​ ​http://fortune.com/2017/03/22/how-to-make-a-career-change/
The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most
thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers
to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the
question, “How do you leverage a non-traditional background in a new role?” is
written by Hari Ravichandran, CEO and founder of Endurance.
Oftentimes in the business world, people become narrowly categorized based on
their past jobs or titles: accountant, lawyer, programmer. They have one skill set
or career path that they’ve honed or developed for years and now find that getting
out of that self-imposed box is much harder than it looks.
But in my experience, I’ve found that what’s more important than having a
specific skill set is having a core set of values that drives a person forward.
What do I mean by core values? I look for people who have the following
attributes:
• Collaborative
• Creative
• Tenacious
• Curious
• Fearless
If you look for those who are intrinsically driven by these values, you’ll find that
they’ll be the ones who can help you and your business think outside the box.
They are the people who can look at the problem and not immediately reference a
playbook for the solution. They attack obstacles from all angles and don’t expect
to achieve results by doing the same thing over and over just because it worked
well in one situation. The root of innovation is being able to look at problems
from all dimensions, and solve them creatively.
For those who are trying to break into a new role but do not have the typical
background for that function, my advice is to show how your previous experience
is an asset to the role you wish to assume. You may not know the ins and outs of
the new department, but if you show that you can adapt well to change and are
eager to learn, you could be the innovator the role requires. Be proactive and
show initiative by exploring professional development opportunities that will
prepare you for this career change. By doing so, you will demonstrate those core
values and prove that everyone has a unique perspective that they can bring to a
business.
Take, for example, my educational background. I studied computer engineering.
And guess what? My job is no longer in engineering! While my education did not
necessarily correspond with my career trajectory, it did not limit my success as an
entrepreneur in the tech industry either. I used what I learned as an engineer to
solve problems. I made the best use of my knowledge and took it upon myself to
continue to learn and challenge myself.
Speaking of challenges, nothing fully prepares you to start your own company. As
the Founder of Endurance, one of the most challenging aspects of growing the
business has been evolving our culture. Since we started small, we still have the
startup mentality, but now we have more than 4,000 employees globally and our
goal is to still foster a sense of cohesion where we welcome tenacity and candor
from each team member.
This type of culture breeds unity and the belief that the company thrives when we
all work together. Work towards eliminating silos and building a team that
embodies one mission and one purpose. All businesses look for employees that
are creative problem solvers, open communicators and innovators. An
organization’s success is dependent on each team member, their commitment to
the role and the company’s mission.
If companies work on building an environment where stepping outside your lane
is encouraged, you might be surprised to find that this shared sense of value from
employees will help you build a long-term sustainable business and positively
impact your company culture.