Affinitee Mentor Sara Gardner Shares 5 Tips on Finding the Job You Really Want
Affinitee helps womxn and people of color gain access to mentors to help them in their professional development. Sara Gardner is one of our amazing mentors on the platform. Sara recently joined Johnson Controls to head up Global Product Management for their security business. I recently spoke to Sara about her advice on how to successfully navigate a career change.
“I’ve had a long career in software — most of it in Silicon Valley and most of it riding the bleeding edge building and taking new software technologies and platforms to market. From relational databases and data warehousing (yes, it was cutting edge once!) to Big Data, AI, Smart City and Industrial IoT solutions. It’s been a truly amazing ride during an incredible 30 years of innovation. But a couple of years ago I realized my motivations had started to shift. Despite being a life-long geek, it was no longer the technology itself that was making me tick but rather the act of using it to make other things tick and transform industries that had become my passion. I knew my next move had to reflect that.”
After a successful career working at companies such as HP Enterprise, Oracle and Hitachi, Sara shares some tips in how best to approach a new job search — especially when looking to make a shift to a new role or industry.
Tip #1 Learn what makes you tick — really tick.
“Many of us hit a point in our careers where we feel dissatisfied. Sometimes it’s a blip, other times it’s a signal that our true passion is something different. Sometimes we know what we’d rather be doing and sometimes we don’t — we just know it needs to be something different to what we are doing today. I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do but used a great trick I picked up at a seminar to really drill into my sweet spot. Take a step back and look at all the points in your career where you felt on fire, in the zone, in your sweet spot. You might have a list of successful projects that you drove or even projects that didn’t go as planned but you just loved the role you played on the team and the people you worked with regardless. Remind yourself what was happening when you were at your best. What skills were you using? What was the situation? You are trying to hone in on what really makes you tick. Try to find a job that puts you in that space.”
Tip #2 Getting a job without a connection feels like playing the lottery.
“The best way to get a job is to have a personal connection. We’ve all applied for jobs that look on paper to be a perfect match only to hear crickets after we’ve applied. 9/10 resumes get lost in the shuffle. The best way to get a job is through referrals or by working with a headhunter. That was a bit of an eye-opener for me. Join special interest groups (Linkedin is great for that), work your network, expand your network, build a list of target companies and figure out how to engage with them versus focusing just on looking for openings.”
Tip #3 Focus on the fundamentals of the company first rather than the specifics of the role.
“Finding the right company fit is more important than the specific role. Fantastic if you hit the mother lode and find one that fits on all fronts but in reality, job descriptions are typically loose and people get to shape their job a lot more than they think. Or put in another way, hiring managers hire the people they like and want on their team. Yes, you need to have relevant skills but it’s rare to find a candidate that matches every skill on a posting. So finding a way into a company you like even if the role isn’t exactly what you were looking for is better than the “right” role in the wrong company.”
Tip #4 Don’t get hung up on titles.
“Having been a VP for many years I initially thought I must find a role with the same title. But titles these days mean very little. Making sure the level and responsibilities of the role are right is what counts. There are companies out there small and large where big titles are 2 to a penny and other companies that are extremely conservative on titles — particularly in the Industrial space where I had shifted my sights. If the job is at the right level, compensation and responsibility in a company is what truly matters.”
Tip #5 Stay positive! Your next job is out there.
“Final comment — stay positive. Yes, I know it can feel a little demoralizing finding a new job but if you focus on some of the tips I described I think you will find it less so. I used to think it was a “volume” game — send as many resumes out as possible and something will stick! While I certainly know people who have found jobs that way I personally think they are in the minority and if you do get crickets and rejections week after week it’s enough to crush anyone’s self-esteem. Instead focus on being seen and getting on the radar of the companies you want to work for. Informational chats over coffee for example leveraging a connection from someone in your network or tap an Affinitee mentor — we want to help! Remember you are selling yourself and you ARE a hot ticket! The right buyer will snap you up in an instant but they need you to help them discover you first.”
Sara is among the many mentors on the Affinitee platform that want to give back and share their knowledge and experiences with others. To learn more, visit: https://theaffinitee.com/mentorship/
