My 2025 Predictions

Today we're talking ⤵️

How the world of work (and your employment options) are continuing to shift in 2025. And what you can do to keep up.

Are you looking for your next full-time job — or planning to ASAP?

Join my next FREE masterclass to learn how to become THE top 1% candidate who stands OUT to get hired for the dream role you can’t wait to wake up for in 2025.

I'm spilling the tea on hiring manager psychology, my career transition framework, and real examples of how Stand Out Candidates are getting hired.

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Work as we know it is rapidly changing.

AI isn't new anymore, it's being embedded into every project, workflow, and creative session. I'm googling more often inside of Claude than Google these days.

So I wasn't surprised when I saw a video this week that claimed, "AI right now is like the internet in 1996."

I believe it.

Are you ready to take advantage?

My younger brother is graduating college this year — and trying to figure out where to bet his career as an econ major who's obsessed with crypto, stock markets, and likes streaming on Twitch.

I told him to focus on learning an in-demand, high-income skill, to learn as much as possible about AI, and figure out what jobs look like at the crypto companies he doesn't stop talking about.

Here's why:

Career fulfillment sits at the intersection of what you're excited about, what you're skilled at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs.

This way of thinking has become popularized by the Japanese term Ikigai.

The model fits the same whether you are a new grad — or 10 years into your career, looking to redefine ambition in this next chapter. You want to feel fulfilled by your work, but also have plenty of money & flexibility to focus on your family without burning out.

I talk a lot about identifying what you're excited about. Today, we're focusing more about what the world needs.

7 trends on the rise in 2025

Look out for these whether you are looking for a new job, going out on your own, or questioning your current path.

1) AI skills will become tablestakes expectation — across all roles.

Build understanding and using AI into your upskilling plan if you aren't already.

Figure out who in your field is teaching on AI applications, sharing trends, and follow along. Invest in a specialized course or take advantage of these free ones.

2) Teams are running leaner, and we'll see more people using agents.

Teams are operating leaner as they look to cut costs and drive efficiency (could this be the downfall of cushy tech jobs where people get paid $200K with insane benefits to do... very little work?)

AI agents are on the rise. These digital workers are specialists in whatever they're trained to do.... and can operate at the speed of light... jk the speed of computing.

I expect teams will move in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Hire more generalists, supply them with all the AI tools and specialized AI agents. Rely on the generalists to be the connective tissue within the company, identify new problems and deploy AI + human solutions to fix them.
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2. Hire more specialists who can train the new AI agents, and contract with generalists on specific projects where needed.
   
3. ... or perhaps both at once.

Common thread here: Learning & understanding how to work with AI instead of fearing it's imminent takeover is imperative.

3) Leaner teams fuels the bump in fractional, consulting, and freelance opportunities.

Marketers and designers have been freelancing for ages. Many executives have already turned to fractional or consulting roles as full-time executive roles become fewer and far between — and they're finding that it fits their flexibility requirements & can make more money too. Win-win!

Others are also learning that to build a portfolio career IS to become a business owner, and theres a lot of additional stuff that comes with that.

We're also seeing improved resourcing for these folks, which is exciting (e.g. more referral marketplaces like Switchboard, flexible healthcare solutions like CrowdHealth, and accounting solutions like Collective).

Many of my clients freelance or consult on the side of their 9-5 — and others have decided to make it their whole focus after doing the clarity work. If this is you, you're in good company!

4) In-person roles are on the rise.

I never want to have to go into an office either... but fully remote companies are fading.

Larger companies are pushing RTO. Many smaller teams want to stay lean and build that close-knit in person experience (it is fundamentally different than remote, I can't deny it).

This isn't necessarily a bad thing as there are so many benefits to working in person, but I know many people need/want remote work. Practically for you:

1. Decide if remote is a must-have or nice-to-have for you. What about hybrid? Remote but with travel?
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2. If remote is a must-have, get hyper focused on remote-first companies. You have a better chance of avoiding RTO mandates if the company has never been in-person because the founders don't want to be.
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3. If remote is a must-have for the rest of your life, it's time to get serious about building your own thing.

Either way, you need to know how to brand and sell your skillset...

5) Personal branding is a critical skill.

I don't care what type of employment you're targeting, personal branding is more important than ever if you have a laptop job. Plumbers do not need a personal brand (though it wouldn't hurt).

Your personal brand is defining what you want to be known for.

The goal is to figure out:

• who your target audience is
• the critical problem you solve for them
• and how you are uniquely positioned to solve those problems
• which is powered by your X-factor, special sauce experience

When you reflect this on your LinkedIn profile (or X, TikTok, IG, etc.), then you can generate visibility through comments, content, outreach, partnerships, events, etc.

This is why I talk so much about TARGETING in your job search. You cannot be well-positioned to solve very unrelated problems.

(Positioning is Phase 2 of the PPA Method I teach inside of my Accelerator. We define your personal brand in service of your next career move & how opportunities can find you while you're sleeping)

6) Build real relationships & create internal advocates.

It's important to build relationships to get hired. Humans hire humans. We want to work with people we like.

It's always been this way, but the rise of ChatGPT-written resumes and outreach has made it all the more important to prioritize human connection.

The better your network, the "luckier" you get. I shared more about how to build relationships at different stages of your career transition in this newsletter.

7) Using Stand Out Strategies in the job search is no longer optional.

You cannot rely on old world online applications to win in the age of AI — especially when you're a generalist with a less-than-linear career path or making any kind of pivot.

Defining your targeting & positioning is crucial. But then, you must STAND OUT from the noise via your strategy to generate and convert opportunities.

Your skills & expertise matter more than your past experience. Use this awareness to create value for the people you want to hire you.

Tap into your creativity. One of my clients is experimenting with new ways to create value.

As a crazy example, she's now streaming AI build sessions on Twitch and promoting it on X to founders & VCs. What a cool way to demonstrate expertise AND add value publically. She has been asked to lead AI Lunch & Learns as a result. My advice to her: Pitch yourself confidently as a Chief of Staff at the end of the workshop.

Want to learn proven tactics you can apply to Stand Out in the job search?

Give me 90 minutes and I'll teach you exactly what Hiring Managers are looking for and how Stand Out Candidates operate differently from the norm to become the 1% candidates who teams are drooling over to get hired.

Next free masterclass is January 15th. Save your seat today. 72 are already in and the Zoom room only has capacity for 100.​

I don't share these predictions to scare you — I share this because it's important to both be honest with yourself about what you want AND understand the best way to make it happen in today's world.

If you aren't yet learning AI or targeting AI-focused companies this year, get on that... or look into boring businesses!

Some people will be very lucky to have chosen a company that pops off (like my AI founder friend here):

2025 is a year of change. Embrace it. Here's to limitless possibilities and building a career that lights you up from the inside out!

Let’s win together,

P.S. I cannot wait to teach you how to WIN in the job search on my next free training Jan 15th. Register here!​