- Marlo Lyons is a career coach focusing on career transitions and executive coaching.
- She told Business Insider that the holiday season is the perfect time to reevaluate your career path.
- Lyons says that reflecting now on your goals and limits and celebrating your wins can start 2025 off on the right foot.
After a year of overwhelming layoffs and a good job market, career coach Marlo Lyons knows that job seekers are completely exhausted.
Lyons said the tech and auto industries have slowed hiring and there are fewer entry-level jobs due to advances in automation. However, she sees the end of 2024 as an opportunity for people to reassess their career paths to start 2025 on the right foot.
Here are her top tips for launching your career in 2025 with a few simple steps before the end of the year.
Reset your mindset
The holiday season is an ideal time to reflect on the past year, Lyons said. Consider – and write down – what went well, what challenges you faced, what you learned, and identify any limiting beliefs you may have about what you can and cannot achieve in the coming year.
Do the things that work for you to balance out, she said. Some people like to journal, some meditate, and others choose self-development activities like attending workshops or seminars. Still, Lyons said it’s important to take the time to set your goals and write them down “because people don’t write them down, then wonder why they didn’t achieve them.”
She recommended identifying what you hope to achieve each quarter and creating an action plan to help you achieve your goals, breaking your goals down into small steps and celebrating your progress as you go.
Also important is to find your why: Why are you motivated to accomplish this goal? Because without your “why,” you have nothing to anchor your goals, she said.
Set boundaries to achieve your goals
Once you know your goals and your reasons for achieving them, Lyons said the best way to accomplish them is to set boundaries and a daily schedule ahead of time.
“Because if you don’t set boundaries, your goal becomes the last thing on the priority list,” Lyons said.
Write down your ideal daily schedule and then do your best to stick to it—even if your plans fall through, practicing sticking to your dream routine gets you into the habit of doing it all the time.
Block your calendar now for important events. If you want to take a walk every day at lunch, take a moment now to block off your calendar so appointments don’t drag on. If you want to save time for career coaching or other self-development, prioritize it by blocking it.
“And get rid of negative thoughts if you don’t get it all done in one day, or you don’t do it all week, because boundaries are also mental boundaries with yourself,” Lyons said.
Reconnect to your network
The holiday season is the perfect excuse to refresh your network, Lyons said.
“Whether you’re looking to advance your career, grow your business, or simply maintain meaningful relationships, you need to have a strong network,” Lyons said. “You can deepen those connections with people through casual conversations, but also in the new year, it’s a great time to wish someone a happy new year who you haven’t spoken to in a while and ask you to reconnect.”
Your network is where you get job offers, develop partnerships and start collaborations, Lyons said. And since the beginning of the year is off to a slow start for many companies, the holiday season is a great opportunity to catch up with people you may have lost touch with over the years.
With a tight job market and HR professionals increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to weed out candidates, Lyons said there’s a growing advantage to having a personal reference when you’re looking for a new job.
“With those relationships, candidates will really stand out and bring unique value,” Lyons said.
