I also distracted myself with long distance triathlon and although I trained 3-4h every day, I put on weight. Had sleepless nights, always felt stressed and woke up tired.

I’ve briefly shared my story already in one of my previous episodes because it was the catalyst for my career pivot – not because I initiated it but because I didn’t have a choice.

Honestly- I never anticipated not to work as marketer in the FMCG industry.

It wasn’t until I was put on a performance plan which was a big wake up call because I realise that a) my skill set has become outdated (I didn’t upskill in digital and social media marketing as it was never part of my roles but at the same time, there were less and less of the strategic product development roles available), I didn’t have a network I could tap into and get support from (because all of my contacts were only within the same or similar industry and back then, I was too ashamed to tell anyone what happened).

I just felt as this massive failure who’s wasted 10 years of my life, pursuing the wrong career, studying the wrong field; having the wrong type of experience. I didn’t even tell my parents as in the same – not just year but actual month when that happened, also my marriage went south and we decided to get divorced.

Talk about stressful time … my entire world just crumbled and 2 of the most stressful situations happened at exactly the same time.

Now as you can imagine, getting divorced also puts pressure on financials because I decided to move out and last time I checked, you can’t pay a mortgage without having an income.

Well- I can tell you, it certainly did put a little pressure under my button. So I started applying for every job under the sun, first marketing roles and then everything because I got desperate.

At this stage, I realised for the first time, that staying in marketing wasn’t really an option for me anymore as most of the roles required hands on social media and digital marketing skills which I never actually gained. It was never part of my roles and I didn’t think it was important enough to add that to my tool kit as my strength was always more product and brand development.

Also how the industry works is quite different here in Australia compared to Austria- I was used to do end to end marketing, meaning conducting the research, writing the briefs for the creatives, developing the actual products with chefs, coming up with campaigns, doing analytics, managing the budget – so doing everything but nothing specialised.

Most of the experienced I gained in Australia was that Brand & Product marketing is often different to campaign marketing. And since most of the strategic brand & product management roles are with HO which are more in Sydney or Melbourne, there really weren’t that many options for me.

So I started to reconnect with recruiters (because I also got the first 2 jobs through recruiters – shout out to Jon Hottot who literally started my career on Australia after I applied for 367 roles – all unsuccessful).

I still remember the day when one of the recruiters asked me the game changing question: Would you consider becoming a recruiter? We have a marketing desk vacant and I think you’d be a great fit.

Of course I did what all sensible people in a stressful and pressing situation would do: I immediately said no 🙈😂.

I never considered another industry or profession outside my little FMCG bubble.

I didn’t even know what exactly a recruiter does.

And I certainly didn’t want to start from scratch again given I already had 10 years of working experience and with that, also a higher than entry-level salary.

Luckily my left brain kicked in and we got to work:

I started researching the industry, stalked recruiters on Linkedin, started conversations with them and got intel to their day.

A friend connected me with one of his friends who happened to be in recruitment, and she gave me the download – the good, but mainly the bad and the very ugly.

Not sure if it was my anxiety and lack of options or the excitement of getting out of the toxic environment that I was in but it still didn’t rattle with my interest.

So I set my mind towards becoming a recruiter, called the lady who asked me the questions and said -yes- ready to roll’. Unlucky for me was that she said how sorry she was but speaking with her manager, they didn’t think I had the right background. I had no sales experience and they also didn’t think they could teach me.

Well, that was my next wake up call.

If you know me only a little, you’d know that in the second I put my mind towards something, I want to have it done by yesterday so I started hustling and contacted every agency in Brisbane.

And they all got back to me either straight away or – after 5-6 rounds of interviews which is normal for the industry- with exactly the same answer:

No sales experience and no faith either that they could teach me. I guess it’s due to the industry being such a high turn over industry that they were just afraid of me not sticking and/or working out.

At this stage, I became slightly more anxious as my time was ticking and it was just a matter of days for me to get kicked out for good.

Thanks to my friend who gave me all the bad intel about the industry, I got one more interview. After 3 interviews, I made it to the final round to chat with the MD. I was in Noosa at the time to celebrate my 30thbirthday with my cousin and his family who visited from Australia. They asked me if I could come in short notice the next day at 8am for a final check.

You bet I drove first thing back to Brisbane, had the interview and drive back to Noosa. It was at that same afternoon that I got the call back already and had the job offer.

And yes- you can also bet that I had one or many champagnes 🤣

And the rest is history.

I progressed quickly- stepped up from literally starting a desk which means I didn’t have a candidate nor a client to one of the highest billers in the company, then built my own team, got head hunted, did the same again for another agency and finally was a partner with another recruiter running my own business with him.

After about 1 year I realised that I didn’t ant to do the traditional way of recruitment anymore as I saw it not being sustainable.

The practise of it hasn’t changed since its introduction in the … who knows when. You get 15-20% commission on an annual salary but that was based on the person staying in the role forever.

I already saw the tendency for candidates leaving within 2-3 years of starting so I already considered it as a bit of a rip off. I know – I will cop some sh% from recruiters now who still do it the traditional way. I don’t have anything against the practise, but I just wanted to do things differently and got interested in the future of work.

I started reading up on trends and changes and working with my candidates, I often created roles for them they didn’t even consider. Simply because they have always been in their bubble and couldn’t think outside their box. That was exactly me when I just ran up the hill as quickly as I could to then realise I ran up the wrong one.

The only reason why I could help them change careers and/or create new opportunities for them was that I asked a lot of questions and got to know them very well.

I can’t tell you how much excitement and chills I got when I got a call from one of my candidates who told me I changed their lives because they actually enjoyed their role for the first time, progressed quicker than before and didn’t feel in the ‘wrong place’. A feeling that I knew too well (and also the impact this has on your personal life).

Now I have to be honest- it wasn’t until a few years down the track that I took a step back and asked myself what it was that I was doing to transition from one field to another, to create different opportunities and to all of a sudden, end up at a higher level. And I also only did that because this was a question that I got asked over and over- and probably is still one of the most commonly asked questions I get now:

How do you make the change, how do you pivot 180 – where do I even start?

When I analysed what I was doing, I saw that there was a pattern that I applied for all my candidates as well as myself to make not only transitions possible but actually fast tracked their progress.

So what exactly does it take?

1.) You need to make the commitment to change.

a. Urgency is your friend … I probably would still be in the same field and level that I was 6 years ago because it was comfortable and known. If I wasn’t pushed off the cliff (I know … that sounds a bit dramatic, doesn’t it?), I would still tinker along and wonder what else I could do as even back then, even though I ‘had it all’, I did feel that there was more to me.

So in your case, it hopefully isn’t as bad a situation than what I had and you’re voluntarily transition.

Either way – the future of work certainly requires us to be more fluid and flexible and create our own opportunities.

So think about the urgency it takes for you to make the commitment because otherwise, every single bump – and trust me – there are plenty coming your way – will either slow you down, discourage you or completely through you off the bus.

What is the cost of not acting?

What are you willing to explore?

What are you willing to give up or put in?

2.) Do a self-audit on a couple of things:

a. Your values:

i. What’s important to you?

ii. What are non-negotiables?

iii. What are must have’s for you?

b. Get clear on your transferable skills

You can’t get what you can’t asked for and if you want to have not only a J.O.B. but a career, then you need to enjoy doing what you do. We get endorphins when we enjoy the challenge but also have the necessary tools and resources to handle it.

So take a list and write down every skill you have gained over the years, not just in your roles but also outside of work.

From parenting to any volunteer roles to side projects and qualifications – anything. Then rate them and identify the ones you really enjoy doing.

c. And finally: Get clear on results you’ve been able to achieve and why

Let’s face it- just enjoying what you do is not enough if there isn’t a demand for it and/or solves a problem. To make this exercise easier, think of the STAR method:

· Situation

· Task

· Action

· Result

You’ll see – there is a common thread of the projects you enjoyed working on and the results you’ve achieved.

It could be anything from thriving in fast paced and always changing environments to breaking down the complex and simplify it for others to bringing structure into chaos to lighten up the energy, mood and moral when you come to the office.

All those are indicators for your value that you can create, over and over.

After you know what you can bring to the table and have supporting evidence, then it’s time to look outside the bubble and see where and how you can put them into action.

This leads us into step 3:

3.) Do your homework and start researching

a. The only way to clarify if the profession or industry is the right one for you is by experimenting it. This is also what most people aren’t willing to do – giving it a go in one or another way. Ideally you just dip your toes in the water by volunteering, starting a little side project to gain some hands on experience and exposure, putting your hand up for projects inside the organisation but outside your traditional work environment.

b. Also do some stalking, aka finding out more about the industry from reports, researching companies in the field, writing down a list of ideal companies, find out who’s working there, conduct some informal interviews, attend MeetUps, conferences and events.

Because if you want to fast track your success, you need to be good at what you do first and put in the deliberate practise to get there. That means you want to learn as much as you possibly can about it. It’s a great litmus test to find out if that’s a topic or area you’d be happy to talk about, listen to and learn about 24/7.

And I’m also talking learning outside your working hours.

You need to be pro-active, enrol in courses, invest yourself into coaches, memberships etc, listen to podcasts, watch how to Youtube videos … I’m probably preaching to the convicted here as you’re already listening to this show but even that isn’t enough – knowledge without implementation is wasted.

So let’s talk about the next step:

4.) Put theory into practise and implement what you know

a. This is where the rubber hits the road and I can tell you- 9 out of 10 people don’t do it. Starting something is never easy. Not because people aren’t excited about a fresh start but because they’re often too scared of failing and others see it.

Here’s the thing- you’ll only fail if you either don’t even try (because then you’ve missed an opportunity to get experience) or stop because it didn’t work out (because you’ve missed an opportunity to learn from it and change the approach for the next time).

b. When I talk implementing, I mean identifying how you can make your plan a reality.

i. How can you get into an industry?

ii. How can you gain those skills you need to be successful in that progression?

iii. How can you build a network that will help you get closer to your goal?

c. It comes down to 3 things:

i. Get your mindset right. I know – it’s the fluffy thing no one wants to hear but if you’re afraid of rejection and failure, you’re not going to act or if you do act and don’t get immediate results, you’ll quit. Don’t be this person – start with visualising:

1. What needs to be true to make it happen?

2. What are those who’re already where you want to be do? And what is a potential gap to your (in)action?

3. How it will feel when you’ve achieved your goal?

4. What will you do when you’re where you want to be?

5. How do you act and interact and with whom?

All those little steps already keep you focusing on the path ahead and act as a Northstar. And don’t worry if direction changes in your journey – that’s normal as you also gain new experiences and connections and with that, more insights and also opportunities you haven’t even considered before

ii. Update your LinkedIn profile and online presence.

Fact is, these days, if you’re not online and can’t be found in searches or your online profile gives away a completely different image to what you actually want to be perceived, then don’t be surprised if you stay where you are now.

I won’t go into more detail on how you can do it as I already did a couple of episodes on that. Listen back to epi 10 to learn what it takes to optimise your LinkedIn profile or if you want to step it up and go all in, enrol in the LinkedIn Academy which you can find over at www.impaccct.com/linkedinacademy

iii. Start networking – either by tapping into existing groups or by building your own community

I know you’re sick of me saying it but I’ll say it anyway – your network = your network but your diverse network = your next career opportunity.

That was one of the biggest mistakes I made – that I only had a network within my own niche industry and profession. Don’t repeat my mistake and start literally today to branch out.

Check out MeetUp groups that are aligned to your ideal future direction; join memberships that cover topics you’re interested in, get active in industry associations, invest in masterminds or courses where you can learn from and with each other as collective.

And of course- you always have the opportunity to start and build you own community through hosting events, having your own podcast or Youtube channel, collaborate with others, invest in building your Brand on a social media platform … the choice is yours

Just do something to get started

And build the plane as you go.

Because if there is one thing we both know for sure- if you don’t do anything, you’ll be exactly where you’re now in 12 months; maybe even in a worse situation as things have changed and you have to react rather respond.

There is nothing more stressful than having to act out of fear so make the commitment to choose based on your power and set the ton yourself.

Here’s the thing.

Most people won’t do the work.

They stay where it’s comfortable also when they don’t like it as they are either afraid of the unknown or simply don’t believe that you can actually love what you do and step up from just making an income to actually making an impact

Some will never change their situation

But YOU could.

And, you could have ME as a cheerleader and coach to help you fast track your progression.

If you want to step up and do it faster.

If you want to step out and accelerate your success in a new field.

If you want to step into a new area but aren’t sure yet where to go.

You can avoid the mistakes.

The guess work.

The grind, doing the same thing over and over and focusing on the wrong things.

Can I promise you an immediate dream career?

Probably not.

But what I CAN promise you is that if you don’t start now, you’ll kick yourself in your own little biscuits as time will pass regardless of you doing things differently.

Building my Personal Brand and knowing what I can bring to the table how I communicate my value, online and offline so that I can create my own commercial opportunities has been the game changer for me.

It isn’t something we get taught at school but it’s a skill set that can be learnt and also requires a step-by-step process that need that marries clarification, communication and capitalisation of your unique abilities so you can do it; over and over again.

No matter what the economy does.

No matter what your company decides to do.

Creating your ecosystem with the support of someone who’s been there, understands the hurdles you’ll come up against, has and still is walking the walk when it comes to reinventing and pushing the boundaries – it’s priceless.

The Agile Career Course is the exact framework that I have refined over the years and now especially over the last few months since the market has changed and the future of work trends have been fast tracked.

It’s the most practical and tactical step by step method I wish I’d had when I was just trying to make it all work, no idea where I should even start.

If you want to make 2021 the year you finally take control over your career and build your personal brand that makes an impact, I’d love to see your application to join us in Agile career Course. We kick off in January!

Exactly how I transitioned my career 180° (& fast tracked my progression each time)

How do you make the change, how do you pivot 180 – where do I even start?

1.) You need to make the commitment to change.

2.) Do a self-audit on a couple of things:

3.) Do your homework and start researching

4.) Put theory into practise and implement what you know

How to market & sell your point of difference (without being sleazy)

What to do when you hit a career plateau (and want to level up quickly)