TWIT : 31 January 2025

It’s my last week of TWIT, folks. I hope you’ve enjoyed my ‘Summer Series’ this January, helping you kick off your 2025 the right way! WHOOP WHOOP!

You are in for a real treat next week, and for the month of February, when Athanasia Corso takes the TWIT reigns and keeps you entertained with her talent hot takes and honest thoughts on the latest trends. If you know Athanasia … you know what I’m talking about.

For this last TWIT I wanted to focus on the stuff outside the numbers and the trends. The stuff that is SUPER important, but takes effort to maintain. The stuff that literally makes or breaks a good recruiter. The stuff that is the first to drop down the list when you get busy, but really should remain at the top …

That, my friends … IS LEARNING. I’m not saying you need to be out there going to every single webinar, doing every course, and signing up for a Graduate Certificate in Service Design because you don’t already have enough going on in your life and want to fill your spare time with more things (or is that just me?!)

NO – I’m talking about the learning that happens by osmosis when you’re surrounded by people that are smarter than you; when you catch up for coffee with your old colleagues to hear about the latest goss and industry changes; when you pop along to a meetup for a topic that interests you and make some new friends. This stuff is invaluable! Whether you realise it or not, it adds to who you are as a person; both professionally and personally.

So while you’re finalising your 2025 plans and goals, make sure you include some time to:

  • Realistically (I mean … REALLY realistically) assess how much time you can dedicate to this. It should be a priority, but it also shouldn’t add to your stress levels. So if it’s 1 hour every Friday morning that you commit to set aside for learning, network building, reading … that’s totally okay! Start small, but put it in your calendar as non-negotiable ‘Me Time’.
  • Get clear on your interests. You have them! Think of the topics that naturally prick your ears, and grab your attention. Learn more about that stuff cause you’re more likely to stick to it.
  • Track your learning. This comes in handy when it’s time for your performance/promotion discussions, but it’s useful for yourself too. Regularly check in and reflect on your commitments to yourself, and how you’re tracking.
  • Sign up to be a mentee. AHRI have mentorship programs, your workplace might have a similar program, but you can also unofficially schedule time with people in your network to just … be around them and learn about things they’re tackling at work!
  • Sign up to be a mentor. Yes – you have amazing skills, and they deserve to be put to good use and help the people that really need them. Why not offer to do some free (or paid) mentoring with job seekers? Volunteer your time with Fitted For Work who help women experiencing disadvantage find meaningful jobs in the workforce? So many opportunities to meet people, and learn about the struggles they face in the job market.
  • Go to more social things. An introverts worst nightmare, but I promise it works. I’ve learned SO MUCH from free local meetups, even ones that have nothing to do with Talent. You never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet, AND you’ll never know unless you try. So basically … be brave and give it a crack!

Below are some thought starters of resources, articles, podcasts, meetups that you can explore and sign up to!


Meetup.com

This might be preaching to the choir, but if you’re not across Meetup then jump in and sign up to the topics that interest you to get alerts on the local groups in your area and when they might be having a meet up!

Podcasts – a selection of poddies to consider signing up to

McKinsey Talks Talent

The Gartner Talent Angle

HBR IdeaCast

Hard Fork (New York Times)

TaPod and Rubberband (of course)

TED Talks Daily

A futurist lens to people development

Focusing on preparing for multiple possible futures is the key to being agile enough to pivot when things come your way (whether expected or unexpected). This article has an interesting point of view on how to apply this futures lens to developing yourself and your people.

Why Australian small businesses are investing in cybersecurity training

A trend we’re seeing a lot of at We Are Charlotte, is companies prioritising cyber security and attempting to get on the front foot when it comes to security breaches and issues. If you haven’t incorporated a security focus to your workforce development plan … add it in!

9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2025 and Beyond

This isn’t just another ‘2025 trends’ article. What I liked most about this one is that Gartner has detailed 3 key challenges that will arise this year, and specifically the urgent need for a ‘future ready workforce’ drew my attention. With an aging workforce and technology disruption, how can companies ensure they retain their corporate knowledge, while also entering a new era of what we  define as ‘expertise’?

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