A Millennial Working Mom with A Side of Everything

They say in life, we are writing our own story. Like a novel, things may not make sense along the way, but the details eventually come together.

I’ve made a few pivotal changes throughout my life that got me here today. While some of them didn’t make sense at the time, I truly appreciate the outcomes.
The question I got asked the most is how I made the career change from analytical science to marketing.

Here’s my personal experience and the process I went through.

1️⃣ Asked why I wanted a career change.
Up until that point, I was involved mostly in manufacturing & laboratory environment, doing routine work that had little visibility into the overall strategy. I wanted to see the business side and more outside the lab.

2️⃣ Asked which function I wanted to get into.
I debated among Supply Chain, Technical Sales, and Marketing. I reached out to people within these functions of the company and stated my intent. It was simply like “Hey __, I’m looking to make a career change and would love to learn more about what you do.”
I wanted to learn what their job entails, and their perspectives of what they do in general.

3️⃣ Be prepared for the advice you don’t want to hear.
Let’s be clear, you will face rejections even at this stage. People are mostly kind and supportive and you want them to be honest with you about what they don’t like. But the worst part of this stage is that they may even discourage you because you don’t have the credentials they thought you needed to break into these fields. Take notes, and perhaps take a few online training courses on what you may need. (Ex. I was told i needed an MBA for Marketing. Not true by the way).

4️⃣ Keep doing your research and networking.
Don’t let anyone discourage you from your plan. There’s always an opportunity to change, to move forward. Be patient with your process to ensure you make the right choice. Let your line manager know if you are looking internally. They can be your champion. Also reach out to higher management individuals to network and express your interest.

5️⃣ Once you have decided on a field, fire up that job search!
If you find an interest internally, reach out to the hiring manager and state your intent. Believe I said something along this line: “Hi ____, I am looking to elevate my career within the company and your posting piqued my interest. Are you open to have a quick conversation with me to decide if this is the right fit for me to apply? Thank you.”
The rest was history!

It would be harder to completely change your career at a new company. I can only speak to my experience but you may need to have significant academic or training credentials.
If you are thinking of changing your career, I hope these breakdowns help you.

Next, let’s say you land the interview. How are you going to prepare for that? Stay tuned for the next post on this series.