Hey friends

This week's newsletter has a bit of a career focus. Some things to help your career and some things to help you re-evaluate where you want to go.

I have new, more senior positions opening up in my company, but I don't want to apply for them. And I've asked myself why this is.

And there are a few reasons, I think.

The first is that I'm quite happy with my life. I'm quite satisfied. I think that I earn a reasonable amount of money.

Secondly, I have a reasonable amount of responsibility and influence. And I worry that moving up will just cause me to be involved in more things that I don't want. More admin, more time spent in meetings, more time away from my family, more stress, or for just a little bit of extra income.

I think that eventually we hit a place where we're comfortable. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. But for me, it represents a shift in priorities from trying to climb the corporate ladder all the time to just having more satisfaction, more appreciation for my life. It's definitely different to ten years ago, but I'm happy.

It's different in a good way.

The Big Idea

Most aspiring project managers have the experience; they just can't describe it effectively.

Your biggest career obstacle isn't lack of experience; it's your inability to translate what you've done into compelling project management stories. The gap between having valuable experience and showcasing it effectively is costing you opportunities. New and transitioning PMs consistently struggle with the same challenge: they feel "unaware of their project management experience" or can't translate their achievements into terms that employers understand.

Here's the reality: if you can't describe your value, how would a potential employer know it exists?

You don't need to fabricate experience or oversell yourself. You need to learn the language of impact. Every project you've led, supported, or influenced tells a story but you just need to learn how to tell that story with metrics, clarity, and confidence. Whether it's coordinating a team event, managing a software rollout, or streamlining a process, your experience counts. The problem isn't what you've done; it's how you're presenting what you've done.

The difference between getting hired and getting overlooked often comes down to one skill: making your value visible.

Takeaways

• Lead with quantified results, not vague duties — "Directed $2M relocation project, delivering 6 weeks early" beats "managed project timeline"
• Treat your experience like a portfolio — Create 2-4 detailed case studies with context, your role, and measurable outcomes
• Master the STAR method storytelling — Every interview answer needs Situation, Task, Action, and quantified Results
• LinkedIn is your extended resume — Use it as a search engine optimization tool with strategic keywords and regular updates
• Internal visibility builds external opportunities — Share successes proactively and establish yourself as the go-to expert

Try This:

• Create your "Key Achievements" bank — List 10 accomplishments with specific metrics (budget, timeline, percentage improvements) you can pull from for any application
• Audit your LinkedIn with job descriptions — Copy 10 target job postings into ChatGPT and ask for the most common keywords, then optimize your profile around them
• Practice your project stories — Prepare 3-5 STAR method stories you can adapt on the fly, focusing on challenges overcome and business impact delivered
• Build a one-page project portfolio — Document your top 3 projects with before/after metrics, visuals, and clear outcomes you can attach to applications

Deep Dive

Why I Don’t Want to Climb the Corporate Ladder I've been coasting through my work lately. ​Read full story →​

From my Toolkit

The tool in my toolkit this week is one that I'm using right now to write this paragraph.

And it's called SuperWhisper.

It's a free app which you can download and install on your Windows or Mac. You simply hit a shortcut key, in my case it's Option+S, and you speak instead of type.

It then converts your speech into text. It saves me hours each week writing emails, writing reports, writing this newsletter. All I need to do is go in and fix minor errors. It usually gets 90% of spelling, punctuation and grammar correctly.

Honestly it makes a massive difference. There are some similar tools out there but this one is free and it works quite accurately. I'm quite happy with it.

Not sponsored but I think it's a great tool and you should check it out.

Let me know what you thought of this email. I read every reply.

Have a great week ahead.

Jonathan