Career Achievement Milestones

This is probably the most valuable tip I share with students and clients who want to get ahead in their professional lives: → Track your wins!! In a document (Excel, Word, or whatever works for you), create three columns: 1. TASK – What was it? ↳ Led a team meeting to resolve a bottleneck in the project timeline. 2. ACTION – What did you actually do? ↳ Facilitated a structured discussion to identify roadblocks, proposed a revised workflow, and reassigned tasks based on individual strengths and deadlines. 3. IMPACT – What measurable difference did it make? ↳ Reduced project timeline by 15%, increased task completion rate by 20%, and improved overall team alignment and morale. Update it at the end of each week. It’s such a simple approach, but it ensures you’re always ready to showcase your value when it matters most - whether it’s for performance reviews, job interviews, or pitching yourself for your next big opportunity. Highly recommend it! P.S. Have you ever tried something like this to keep track of your achievements? #careergrowth

When I first stepped into the world of cybersecurity, I was completely lost. I didn’t know where to start, what to learn first, or how people even got into this field. All I knew was—I wanted to be a part of this world where people protect, investigate, and defend against digital threats. 💻⚡ At first, everything looked complicated: hacking, tools, reports, and those mysterious terms like “VAPT” and “SOC.” But slowly, I realized that becoming a cybersecurity professional isn’t about learning everything at once—it’s about building layer by layer. So here’s how the journey begins 👇 📍 Step 1: Build your base Understand the fundamentals — Computer basics, Networking, Linux, Windows, and a bit of Programming. This is your foundation. Without it, cybersecurity concepts won’t make sense. 📍 Step 2: Explore the world of security Learn about Web Security, System Security, Network Security, Cryptography, and Cybersecurity Fundamentals. Then dive deeper into areas like VAPT, Incident Response, Digital Forensics, and Cloud Security. 📍 Step 3: Play and practice This is where learning gets fun! Platforms like TryHackMe, HackTheBox, PortSwigger Academy, OverTheWire, VulnHub, and LetsDefend are your playgrounds. Each challenge you solve teaches you real-world skills. 📍 Step 4: Find your direction You can become a Security Analyst, SOC Technician, Penetration Tester, Threat Intelligence Analyst, or even a Cloud Security Associate ☁️ Each path has its own tools, techniques, and challenges. 📍 Step 5: Prepare for your career Start building projects, upload your reports to GitHub, and prepare at least three pentest reports. Add certifications like CompTIA Security+, CEH, or OSCP. And don’t forget to network on LinkedIn — it opens doors you didn’t even know existed. 🤝 🔥 My advice? Start small, stay consistent, and document everything you learn. Cybersecurity isn’t just about hacking—it’s about protecting, analyzing, and defending. 💪 So if you’re someone who’s confused, just like I was—this roadmap is your compass. Let’s build the next generation of ethical hackers and defenders together. 💣 If you’d like resume guidance, just DM me your “RESUME.” And for more such content, follow my channel: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gGAnR_UF #CyberSecurity #EthicalHacking #InfoSec #TryHackMe #HackTheBox #VAPT #PenTesting #DigitalForensics #SOC #IncidentResponse #BlueTeam #RedTeam #BugBounty #NetworkSecurity #CloudSecurity #Linux #CompTIA #CEH #OSCP #SecurityAnalyst #CyberCareer #CybersecurityCommunity #CyberAwareness #TechCareers #CyberInternship #CyberLearning #InfosecJourney

Here's what I actually wish more executives knew about showcasing results... Even the most impressive achievements fall flat without context. Don't just say: "Increased sales by 45%" Instead say: "Reversed 3-year sales decline by implementing consultative selling approach and territory optimization, resulting in 45% revenue growth ($3.2M) within 18 months" This "Results with Evidence" approach changes the whole ball game. Listing responsibilities tells employers what you were SUPPOSED to do. Showcasing results with evidence shows them what you ACTUALLY did. And... before you say "I don't generate any revenue..." You don't need revenue figures to quantify your impact! Measure: - Size metrics (team members, departments, locations) - Percentage improvements in any process - Time saved through your initiatives - Volume of work handled - Scope of responsibility Even without direct revenue figures, you can ALWAYS find ways to quantify your impact. If you're ready to transform your resume from a list of job duties into a powerful marketing tool that PROVES your true impact, download my free executive resume template: https://lnkd.in/ekYCz3sV. Your future self (with a calendar full of interviews) will thank you! #LinkedInTopVoices #Careers #Resumes

This is one of the most important things I’ve learned about resumes, and most don’t do it. Not doing this can hurt your chances of getting an interview 👇 Your resume 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 a description of what you are 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 for. Your resume 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 a collection of your 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 to the job you are applying for! Here's a simple example: A Project Manager's resume that describes what they are 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 for looks like this: - Delivered the project on time and within budget. - Communicated updates regularly to all stakeholders. This is a terrible way to "stand out" - In this example, every Project Manager is responsible for delivering projects on time and budget, and for communicating with stakeholders. In other words, there's nothing 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 about this person's resume. Your resume has to show: - Evidence that you have the experience they are looking for (Tailored resume) - Evidence of the value you bring to the team (Your past accomplishments) To write a resume that 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭, here’s what you should do 👇 Write 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, not what you were responsible for : - What did you do? - What was the impact? - How did you accomplish it? Use the “𝐗 + 𝐘 + 𝐙” formula to write accomplishments: “Accomplished [𝐗] as measured by [𝐘], by doing [𝐙]” 🛑 Instead of writing: “Delivered a project on time and budget” ✅ Write this: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 [𝐗]: “Launched ____ project” 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 [𝐘]: “1 month ahead of schedule and increasing ROI by Z%” 𝐁𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 [𝐙]: “, by creating a new communication process that allowed low and medium risk tickets to be pre-appproved, reducing friction during development” Together X + Y + Z: “Launched ___ project 1 month ahead of schedule and increasing ROI by Z%, , by creating a new communication process that allowed low and medium risk tickets to be pre-appproved, reducing friction during development” 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 help you show that you have the experience companies look for in 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 of a project that had impact to customers, your team or the organization. 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 your 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 to the job you are applying to will increase your chances of getting an interview. Adding more colors, graphs and random keywords will not. A few extra tips as you go through your accomplishments: 1. Not every accomplishment will have a number (impact). It’s ok, try to have as many as possible. 2. Accomplishments tailored to the job you are applying to >>>> accomplishments you believe are the most important. 3. You can skip the XYZ formula and instead write them as: Verb in past tense + what you did + the impact it had. ------ 🚀 Need help with your resume or Product Management interviews? Check out my comment below for THE BEST resources 👇 #productmangement #resume

Don’t Just List Tasks—Showcase Your Value on Your CV Your CV should not be a list of the jobs you’ve held—it should demonstrate the unique impact you’ve made throughout your career. Yet, so many CVs end up being little more than task lists. Take a look at this. 👉 Instead of saying, “Managed social media accounts,” Say, “Increased social media engagement by 45% in six months through targeted campaigns.” See how one focuses on tasks and the other highlights results? Employers want to see the value you bring, not just what you were told to do. A Client’s Success Story: I recently worked with a client who was in marketing. Her CV initially read like a job description: “Created email campaigns” and “Collaborated with sales teams.” While this is great for using key works and incorporating the job description, it just doesn't have any impact. We reframed her experience to focus on results: ✅ “Launched email campaigns that boosted open rates by 25%, contributing to a 15% increase in sales leads.” ✅ “Developed cross-departmental strategies with sales, resulting in a streamlined funnel and increased conversion rates by 10%.” The result? Not only did her CV stand out, but it led to interviews where she could discuss her real contributions. Here are some ways you can showcase value on your CV: 1️⃣ Use numbers, percentages, or metrics to quantify your achievements. 2️⃣ Highlight the outcomes and benefits of your work, not just the actions. 3️⃣ Start bullet points with strong action verbs like boosted, increased, reduced, streamlined, or led. Make it clear why you’re the one who can deliver results. www.joanneleecoaching.com 👉🏻Employers - let us know in the comments what you are looking for on a CV in 2025. #cvwriting #careercoaching #careerdevelopment #jobsearchtips

I’ve reviewed thousands of job applications from academic scientists looking to join biotech startups. It's a tough market out there; here's how the most compelling resumes stand out ⤵ _____ 1️⃣ It’s obvious how your scientific expertise can solve the startup’s problems. Why? It shows your ability to connect the dots between “the company problem” and “the solution I can bring.” The MVPs of startups are super proactive. How? For a company developing cultured meat: ✅ A big problem for the cultured meat industry is developing immortalised, scalable cell lines. As a genetic engineer, I know how to generate cell lines capable of providing food to millions of people. ❌ My 6 years of experience with mammalian cell culture and background in genetic editing make me a great fit. ____ 2️⃣ You’ve framed your technical skills in terms of quantifiable outcomes (not just publications!) Why? Publications = academic currency. Scientific breakthroughs allowing a company to survive = startup currency. Publications require detailed science capable of passing peer-review. Startups require time-boxed, outcomes-oriented science. Metrics indicate you already understand that shift in mindset. How? ✅ Generated 5 novel immune complexes in 2 months ✅ Trialed 100 different experimental conditions in three weeks. ❌ Conducted a research project analysing how immune complexes impact neutrophil activation. ❌Published in a prestigious journal. ____ 3️⃣ You show - not state - your communication and collaboration skills. Why? These skills are 10x more important when working at a fast pace with people from different professional backgrounds. How? Highlight: ✅ Three-minute thesis contest ✅ Industry/startup work experience ✅ Engagement with school’s entrepreneurship community ✅ Cross-discipline collaboration (ideally business, software engineering, etc) Include on your resume: ✅ A well-written career summary connecting the dots between your skills & the value you can bring. ____ 4️⃣ Your personal values are aligned to the company mission Why? Startups want to change the future. Demonstrate you’ve been independently working towards that same future → this indicates you’ll find the day to day meaningful. How? Example, for a company developing phages to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria: ✅ My PhD research focused on optimising a gene therapy for children suffering from grey platelet syndrome. During that time, I volunteered in the pediatrics ward of a hospital. I am motivated by the prospect of improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable. ❌ Having finished my PhD, I am looking to make the jump into industry. ________________ 👋 After my PhD, I joined a biotech start-up that grew from 8→80 people. Now, I’m building my own company and sharing the behind-the-scenes online. I send this post out whenever I’m getting a lot of DMs from scientists looking for input on their resumes 😉

Want to secure that interview? Last week, I came across a standout resume, and here's why it earned the candidate an interview: -- Even with 25+ years of experience: They condensed their impressive career and education history into just two pages. -- Detailed and organised: The resume provided a straightforward summary of role titles, organisations, and dates. -- Concise achievements: Responsibilities and accomplishments were presented clearly and succinctly. -- Strategic role emphasis: The last three positions were detailed extensively, with brief summaries for earlier positions. -- Comprehensive education and professional development: Listed chronologically, including additional professional qualifications. -- Recent references provided: They offered to change or include additional references as needed. -- Contemporary: A clickable LinkedIn hyperlink was included in the header, making it easy to access their professional profile. -- Lack of AI: The CV reads in the candidate's voice, not as a generic AI template. Yes, we can tell the difference. Notably, the resume avoided unnecessary embellishments—no photos, company logos, odd boxes, or graphics. It was clean, professional, and to the point. It is also worth remembering that with resumes, less is often more. But here’s what truly set them apart in a pool of over 150 applicants: yes, you guessed it, their CV was accompanied by a high-impact cover letter. Their cover letter demonstrated a clear understanding of the role, addressed the criteria, and explained why they were a great fit. In simple terms, this included why they were applying, their unique value proposition, and achievements that linked to the role requirements. The letter was addressed to me, although equally it could have been written to the client. This letter was as valuable to our client as their resume. If your New Year’s resolution includes landing a new job, take inspiration from this approach. It will yield you results. +++++ And here’s a template that is not dissimilar from the one we liked so much. +++++ Additionally, just before Christmas a CEO called me with this question “Should I make my LinkedIn profile look less like my resume? I’m seeing increasingly more ‘out there’ profiles making big claims…..” My advice: The most important information should be consistent between your resume and LinkedIn profile. Even minor inconsistencies in dates or job titles will be picked up by eagle-eyed recruiters and hiring managers. Career breaks or short tenures should be explained. If omitted, they could look like you're being dishonest or trying to hide something—which you don't want. By all means, expand upon your expertise and experience. Show, don’t tell. Increasingly, LinkedIn is as important as your CV; they go hand in hand. The additional benefit of LinkedIn is amplifying your professional brand at scale. Your CV and LinkedIn profile should be organic and refined as your career evolves over time.

The Promotion Secret Most Professionals Discover Too Late   In over two decades of executive recruitment, I've observed a pattern among professionals who consistently advance in their careers versus those who stagnate despite equal talent and effort.   The difference? Strategic documentation of achievements, what I call a professional "brag book."   This isn't about boasting. It's about recognizing the reality of corporate decision-making: in quarterly review cycles and fast-paced environments, even exceptional work becomes invisible without proper documentation.   Your comprehensive brag book should include:   1️⃣ Achievement Portfolio: Concrete evidence of promotions, awards, successful projects, and initiatives that demonstrate your ability to deliver results   2️⃣ Quantifiable Impact: Specific metrics that translate your efforts into business value; revenue generated, costs reduced, efficiency improved, or risks mitigated   3️⃣ External Validation: Preserved testimonials from clients, acknowledgments from leadership, and formal recognition that provides third-party credibility   4️⃣ Leadership Moments: Documented instances where you identified problems independently and implemented solutions beyond your job description   The professionals I place in competitive positions understand a fundamental truth about organizational dynamics: visibility strategically created through documented evidence consistently outweighs undocumented effort, regardless of quality.   Update your brag book quarterly and bring it with you to performance discussions. Make it impossible for decision-makers to overlook your value when advancement opportunities arise.   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #careeradvancement #workplacesurvival #selfadvocacy #careerstrategist

Podcasting wasn’t always the marketing powerhouse it is today. Remember when podcasts were mostly niche conversations, hobbyist recordings, or long-form interviews with limited reach? In fact, if you’d told someone five years ago that a podcast could drive investor interest or build a high-growth brand, they’d probably have given you a polite smile and moved on. That phase is long gone. Today, podcasts have quietly become one of the most intimate, trust-building tools in a marketer’s arsenal. The shift happened not with noise, but with consistency. Not through ads, but through authentic storytelling. A podcast today is almost like having a dedicated, 24x7 channel in someone’s ear. Take The Barbershop with Shantanu, for example. The podcast wasn’t a platform for the VC fund Barbershop but guerrilla marketing tool for the Bombay Shaving Company. A brand that was targeting youth & competing with a monopoly MNC player. The young marketing team suggested it & Shantanu Deshpande being the risk taker & visionary rolled into one, decided to go ahead. What followed was amazing success with the brand growing in online search & creating an impact. The candid, unfiltered conversations with founders, makers, and leaders soon became much more than just a podcast. It became a brand in itself with a community, a point of view, and a clear ethos. It thrives on depth and realness, qualities that are surprisingly hard to find in today’s overproduced content universe. As the podcast evolved, they introduced Raiser’s Edge, a segment within the show where early-stage founders get a chance to pitch their startups. This isn’t just for visibility or feedback. Some of these founders have received actual funding interest, mentorship offers, and meaningful traction, directly because of their feature on the podcast. So in effect, what was once a simple conversation series now doubles up as a discovery engine, an incubator, and a relationship-building platform, all rolled into one. Without sounding like a campaign. Without spending lakhs on performance marketing. Just by building value, one episode at a time. What makes it work? Consistency, because podcasts only build traction with time Intentionality, because it’s not about being everywhere, it’s about being meaningful Respect for the listener’s time, because your audience can sense when you’re just filling airspace The real power of podcasting isn’t in the metrics. It’s in the mindset. So the next time you're exploring marketing channels, don’t overlook the one that’s quiet, high-trust, and community-first. Because in an age of fleeting scrolls, the real win is being the voice people choose to listen to. Have you come across any other podcasts that became community or brand movements? I’d love to know which ones made it to your regular listening list. #podcasting #marketing #branding

If you’ve been job hunting for a while—sending out countless applications, getting some interviews, but not landing offers—you’re not alone. The good news? There’s a simple, effective way to figure out where things might be going wrong. Here’s how you do it👇🏼 Step 1: Create a Tracking System Use a spreadsheet to organize all the roles you’ve applied for. Include columns for: • Job Title • Company Name • Stages of the hiring process: CV Sent, First Interview, Second Interview, etc. Step 2: Track and Color Code Your Progress Mark each stage with a color: • Green = Passed the stage • Red = Didn’t progress For example: If your CV gets rejected, mark “CV Sent” as red. If you make it to the first interview but don’t advance, mark “First Interview” as red and the earlier stages as green. Step 3: Analyze the Patterns After tracking a few applications, you’ll start to see trends. • If you’re not getting interviews, your CV may need improvement. • If you’re consistently stuck after the first round, focus on refining your interview skills for that stage. Why It Works This method gives you clarity and helps you focus on the exact areas where you need to improve. Instead of feeling stuck and overwhelmed, you’ll have a clear plan to sharpen your job search strategy. It’s simple, actionable, and incredibly effective. Give it a try, and let me know how it works for you! If you have any tips on how to improve your interview performance let me know if the comments ☺️