By Kara Porter
•
January 13, 2026
The start of a new year is an opportunity to reflect, reassess and make intentional decisions about your career. For tech professionals, planning now can help you take advantage of opportunities, navigate emerging trends and advancing your career. This guide offers practical steps to help you consider, prepare and take confident action in the months ahead. Reflect on your career to date Review your achievements, projects and skills gained over the past year. Consider what worked well and what you’d like to change in your next role. Factor in responsibilities, team dynamics and company culture. Identify gaps in your knowledge or experience and set concrete goals to address them. Tip: Focus on showing how you apply your skills in real contexts. Link them to projects, roles and education to help hiring managers understand your impact. Suggesting clear examples and outcomes makes your profile stand out. Helpful resource: How to Highlight Skills on LinkedIn to Get Noticed (LinkedIn Business Talent Blog) provides tips on listing and structuring skills that attract recruiter attention. Understand the tech market Look at which areas of tech are hiring and in demand (e.g., data, cloud, cybersecurity). Track early hiring signals - new team expansions, company announcements, published salary guides or roles being filled quickly. Consider how your skillset aligns with market demand and where you could add unique value. Helpful resource: Stay up to date on tech hiring trends and market insights by following Tech & Data People on LinkedIn