Spotting Unseen Career Opportunities
Combining Curiosity, Feedback and Listening to unlock unseen career opportunities
When I was a senior in college, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do after I graduated, and was very diligent in my efforts to research and develop a career path that I could pursue after graduation. I knew I liked working on teams, solving problems and working in business, which ultimately led to wanting to pursue a career in management consulting. At the time there were really only two firms that came to campus to recruit for consulting, so I naturally targeted those companies.
I was a go-getter and knew enough of the basics of networking and relationship building, so I went to the information sessions, campus recruiting events and had phone calls and coffee chats with all of the BC grads I could find that worked at those companies. It was clear to me that in the recruiting process up until I had to apply that Deloitte was a great fit.
There was one big hurdle: There was a GPA cutoff for the role that I wanted to apply to, and I wasn’t near the requirement. While I was very involved in leadership roles and extracurricular activities, it was often at the expense of focusing on my studies. I tried to talk my way around this, and highlighted all the other reasons why I could be a great candidate, but the recruiter the the recruiting team weren’t sure they could convince the hiring team that I was going to be able to get around it. But since I had a good relationship with them and they had a positive view of me they made one suggestion - apply to the Technology Analyst Program instead.
The Technology Analyst program did similar work but focused on different types of problems. I would still be a consultant, but looking at things through the lens of business and technology versus strategy and operations. While I didn’t have a formal technology background, they assured me that I didn’t need one, just “an interest in technology.” Best of all, the GPA requirement was lower, and somewhere that I had already hit.
I decided to go for it. I studied the basics of information systems, googled the term “ERP” and learned about business processes. In the interview process, I relied upon the recruiting team for advice on how to prepare, what to study, and more importantly, how to sound like I sort of knew what technology was. I made it through and received an offer, and began my career at Deloitte.
I wrote a few months ago about how careers are a game of inches, and certain twists and turns that seem small in a moment can have transformational impacts on our lives and careers. In my case, this is certainly true - not having the right GPA almost kept me from starting my career at Deloitte - but having the recruiter and friends who worked at the company who encouraged me to try the Technology Analyst Program and who were willing to help me navigate the interview process put me down a path I couldn’t even see for myself.
Today, after 10+ years in management consulting + working in the tech industry and contributing and authoring research on the study of innovative technologies on business I couldn’t imagine not working related to the field of technology. Not to mention, all the friendships and relationships I’ve had in my life since then. As John Lennon once said, life is what happens when you’re making other plans.
I have been thinking about this circumstance lately, as I navigate another new inflection point moving from corporate life to becoming an entrepreneur. True to my roots, I’ve done a lot of research and reflection to determine what I want to do and goals around what I want to achieve, and I am working towards them. While the journey is young, I’ve had some things work out, and a bunch of others that haven’t. I have full resolve and belief in the end goal and intention, but it's hard to fully believe it sometimes in the day to day work, or when things don’t work out as planned.
Thinking back to that time between when I got turned down for the Strategy & Operations Analyst Program and pondered whether or not to jump into the Technology Analyst Program, I remember having a ton of self-doubt and concerns about this. I couldn't even fathom that at the time because it was so new, and not on my radar. But in my heart of hearts, I always believed in myself, and in this case, I trusted the recruiter, and BC grads who worked at Deloitte who knew me well and believed that I could succeed on a different and new path.
This state of being where, you feel confident in a direction, where you aren’t sure how things are going to play out, or when events aren even though you know where you want to go is tough. But these experiences from earlier in our lives are good reminders that we as humans are resilient, and even if we face moments when things don’t work out, we eventually work through them, or they lead us to new opportunities. Not to mention, there are lots of things that you just can’t see even with all the planning in the world, such as a career in technology consulting when you don’t even know what technology consulting is!
So what’s the lesson here?
One, intention and planning is important, but is not the end all be all. As the saying goes, planning is useful, plans are useless. You can’t always know all the steps along the way, but being intentional about what you choose to do, where you choose to go and how you choose to evolve brings focus and clarity to your path, versus being all over the place and stuck in analysis paralysis, or doing a million things without knowing what to focus on.
Second, having people who know you and see you helps. This is just another way of saying relationship building and networking matters. This is also why I keep writing and beating the drum on internal marketing in your day job. When other people hear about what you are doing or are aware of it, positive things and opportunities can come your way. Whenever I get in a moment of anxiety or fear, I really push myself to not sit in it too long by myself, or to have the solution be to build something in the corner on my own.
Nobody can help you when they don’t know you or what you are thinking. Furthermore, opportunities come your way when you are out and speaking with people, but often also come your way because someone is in a room that you are not in or in an opportunity you cannot see. (ex: the Technology Analyst Program)
Finally, being able to lean into the feedback and to stay curious just a little bit longer - instead of being disappointed or feeling too hurt by the setbacks or when things don’t go your way, acknowledging there is an insight in there that can be fuel for how you continue to evolve and work through the journey.
Getting told my GPA was too low to be considered for the first program wasn’t fit (it also is a recurring theme in my life, just ask my high school guidance counselor and every MBA Program I applied too..) but there was another career opportunity available if I would consider it. I had to do some research and thinking, and certainly talked to some friends and mentors, but I soon realized it was still allowing me to work toward my career goal so I gave it a shot.
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What I Read
Mentoring: How to Mentor Young Workers in a Remote Work (The Atlantic)
These statistics should be eye-opening for those arguing that remote work “lets down young people” because of the lack of camaraderie, mentorship, and training. The truth is, corporate America has been letting down young workers for years, but it wasn’t always this way. A 1995 study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a much higher amount of hours invested in training, with employees receiving an average of 13.4 hours of formal training in six months—which is still depressingly low.
Toxic Culture is Driving The Great Resignation (MIT Sloan Management Review)
“A toxic corporate culture is by far the strongest predictor of industry-adjusted attrition and is 10 times more important than compensation in predicting turnover. Our analysis found that the leading elements contributing to toxic cultures include failure to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; workers feeling disrespected; and unethical behavior.”
PM Your Career Like You PM Your Product (Deb Liu)
The first imperative of Product Management is understanding the problem you are trying to solve. We identify a user pain point and determine how our product is going to address it. But you'd be surprised to find that many product managers don't have the same clarity when it comes to themselves.
3 Powerful Conversations Managers Must Have to Develop Their People (First Round Review)
“Performance reviews are backwards-looking, while career conversations are forward-looking. Performance reviews ≠ career conversations.”
How to Sell Your Ideas Up The Chain of Command - HBR
“To sell your ideas up the chain of command, think about the psychology behind managers’ resistance and reframe your proposals in a way that makes you a more persuasive advocate for change.”
Have a Great Week!
Al