Tips for Strategic Career Planning

After 20 years in talent management and career coaching, I’ve seen one truth over and over! ‘You cannot wait  for your boss or manager to advance your career!’ If you want a new job, a promotion, or more recognition in 2025,  here’s what I’ve learned and what I coach my clients to do: Document Your Achievements: I've kept a "brag file" of my achievements—big and small.  When it's time for reviews or interviews, I have solid evidence of my contributions. Invest in learning and development: This has helped me stay ahead of the curve.  I mastered skills aligned with the future  of work to remain competitive. Advocate for Yourself:  Don't shy away from claiming credit when you've earned it!  Throughout my career, I've made it a point  to advocate for myself. Create a Career Roadmap: Defining your goals and outlining actionable steps to reach them has been a game-changer for me. ↳ My clear plans have made the journey less daunting. Network Strategically and Consistently: Building meaningful connections regularly, not just when you need  something is crucial. Don’t forget those  Christmas parties and meet-ups. ↳ Strong relationships have been game-changers in my career. Be Proactive:  Taking initiative and following through have been key to my success. Remember, passivity stalls progress, while execution drives results. Putting these strategies into action has helped me achieve  my career goals, and I know they can do the  same for you. Embrace ownership of your success and thrive in the coming year! What strategies have helped you excel in your career?  Share your tips below! #GoalInspiredCareerCoaching #CareerAdvice #JobPromotion

I’ve coached thousands of job seekers who felt lost and overwhelmed. Here are the 10 steps we start with to find the right path: 1. Your #1 Priority Clarity should be the first thing you invest in. It makes career success SO much easier (at every stage). When you have clarity, you can invest 100% of your energy into that goal. So before you start applying to jobs or grad school? Find your path. 2. The Myth Of “Passion” People think passion is a lightning bolt that suddenly hits you. One day you wake up knowing what you're supposed to do. That's BS. Passion stems from action. It's the result of trying new things. If you want to find your path? You need to act. 3. Map Out Your Ideal Lifestyle Career happiness doesn't come from a job title. It stems from the ability to meet your lifestyle needs: – Target salary – Ideal living situation – Surrounded by people you love – Work that fills your cup Start by defining all of these things. 4. Label Your Energy Next, grab a piece of paper. Make two columns: 1. Energy Creators 2. Energy Drainers Now list out every single activity, task, and project you've worked on. Label each as a creator or drainer. Your career path should be filled with energy creators. 5. Clarify Your Strengths Success is easier when your path plays to natural strengths. I recommend the High 5 Test. It's a 15 minute quiz that will define your top strengths. It'll tell you what each means and how to harness it. Talent: A natural way of thinking, feeling, behaving × Investment: Time spent practicing, developing your skills, or building a knowledge base = Strength: The ability to consistently provide near-perfect performance 6. Find People Doing "Cool" Stuff Now you've created clarity around your strengths, energy, and ideal lifestyle. Next, I want you to find people already living that life. Who has a job you admire? What jobs have seemed “cool” to you in the past? Make a list of 30+ contacts. 7. Reach Out & Learn Make a daily habit of reaching out to one person. Be honest about your situation and desire for clarity. Then make sure to build up their achievements and mention why you admire them. Here's the email template I used when I was on this journey: The Winning Template: Subject: Quick Question  Hi [Name], My name is [Your Name] and I came across your information on LinkedIn while I was looking for people who transitioned into [Industry/Field] from a non-traditional background. Your background is really impressive! I saw you do different fields and [Industry/Field] really piqued my interest. If you have a few minutes, I’d love to hear more about your journey and how you landed in your role today. I know that’s a big ask so no worries if it’s too much. I totally understand. Either way, hope you have a great rest of the week!  

Stuck isn’t a place—it’s a mindset. For years, I thought the perfect career would simply find me. Spoiler: it didn’t. It took courage, curiosity, and a few missteps to realize that staying stuck wasn’t an option—and neither is it for you. Here’s the truth: you have the power to rewrite your story. If 2025 feels like the year to pivot, explore, or reignite your passion, here are 25 practical ways to get started: 1. Align with your values: What truly matters to you? 2. Get curious: What sparks your interest? Follow that thread. 3. Reconnect with your network: Reach out to mentors, colleagues, or peers. 4. Experiment: Test-drive new roles or skills through freelance work or volunteering. 5. Create a side project: Showcase your talents on your terms. 6. Invest in learning: Take a course, read a book, or attend a workshop. 7. Job shadow: Observe someone in a role you aspire to. 8. Update your CV and LinkedIn: Tell your story clearly and authentically. 9. Explore new industries: What field has always intrigued you? Dive in. 10. Set realistic goals: Start with small, actionable steps. 11. Join communities: Surround yourself with people who inspire you. 12. Reflect often: Ask yourself, “What’s working? What’s not?” 13. Prioritize self-care: Don’t let burnout derail your journey. 14. Ask for feedback: From colleagues or trusted friends—it’s invaluable. 15. Attend industry events: Meet people and learn what’s trending. 16. Embrace imperfections: No job (or career pivot) will be flawless. 17. Find a mentor: A guide can make all the difference. 18. Use online resources: Platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Coursera are gold mines. 19. Research company cultures: Do they align with your values? 20. Develop soft skills: Communication, adaptability, and empathy are timeless. 21. Track your progress: Celebrate every step forward. 22. Stay flexible: Your dream job might look different than you imagine. 23. Consider coaching: A career coach can provide clarity and structure. 24. Take risks: Growth lives outside your comfort zone. 25. Keep going: The journey to your dream career is worth it. I’ve seen it firsthand: when you take brave, intentional steps, amazing opportunities unfold. So, if you’re feeling stuck, don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take one small step today. Who knows? Your next big adventure might be closer than you think. 💬 What’s one thing you’ve done to get ‘unstuck’ in your career? ♻️ Think this post could help someone in your network? Share it! 👋🏼 Hey, I’m Utkarsh—Executive Coach and lifelong learner. I share insights on leadership, growth, and living courageously. Follow along for more thoughts and strategies.

One of the talks I’ve given to a few teams internally at Microsoft is “PMing your career”. Mid-career is the perfect time to step back, see yourself as a ‘product,’ and start managing your career with intention and strategy. Here are 5 axioms I use as part of the frame: ➡️1. Treat your career as a Product with a strategic fit: Every high-performing professional has a unique value proposition. Regularly assess your Personal Product-Market Fit (PMF) to ensure that your strengths, skills, and how you’re positioning them align with the needs of your industry and your company. Strong careers, like great products, adapt to stay relevant and strategically fit. This helps you identify places you might need to grow too. ➡️2. Your resume is (kind-of) Product Review Document (PRD): Like a PRD highlights a product’s features, your resume should capture your top achievements and core skills. Keep it current and aligned with your goals, showcasing how your career product has evolved. ➡️3. Use feedback as your career “Customer Review”: Just as products thrive on customer feedback, your career benefits from input from mentors, peers, and leaders. Thoughtfully incorporate this feedback to stay aligned with your goals and make strategic improvements. ➡️4. Set a career Roadmap: Map out your career with a focus on strategy and clear goals. These checkpoints – skills to gain, connections to build, and roles to pursue – keep you moving toward your vision of success and position you for future opportunities. Ask others who have already taken the path what the checkpoints are. ➡️5. Embrace phases as part of your strategy: Like product lifecycles, careers have phases. In early roles, focus on mastering foundational skills; as you advance, lean into influence and decision-making; and eventually, hone discernment for opportunities. Each stage strengthens your overall career strategy. Hope this helps you today

Personally, I make time to “take stock” of how I am feeling about my career twice a year. I talk with my mentors and I ask for honest feedback. I update my resume and include my latest accomplishments. I am always ready for what is next – are you? If the answer is no, then never fear! Here are 7 tips to help you get yourself there: ⭐ Reflect on your career goals – Where do you want to be in 2, 5, 10 years? Ask yourself, am I on pace? Have my goals changed? Because they do you know – life happens – good and not so good things happen and that affects our goals. So, check in on them. ⭐ Update your resume – At a minimum you should pull out your resume and review it annually. Make certain it is updated and includes all your latest accomplishments. ⭐ Check out your LinkedIn profile – All recruiters and employers will check out your profile on LinkedIn so make certain it mimics your resume. If you are actively searching – be sure to toggle “open to work” so recruiters can find you. Submit posts, share articles, seek endorsements and endorse other superstars, and write your own content. Give people a little insight into who you are and what you care about. ⭐ Speaking of recruiters – Take their call or respond to their email! You may not be interested, but how will you know if you don’t have the conversation? I always respond because I am curious and want to know what is happening in our industry. And sometimes I am surprised by an opportunity. Remember you do not have to be actively looking to have these conversations. ⭐ Ask for an informational interview – If there is an organization that you care about, set up a short interview. Ask them more about the organization and their future direction. Ask what employees love about their organization and what makes a strong candidate. Be bold and ask if there are/will be future opportunities. I love talking about my organization and my teams so when people reach out to me, I take their calls and make time for them. It is impressive to me that they had gumption and took initiative. ⭐ Keep growing as a professional – Never stop learning. It is so important to stay on top of what is happening in our industry. Read the Chronicle of Philanthropy or CASE Currents or any other industry publication. Read fundraising, leadership and management books. You can’t look only to the headlines for your news – go deeper. Take classes. Go to conferences. ⭐ Build a professional network – I started building my network of colleagues when I began my career at my very first CASE conference and I have added to it and curated it as I have grown in my career. It is this group of people who I turn to when I have questions and challenges. We share information freely and keep a pulse on the things that matter to us in our industry. This is the group I turn to when I need more information before making a decision. They are my people and if you are as blessed as I am, then they are there for you when it counts. By Angie Joens

I was recently sitting with a new professional who had reached out to learn more about my journey. They asked a question that was both wonderful talking about and hard to reflect on. Our journeys are all our own, but there’s a couple thoughts I share frequently. 1. Your path is your own. So often I hear people telling individuals “what” to do. I honestly don’t think that is as helpful as talking about the “how.” My how involves being willing to move, thoughtfully cultivating extra experiences even when it meant more work in my early career, engagement with professional associations, and connecting with individuals who hold roles you might be interested in. 2. Build your sounding board of champions and truth tellers AND know when to turn to who. There’s lots of conversation, books, and literature on mentors vs sponsors vs advocates. Call it what you want…here is what I’ve always looked for and prioritized in people I turn to. You need a couple people who are your cheerleaders who you can just turn to so you can share frustrations and are there for support. You also need some truth tellers who are going to tell you when you messed up, need to apologize, or are just wrong. You also need to know who to call when. I have people who are both and more for me, but again you need to build a sounding board that will both support you, check you, and help you get to where you are going. 3. Be willing to shift to grow. I left my role as a Director to move into fundraising to build a skill and explore what I really wanted in my career. That shift helped me affirm student affairs and gave me a unique skill set most folks in my field don’t have. I took an $8,000 pay cut to go from Advancement to my Assistant Dean job. 2 years later, I land a dream job and increase my salary by more than my first job in Student Affairs paid. They were strategic choices (with maybe a little too much emotion in them) that helped me to progress on my path. 4. Build your network! Maybe I shouldn’t have left this to the end because I believe it’s probably the most important thing I’d offer. Your network matters. As a mid-level person, I suggest starting to build relationships with search firms. At every level, I suggest connecting with folks whose content and work you admire and respect. At any and every point, finding ways to build relationships through informational interviews, professional service to associations, and your local community. You’d be surprised how fruitful the relationships can be along the way. At the end of the day, these are one persons musings. These are how I have and will continue to approach my career pathing. I’d also love to hear other thoughts because the power of LinkedIn comes from the engaged community of folks engaging.

A recent conversation with a mentee trying to navigate the next steps in their career reminded me of an essential rule I always emphasize: You own your career, therefore you have to be in the driver's seat. They recently received some feedback from their manager that was confusing as it didn’t align with previous feedback. The conversation on next steps was very vague. Reality check: waiting for clear guidance or validation from others can leave you stuck in neutral. Instead, you must proactively manage your own career path. Here are a few things I suggested: 1. Do a Self-Assessment You need to understand your strengths, weaknesses, passions, and career aspirations. Identify what excites you and where you see yourself in the future. Remember they can all change due to new experiences and gaining new skillsets. 2. Seek Constructive Feedback While feedback from leadership is valuable, it’s important to triangulate. Reach out to mentors, peers, and others in your function that you admire for their insights. Feedback is just one piece of the puzzle. Use it as a tool for improvement, not as a definitive roadmap. You never know when you might run into an unconscious bias. 3. Continuous Learning and Development I’m ever curious and always looking for learning opportunities. Look for opportunities to learn from other functions. The business world is continusly changing, and staying on top of the game, requires investing time to learn. Stay informed about your current industry trends but also look for best practices in others. 4. Advocate for Yourself People can’t read your mind, so they don’t know what your career goals and aspirations are. Don’t be afraid to articulate them to your leadership. Express your interest in new projects, responsibilities, or roles that align with your goals. 5. Adaptability and Resilience Career paths are rarely linear. My own has been a lattice. Be adaptable. Embrace challenges and view setbacks as learning experiences. Being in the driver's seat of your career means taking an intentional role in your professional development. While others can give you guidance, the ultimate responsibility for your career lies with you. What else would you tell him?

If your job search feels scattered or overwhelming, it might not be your effort—it might be your system. A successful job search isn’t just about applying to everything. It’s about being strategic and consistent. Here’s how I help my clients create a plan that keeps them organized and less overwhelmed: ✅ Clarify your direction What kind of roles, industries, or environments are you targeting? ➡️ Define your focus so you’re not trying to be everything to everyone. ✅ Update your materials Make sure your resume, LinkedIn, and elevator pitch reflect where you’re headed—not just where you’ve been. ✅ Track your outreach Use a spreadsheet, Google Sheet, or a tool like TealHQ to stay on top of applications, networking, and follow-ups. ✅ Network strategically Reach out to people working at your target companies. ➡️ Most jobs are filled through connections—not job boards. ✅ Create a weekly schedule Treat your job search like a job. Block time on your calendar like you would for meetings or project work ✅ Set micro-goals Aim for: 🔹 5 new connections/week 🔹 2 tailored applications 🔹 1 interview prep or reflection session ✨A plan brings structure and confidence to a process that can often feel uncertain. 💬 What’s one job search habit that’s helped you stay on track—or one you're trying to build? 📩 And if I can support you in creating your job search plan, feel free to reach out—I’m here to help. #JobSearchStrategy #CareerClarity #CareerCoach #LinkedInTips  

What if I told you that the key to your next career move is already in your hands? No, I’m not talking about networking or mastering a new skill set — although those are important. I’m talking about something more direct, something that most people don’t think about, but can make all the difference in your career: writing your own job description for the next level. Let me explain. Early in my career, I had a mentor who told me that one of the most effective ways to take control of my career was to be clear about the role I wanted next. I didn’t just mean being able to say, “I want to be promoted” or “I want to lead that project.” I meant taking the time to write out exactly what that next role looked like — what my responsibilities would be, what success would look like, and how I would add value to the organization. So, I tried it. I wrote my own job description for the role I wanted, not the one I had. And it worked. But here’s the thing: writing your own job description is more than just listing out tasks. It forces you to think strategically about your career, your strengths, and where you want to grow. It shows your managers that you have a vision for yourself, and more importantly, for the company. Here’s how you can do it: 1. Start by defining the impact. What would you do at the next level that’s different from what you’re doing today? Don’t just think about tasks — think about outcomes. What problems would you solve? What would be your measurable impact? If you can answer these questions clearly, you’re already halfway there. 2. Identify the gaps in your current role. Look at your current job description (if you have one) and compare it to the role you want. What skills or responsibilities are missing? Be honest with yourself here. The gaps you find aren’t obstacles — they’re opportunities to grow into the role you’re aiming for. 3. Align with the company’s goals. This is critical. Your new job description should tie directly to the broader objectives of the company. How will you help the organization move forward?stronger. 4. Communicate it. This might be the hardest part—putting your vision out there. I’ve seen far too many talented people hesitate at this stage. But if you don’t advocate for yourself, who will? Present your job description to your manager in a one-on-one. Be clear that this is the direction you want to go and explain how it benefits the company. This is exactly how I landed my expat role in Europe—I told my manager about my interest, outlined how I could add value in that market, and suddenly an opportunity I didn’t even know existed was mine. 5. Iterate and adjust. The job description you write may not be the exact one you end up with, and that’s okay. The key is starting the conversation and showing you have a clear vision. So, why wait? Start drafting your next job description today. You might just find that the role you want is closer than you think.

I've hired hundreds of people in strategy consulting, startups and the UN - hear my top advice for recent grads navigating a job search! #GetStarted 1) It starts before you graduate If you have limited work experience, hiring managers might still look at your grades and also at your internships or work experience - keep that in mind! 3) Identify different career paths /goals If you are like most people, this might be hard. You might think others have their plan figured out and only you don't know what to do - but the opposite is true. Most people have no idea what they want to do in life, so if you are able to identify different options that you would want to pursue, you can already chart a course towards that 4) Design learning experiments This is coming from design thinking (if you haven't read Designing your Life - it's a great book!) - instead of assuming that you like something, learn more! This works by seeking out conversations, by doing internships, maybe even seeking out volunteering opportunities, doing courses or learning online. Basically this is for you to make sure that you don't run after a theoretical image, but have more substance and test whether that's something for you 5) Build "career fuel" From wherever you start, start building either - Experiences and critical skills that are relevant for your field and make you a more attractive candidate -or Recognized leading organizations that are hard to get into that signal to potential employers that you are great talent In earlier stages, building relevant experiences might even be more important, but make sure that it is in fact relevant. E.g. if you want to go into strategy consulting, maybe a corporate internship is more relevant than e.g. working in hospitality 6) Make the jump or stick it out There are often two different types of ways to sabotage your career. You stay too long in a job that isn't relevant or you are jumping around from 1-2 months gigs way too often. Depending on the industry, people also look for your decision making and leadership skills. What else did I miss? Curious what others think! #TheInsider #careeradvice