I hit 10 years (!!) with my company, Salesforce, later this month. One whole decade with one company. It’s something that is more atypical these days; only 24% of women had 10 or more years of tenure with their current employer as of January 2024. That’s because changing companies tends to result in more growth professionally and financially. Who knows, maybe I would have a higher title and higher compensation had I bounced around more the last 10 years.
But Salesforce has given me so much more – incredible benefits, a flexible schedule, the ability to work from anywhere (at least until last month), and most importantly, the opportunity to own my career and be fully supported in the changes I’ve pursued. Read on for ways I was able to reinvent my career over the last 10 years.
I Changed Industries
I started my career in advertising but after three years, I hoped to expand my expertise and be at the forefront of change in tech. My move to Salesforce helped me break into a new industry and kept me aligned with my passion and experience for advertising as I was hired to help customers adopt our advertising technology solutions.
- Learning: Curiosity is your compass – let it steer you to what’s next when you are seeking more growth. When switching industries, identify your transferable skills that are valued in your target industry and role and back up those skills and experience with stories of impact.
I Changed Orgs
After working in Professional Services for six years, I was ready for a change. I wanted to take on a strategy position where I could elevate my presence with executives, particularly in the C-Suite. To do that meant walking away from hands-on consulting work and toward Customer Success, where I’d have more of the leadership opportunities I sought after. When I found out a previous manager of mine was building her own team of Success Managers, I capitalized on the relationship I had cultivated with her and interviewed for the role.
- Learning: Don’t stay stagnant and always have your eyes and ears open to know when new roles open (internally or externally). Make it a point to continually nurture professional relationships with those you work/partner with and build new connections with those you admire or who have careers you’re curious about. Do this even if you’re not openly looking for a job because you never know when someone you know can open a new door for you.
`I Changed Product Specialities
Advertising technology is very niche at Salesforce. I realized that while being a specialist has its advantages, it also meant more risk. When I found out the team I was on was dissolving and being moved to a different part of the organization, I looked ahead to how my responsibilities would change on the new team and decided it wasn’t for me. I decided to skill up and branch out to become an expert on our marketing technology offerings instead. I sought out a new role as a Marketing Cloud Success Manager, which I obtained through outreach to a previous teammate who notified me of the role opening.
- Learning: Changes can happen out of your control but you can choose how you respond to those changes. If you’re put into a situation that doesn’t align with your career goals and values, take control and make a change of your own. You are in the driver’s seat!
I Changed Careers
As I launched Lipstick & Ink and began doing what I was most passionate about (helping women in their careers), I simultaneously got burnt out in my customer-facing role at work. It signaled to me that I needed to make another change, one that moved me away from customer work and toward employee-focused work. I wanted to get into an HR type role, but hoped to stay at Salesforce. I started with documenting and voicing my aspirations to my manager and leadership, identifying where I needed to elevate my experience and appeal to HR teams while documenting my goals to hold me accountable. I took on new responsibilities and leadership positions within Salesforce that showcased and harnessed the skills I had gained in my business. It took over a year but I eventually found and landed an HR function role leading employee programs in our Customer Success group.
- Learning: Stay in tune with how your job makes you feel. If you’re miserable, stagnated, overwhelmed, bored, or burnt out, document your go-forward goals, action on them, and determine your next steps:
- Understand the work that fuels you and gives you fulfillment.
- Uncover where you have gaps in your expertise and find ways to grow and add to your resume. Work to get visible and showcase your value and expertise so people know who you are and what you offer.
- When making an internal move at your company, continually communicate your career goals to others and ways you want to grow. Take the initiative but also allow people like your manager, mentors, or sponsors to offer feedback and suggestions and ways they can help.
- Utilize your relationships to your advantage! Ask for coffee chats and catch up with previous people you’ve connected with or initiate conversations with new folks in target roles or companies you’re interested in.
I Changed My Views on Career Growth
Gone are the days where I’m actively trying to climb the corporate ladder in search of an elevated title. I was told last year by leadership that my current role is likely “not promotable” and that I’d need to change roles to ensure I get promoted. It’s frustrating and not ideal, but becoming a parent changed my whole perspective on how I approach my career moving forward. I’d rather work a job that makes me happy, that I’m fulfilled by, and that offers me the flexibility I need to be a present parent than be miserable doing something that does the complete opposite just to get a higher title and bump in pay. My values have changed and those two things are now at the bottom of my priority list, especially when I’m still growing in other ways in my role and the company gives me more than just that.
- Learning: Ask yourself what career growth means to you. Know your career priorities and non-negotiables and make necessary changes to ensure your job and company aligns with those.
Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based career alignment coach, speaker, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. With over 15 years of professional experience in marketing and tech, including over a decade at Salesforce, Kelly provides an impactful and relatable insider view for clients. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, and General Assembly. She’s fueled by black coffee, sunshine, a good ink pen, and a bold lip.
