How I pivoted my role 3 times in 3 years

When I was just starting out in my career, pivoting my career sounded like a daunting task.

After all, I had a combined 2.25 years of internship + work experience and they had all been in HR, how was I going to move into a role doing something else?

Eventually with more experience gained, I managed to make 3 pivots into different roles and industries within 3 years. (More about my career journey here)

For all of you who are not sure how to navigate a career change, I want you to know that it is possible!

Read till the end for 3 actionable tips 👇

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Here’s what I did:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽

Taking a pay cut as a working professional back then was uncommon, and understandably so. My monthly salary was more than halved, which I acknowledge is a difficult move for people who have greater financial commitments.

But I did it because my goal was to gain marketing experience.

In whatever shape or form it came in, having some marketing experience would be better than none. Instead of waiting for a full time role in marketing - which may never come -, I decided to seize the opportunity I had in front of me.

2️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘅 🤡)

3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 & 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 (shy.sg 🌟 which has now morphed into ayearofus.com 🪴)

In my case, starting my own business gave me the experiences I needed to pivot multiple times from #hr to Account Management, to Employer Branding & Communications, to #marketing.

Dropshipping is a business model that relies heavily on marketing (why I went into it with 0 experience is a story for another day). I knew little about marketing, and needed to learn quickly for the business.

This need gave me firsthand experience in various facets of marketing: from social media and search engine marketing to CRM, copywriting, and more.

While that venture proved to be unsustainable, the skills I honed eventually helped me discover my sweet spot at the intersection of HR and marketing where I thrive in.

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“Do I also need to start a business to make a career pívot??” Of course not!

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁.

Here are some other ways to do so:

1️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 - these can be paid or unpaid. The key is to develop the skills you need for the role you want to move into.

Paid courses tend to have an element of coursework, which can be helpful as a portfolio. If you opt for unpaid courses, supplementing them with (2) works too!

2️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 - try your hand at the role you want to move into. For example, an acquaintance I know wanted to pívot from operations into UX design.

After completing an online bootcamp, she reached out to her network to do a UX project for them for free to boost her portfolio. This enabled her to land a role in UX successfully.

3️⃣ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀.

Ever heard the saying “Aptitude and attitude are key?”

Indeed, what I’ve realised in my career journey is that most non-technical things can be learned. Attitude and aptitude can get you far.

Have you made a career switch? I’d love to know how you did it too!

#Lemon8SG #CareerTips #careerguide #careeradvice #career #careerdevelopment #CareerJourney #careerchange