Career Briefs: The Evolving Landscape

Thanksgiving may arrive quietly—wedged between the frenzy of Halloween and the glitter of Christmas—but for me, it has always carried a deeper, quieter power. It invites us to pause. To prepare. To create space.

If you’re hosting this year, you know that setting the table is so much more than arranging plates or choosing the right napkins. In a world that moves fast and demands faster responses, the simple act of laying out a table becomes a declaration of intention. It says: This moment matters. These people matter.

Setting the table is, in many ways, an act of hope.
Hope that people will come together.
Hope that conversation will flow.
Hope that, even for a brief time, we can slow down enough to reconnect with one another—and with ourselves.

When we prepare a table, we’re preparing room for stories, for memory, for laughter, for the kind of connection that gets lost in the rush of ordinary days. As The Atlantic beautifully notes, “The table is a place of memory where we… become aware of who we are and with whom we are.” Every meal carries echoes of past ones—faces, moments, and seasons that remind us of where we’ve been and who has shaped us.

And so next week, whether your table is full and bustling or quiet and simple, I hope it becomes a place where you feel grounded and grateful. A place where you notice the small joys: a hand reaching to pass a dish, a story you’ve heard a dozen times, the comfort of familiar voices or the courage of new beginnings.

This newsletter reaches you every month because I believe in creating spaces—just like a table—where people can learn, grow, and feel a little less alone in their journey.

Thank you for making room for me at your table.
Thank you for letting me share this space with you.

Rooting for you,

The Good Boss’s Guide to Giving Gifts

Every year, I put together a holiday gift guide to make giving at work a little easier—and this year’s might be my favorite yet. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out my popular Annual Holiday Gift Guide. The ideas come directly from Briefcase Coach readers, and most of the items are from small businesses or small-batch creators, making them thoughtful, unique, and meaningful gifts.

In this years guide, you’ll find everything from engraved tumblers to warm pretzels to desk calendars that keep people laughing. I also included a set of Canadian favorites for all of our friends in the north.

Read more here: The Good Boss’s Guide to Giving Gifts (2025 Edition). 

Don’t Make This Executive Resume Mistake: Importance of Audience Awareness

A lot of you are dusting off your resume for the first time in a long time. What worked in 2018, is not going to work today. The key to a great resume is audience awareness.

I wrote an article about common mistakes I see as a professional executive resume writer for VP, C-Suite, and Board leaders. The article also highlights some "sneaky tricks" used by our industry to elevate brands.

Read more here: It’s Not About You: Why Audience Awareness Defines Powerful Career Branding.

Can you imagine… 50 years of working for Target?

Employees now change jobs every 3.6 years, and 51% of those employed—including C-suite executives—are actively looking elsewhere. Yet The Wall Street Journal recently profiled some of America’s longest-tenured employees: six decades at Tiffany, fifty-plus years at Target, Ford, 3M, Patagonia, Qualcomm, Merrill.

Job security is no longer about spending your entire career at one company. It’s about staying useful, staying curious, and staying connected—to people, not just systems. What stood out in these profiles wasn’t loyalty for its own sake. It was adaptability.

As a self-proclaimed “job search nerd,” this was a very fascinating read!

Read more here: (Article is paywalled) What America’s Longest-Tenured Employees Say About Work—Then and Now

The Government Shutdown May Be Over but Its Impact Is Irreversible

While the government officially reopened last week, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows that the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history has left an estimated $11 billion in permanent economic damage. While most federal workers will receive back pay, the broader ripple effects won’t be recovered. 

About 1.25 million workers missed paychecks, slowing consumer spending and disrupting travel and thousands of flights were canceled as the FAA reduced operations. The shutdown also delayed $8 billion in SNAP food aid for 42 million recipients and froze billions in federal contracts, hitting businesses in defense, aerospace and government services. Economic data used by the Federal Reserve was halted, adding uncertainty that could delay future interest rate cuts. And as a result, the CBO notes that a portion of lost activity, from canceled travel to postponed purchases, is gone for good

Read more here: Record government shutdown leaves an estimated $11 billion in permanent economic damage.

Study Reveals Insights into CEO Compensation

An Equilar-Associated Press study shows that CEO compensation across the S&P 500 climbed even as many companies navigated slower hiring and broader economic uncertainty. Median CEO pay reached $17.1 million, up 9.7% from the previous year, with stock awards making up the bulk of compensation. There was one notable standout change: executive perks jumped up 21.5%, driven in part by expanded security measures following recent high-profile safety concerns.

But as CEO compensation rose, pay gaps also widened. The median CEO now earns 192 times the median employee salary, a ratio that continues to trend upward. 

Other notable discovers include that omen CEOs remain underrepresented but out-earned the broader index with a $20 million median compensation, communication services leaders topped the pay charts again and New York reclaimed its spot as home to the highest-paid CEOs.

Read more here: CEO Pay Study.

Career Briefs Book Club: Sue Wang’s New Book!

One of our long-time readers, Sue Wang, just released a new book, the Thriving Job Seeker Playbook. It was released last month and has already been named the #1 New Release in Job-Hunting during its first week!

Sue’s whole-person approach to career coaching is genuinely refreshing. She blends practical job-search strategy with a realistic understanding of the emotional and human side of the process. She knows job hunting can be long and taxing, and she offers sustainable ways to navigate it—prioritizing well-being to ultimately achieve better outcomes.

She has advised at Wellesley, MIT, and Dartmouth, and coached solopreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and professionals from Cisco, Disney, and PayPal. Certified by both the International Coaching Federation and the Co-Active Training Institute, her work combines proven techniques with deep self-awareness.

How Should You Prepare for Your Annual Review?

Annual reviews can feel intimidating, but preparing early can make the entire experience feel more manageable and more meaningful. A few simple habits can set you up for a stronger conversation:

• Ask for feedback regularly throughout the year. Specific questions after projects or key meetings lead to more useful insights and help you avoid surprises later on.

• Understand how the review process works. Clarify timelines, expectations and who’s involved by checking in with your manager, HR and trusted colleagues. Knowing what to expect builds confidence.

• Keep a running “brag list.” Capture accomplishments, wins and growth moments throughout the year. When review time comes, you’ll have a clear record of your impact.

• Have the “talk before the talk.” Schedule a quick check-in ahead of the official review to align expectations and ensure the conversation focuses on what matters most.

Approaching your review this way ensures that you’re both prepared and in control of the narrative.

Read more here: What To Do Before Your Annual Review.

October Jobs Report Gives Some Promising News

 After a slow few months, the labor market finally showed a small but notable improvement in the month of October. Private-sector employers added 42,000 jobs, marking the first month of growth since midsummer. Hiring picked up in education, health care and transportation-related sectors, but industries like professional services and leisure/hospitality continued to pull back. Larger companies drove nearly all of the month’s growth, which is a sign that smaller employers may still be feeling pressure.

Wage trends remained steady. Annual pay rose 4.5% for people staying in their roles and 6.7% for job-changers, indicating a labor market that isn’t overheating but isn’t weakening dramatically either.

Taken together, the data suggests a market that’s stabilizing. Hiring is returning, wage growth is holding and supply and demand for talent appear to be gradually rebalancing rather than swinging sharply in either direction.

Read more here: ADP National Employment Report.

LinkedIn Just Changed the Rules (Again)

If you’ve noticed your LinkedIn content behaving differently lately, you’re not imagining it. The latest LinkedIn Algorithm Update highlights several major shifts affecting visibility, reach and engagement. At the center is 360Brew, a new framework that evaluates your entire network’s interaction patterns instead of just individual posts. Conversations now matter more than quick likes and early engagement in the first hour plays a bigger role in how widely a post travels.

Another standout insight: follower size is no longer the guarantee it once was. Creators in the 15k–25k range are seeing the highest median reach, while larger accounts are being rewarded more for authenticity, ecosystem engagement and consistency than just volume alone.

Company Pages are also seeing a quiet resurgence. Educational, text-driven content is performing far better than polls or video. Overall, LinkedIn is shifting toward deeper conversations, stronger topic focus and more meaningful engagement signals.

Read more here: #42 LinkedIn Algorithm Report! October Update Crushed it!