Before becoming a rock legend, who is this singer who worked at a famous London cemetery?

[ Answer at the bottom ]

In today’s Career Ladder:

• Today’s Ladder: Too late for them, just in time for you.

• Framework: Learn in minutes what took others years.

• Takeaway: Do, not just know.

• Resources: I dug through the web so you can skip the rabbit hole.

• ICYMI: Your next binge-worthy reads, curated from past hits.

• Career Ladder Intel: Career news and trends you can’t afford to ignore.

Today’s Ladder:

Too Late for Them, Just in Time for You

What if the best career advice isn’t something new…

but something you already heard, nodded at, and quietly dismissed?

That’s most people.

Early in their career, they were too busy chasing deadlines to chase wisdom.

Senior pros would say things like “build your network” or “document your wins,”…

And, they’d think, “I’ll get to that later.”

Later never came.

You don’t get a do-over.

But you do get today.

And the best time to listen to the right advice? Was then.

The second best? Right now.

Framework:

Learn in Minutes What Took Others Years

I scoured LinkedIn for the top three pieces of career advice people most wish they had followed sooner. These 3 are the most cited: 

Track Your Accomplishments

Many professionals regret not recording their achievements, especially with concrete metrics like percentages or dollar amounts. 

Keeping track of results enables much stronger advocacy for promotions, raises, and job transitions because it clearly demonstrates value to employers through measurable impact.

Network Before You Need It

A frequent career regret is waiting too long to start building professional relationships. 

Investing in your network early allows access to mentorship, vital opportunities, and industry insights that are often unavailable through skill alone. 

Nurturing authentic connections can accelerate career advancement far beyond what expertise alone provides.

Embrace the Jungle Gym Model

Instead of seeing career growth as climbing a straight ladder, successful professionals wish they had viewed it as a “jungle gym” - zigzagging, risk-taking, and skill acquisition through lateral moves and new challenges. 

This flexible approach leads to greater opportunities and resilience, especially when one seeks feedback, takes bold risks, and welcomes diverse experiences.

Takeaway

Do, Not Just Know

My mother never followed recipes.

She cooked by instinct: tasting, adjusting, trusting what she knew from experience.

When I’d ask how she made something taste so good, she’d smile and say,

“You learn by doing, not by waiting to feel ready.”

At the time, I thought she was just talking about food.

But years later, I realized she was describing the very mindset that shaped my career.

I used to overthink every move: 

• waiting for perfect timing

• perfect confidence 

• perfect plans

But growth doesn’t come from perfection.
It comes from taking action, making small adjustments, and learning as you go.

That’s one of the top lessons professionals wish they’d learned sooner:

Clarity doesn’t come before action, it comes from it.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time,” this is your reminder:

Start cooking with what you’ve got.

Resources:

• Designing Your Life - this book applies design thinking principles to choosing and creating a fulfilling career, including practical exercises and frameworks for prototyping career path

• Using Design Thinking for Career Management - in this video, SNHU Career hosts an in-depth session on blending design thinking with actionable career strategies. Suitable for all career stages, it delivers frameworks for improving career outcomes

• READY Framework - The system doesn’t reward effort. It rewards positioning. That’s what this mini-workshop teaches you.

ICYMI: Links to popular issues

💰The Hidden Signals That Tell Your Boss You’re Ready for a Promotion

⁉️The Most Dangerous Workplace Politics Mistakes You’re Probably Making

🙋🏻‍♀️ How to Handle Burnout... Without Quitting Your Job

Career Ladder Intel:

• Verizon to cut up to 15K jobs as it seeks to cut costs under new CEO - Read more

• Long-term unemployment is up sharply, now accounting for 25.7% of all unemployed individuals, breaching historical recession warning levels - Read more

• The ADP Employment Report from October shows the addition of only 42,000 private sector jobs, which rebounded slightly after losses but is much slower than earlier in the year - Read more

DID YOU KNOW?

Rod Stewart worked at Highgate Cemetery in North London in his youth. He carried out manual labour and measured out plots at the cemetery.

HEADS UP:

In next Sunday’s issue of Career Ladder you will discover… “The Nonverbal Cues That Instantly Make You More Persuasive”

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MISSION:

Career Ladder helps motivated professionals grow their career and income in half the time by sharing career strategies used by the top 1%.