Q3 Is Closing: Career Coaching Strategies to Lock in Your Wins Before 2025 Ends

Can you believe we’re already approaching the end of Q3? 2025 is flying, and before long, we’ll be saying, “Wow, 2026 is around the corner.”

This is the season when careers are either cemented or stalled. By Q4, performance reviews, promotions, and bonus conversations are already being shaped behind closed doors. If you wait until December to advocate for yourself, it’s too late.

That’s why now is the time to pause, reflect, and get strategic with your manager. Think of this as your mid-year plus check-in — your last chance to realign before reviews get locked in.

Key Conversations to Have with Your Manager Before Q4

Here are four areas you need to cover to make sure you’re not caught slipping:

1. Annual Goals Check-In

• Where are you with your 2025 goals?

• Which metrics are already on track, and which ones need a strong Q4 push?

• What specific actions are you committing to before year-end?

This isn’t just about showing progress — it’s about showing accountability. Managers remember who came prepared with a plan.

2. Performance Rating Reality Check

Be bold enough to ask: “How am I trending right now?” If your rating is leaning “meets expectations” and you want “exceeds,” you need to know what behaviors, projects, or wins will get you there.

3. Feedback Accountability

If you’ve received feedback this year, where are you with addressing it? Don’t just say “I’ve improved.” Bring receipts. Share examples that prove you took feedback seriously and turned it into growth.

4. Course Corrections

What do you need to keep doing, stop doing, or start doing to finish the year strong? Sometimes it’s not about working harder — it’s about working smarter and focusing on the things that actually move the needle.

Why This Matters Right Now

Here’s the inside game: most companies lock in ratings by October or November. Unless something drastic happens, your review in December is already decided by then.

So if you’re waiting until Q4 to “turn it on,” you’re already behind. The next few weeks are your window to influence how your performance, pay, and promotion potential are viewed.

Protect Yourself: Document Everything

This is where a lot of professionals drop the ball. Don’t just talk with your manager and leave it at that. Put it in writing.

• Send a follow-up email recapping the conversation.

• Save that email as a PDF.

• Back it up on a flash drive or cloud storage.

  
  

When things aren’t documented, you leave yourself open to “funny business” at the end of the year. Documentation isn’t about paranoia — it’s about being prepared. The corporate game is complex, and sometimes people get sacrificed. Protect yourself.

How Career Coaching Helps You Win in Moments Like This

This is where coaching can change everything. A career coach helps you:

• Prepare for these manager conversations with confidence.

• Translate vague feedback into an actionable plan.

• Strategize how to showcase your wins in a way that sticks.

• Hold you accountable for following through, so you don’t coast into the new year.

The truth is, most professionals don’t have someone helping them play the game strategically. That’s why they get stuck in the same role, passed over for promotions, or blindsided at review time.

But you don’t have to be that person.

Your Next Step

As we close Q3, ask yourself:

• Am I crystal clear on how my performance is being evaluated right now?

• Have I documented the conversations that matter most?

• Do I have a strategy for finishing 2025 stronger than I started?

If the answer is no or even not sure, now is the time to lock in support.

Let’s talk. Email me (info@professionallydeveloped.com) to book a career coaching session today, and I’ll help you walk into Q4 ready to secure your wins, advocate for yourself, and end 2025 on top.

Peace,

Marcell Jackson, PMP®, CPRW™

Career Coach​ & Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW™)