The year is almost over. That doesn’t mean you’re out of time, and it doesn’t mean you need to start five more things.
If your job search slows down, put some of that time back into yourself. Finish a build. Get back to the certification you paused. Fix the project you keep meaning to fix. Follow up with somebody who offered to help.
You can’t make a hiring manager move faster. You can give yourself more to show when the conversation happens.
And if you aren’t looking for a job, stay with me. There’s probably something in your professional development pile that deserves to get finished, too.
Your Feed Is Not the Market
Some teams are hiring. Others are moving slowly. Don’t put your whole plan on hold waiting for January.
Use the CyberSeek heatmap to explore cybersecurity demand in your state or metro area. Check its reporting period and compare it with current GRC openings to decide where to look and what to practice.
Then get back to the parts you can control.
Focus Is a Superpower
AJ Yawn reminds the group in his weekly live sessions that “Focus is a superpower.” He also challenges everyone to finish three tasks a day as a baseline.
I like that because it makes you get specific. What are you actually going to finish today?
A follow-up, a lab, and a bug fix can be three useful tasks. “Become an expert in AI governance” probably needs to be broken down a little.
Pick one or two priorities for the rest of the year. If you’re already halfway through a certification or a build, consider finishing it before signing up for something else. Give it a recurring spot on your calendar.
You don’t need to stop being curious. You do need to give some of those ideas a chance to become something.
Don’t Be Your Biggest Hater
The market is hard enough. Don’t help it wear you down.
My challenge: stop reading rejection emails.
Use your tools to read them, archive them, and update your application tracker. Have them flag what deserves your attention: an interview invitation, a question, useful feedback, or a deadline. A standard denial can go straight into the record without becoming part of your morning.
Be as cold and calculated about processing that message as the system that sent it. (Trust me, they're not usually coming from a human.)
I know that’s easier said than done. Rejections have gotten to me personally. One email might not seem like much, but enough of them can start changing how you see yourself. You hesitate before applying. You talk yourself out of opportunities. Your confidence takes a hit, and eventually your momentum does too.
This is a marathon. Protect your momentum wherever you can.
Give AI a useful assignment: keep track of which companies have shown interest, which applications are closed, and when a follow-up is due. Let it bring you the things that need your judgment instead of making you personally absorb every automated “unfortunately.”
You still make the decisions. You just don’t have to read every denial to stay informed.
Save that attention for explaining your work, building relationships, and being ready when somebody says, “Let’s talk.”
Relationships Compound
Somebody gave you advice. Made an introduction. Sent you a resource. What happened after that?
Go back and tell them.
“I tried your suggestion, and here’s what changed” is a much better conversation than showing up only when you need another favor. Thank people even when the introduction didn’t lead to a job.
Ask what they’re working on, too. Share something useful. Help somebody else with a problem you’ve already figured out.
You don’t have to be job hunting to do any of that. A colleague you help today is still worth knowing when neither of you needs anything.
Finish Something Small
I keep telling people that building is the skill that raises all ships. That includes finishing, fixing, and explaining what you built.
You probably don’t need another project idea. Check your GitHub account. There may already be a few waiting for you.
Choose one. A risk register, a sample vendor assessment, or a small AI inventory is plenty. Write down your acceptance criteria: what needs to work before you can call this version done.
Then finish that version. The six extra features can wait.
Document the problem, your decisions, how you checked the result, and what still needs work. Use made-up data or examples you’re authorized to share. Practice explaining it to somebody who didn’t spend the last three weekends building it with you.
If you need help with the process, use the GRC Vibe Coder’s Playbook. If you’re already employed, try the same exercise with a small improvement your team actually needs.
Reflect Before Resetting
Before you write a new list of goals, look at the old one.
What did you finish? What got easier? What are you still interested in? What are you only keeping on the list because you feel bad about dropping it?
Write down the work you did while you still remember the details. A failed experiment can give you something useful to explain in an interview. A process you improved at work might belong in your performance review. A project you stopped might have taught you what to do differently.
Progress isn’t always an offer. That doesn’t make the bills less real. It does mean you shouldn’t erase everything you learned because you haven’t landed the next role yet.
Also, check your professional development benefits if you have them. What’s left in the fund? What qualifies? When are approvals and reimbursements due? Decide whether a course, certification, or club membership would help you do something you actually want to do.
Then make room to rest. You don’t need to earn your holiday by deploying something first.
Put the Next Three Months to Work
Our club themes give you a place to start.
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November: AI Governance. Pick one practical question and work through it. What AI tools are being used? Who owns them? How would you review a new one? Turn what you learn into a small inventory, checklist, or demo. Keep applying and following up when there’s a real opportunity.
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December: Getting The Job. Finish the build, update your resume, and practice telling the story. Already happy in your role? Prepare a team demo, document an improvement, or finish a club certification. Check the Academy for current options and new credentials as they’re released.
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January: Arrive Ready. Follow up on paused conversations when agreed. Share what you finished. Look at what’s working and adjust. You don’t need a completely new personality and twelve new goals because it’s January.
If you’ve been thinking about joining the club, look at the programming and decide whether you’ll make time to use it. If you’re already a member, go back to the lab or certification you meant to finish.
And fit this to your actual life. If income is urgent, applications and paid work may need most of your attention. If you’re worn out, make the tasks smaller. The point is to keep moving at a pace you can sustain.
Bring What You Broke
You don’t have to do all of this by yourself.
Bring the project to Show & Fail. Tell us what worked, what broke, and where you got stuck. You can also come listen and ask questions. Check the chapter calendar for upcoming sessions.
Before the year ends, what is one thing you can finish, one relationship you can nurture, and one thing you can stop doing?
Start there. Keep building.