REINVENTING MY CAREER

Hi - My name is Theresa and I am a Solutions Manager for Collaboration Applications. After three years working as a Talent Management and Organizational Development Specialist, I felt that it was time for a change. Not because I didn’t enjoy my responsibilities - it was actually the opposite. I loved what I was doing but I noticed that I was craving new challenges.

I felt that my views and ideas were not as “out of the box” as they were when I first started in the role.

My supervisor and colleagues were extremely supportive during the search for my next step. First, we started searching for an opportunity abroad – A new country and new culture would have been a great option to further grow; but, then a pandemic arrived and going abroad was no longer an option.

Even though this felt like a setback I was still motivated - And, maybe because of that, I wanted to make my next move anything but ordinary. What could take one more out of the comfort zone and push the learning curve higher than making a cross-functional move to a different department? During a few projects, I got familiar with IT solutions and new applications and learned the huge impact it had on the day to day lives of many, if not all, employees.

I was intrigued by the thought of being a part of an organization that improves the style of how we collaborate and work, which made my decision easy. It was at that moment I decided to take the chance to become a Solution Manager for Collaboration Applications.

Don’t get me wrong, there was a moment that I thought “How do I dare? Other people are studying in that field for years and I think I can jump in, just like that?” But, what was more important than this moment, was the many other times I was able to connect the dots – and, additionally had my “Aha-Moment” and was able to help someone else understand.

Search engines became a solid friend, but I am also happy to have great colleagues who are very supportive (maybe in the beginning they wondered about my choice of words as I was missing some technical terms, but they were so kind to not show their surprise 😉).

After 6 months in my new position I can say this was the right decision. I am very thankful for the trust which has been given to me right from the beginning. That allowed me to fill the position in my own style and bring in a new and different perspective.

So, looking back, how would I answer the question: “Move?”
“Yes, cross functional, please” is my answer.
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