleagues can offer guidance and support, your actions determine the trajectory of your professional life. Reflecting honestly, setting intentional goals, and taking decisive steps can help make your career successful.
