It is great throughout your career to try new roles and challenge yourself. While companies generally look for people who have done the role before, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.
Think about how many “news” you have
“Careers are a game and the best execs play that game incredibly well” Nolan Church
But be careful when you evaluate your next role not to have too many “new” aspects to the role. The more “news” you have the more risks to your success in the role. Here are just a few of the variables to consider
New Boss
New Role
New Scope
New Company
New Geography
New Industry
There are a few reasons why you want to minimize the number of “news” in a role:
Companies prioritize people who have ‘done it before’
You want to minimize the chances of failure
Too many jumps make it harder to explain your career path
“In basketball, when you pivot, you always keep one foot in place. In business if you change everything you are exponentially increasing your risk.” paraphrasing Mike Maples, Floodgate
A better strategy for changing roles
We’ve observed a lot of success with people getting into a good company in a role they have experience with, rocking the role and then expanding their scope / trying a new role within the company.
Making the role transition within a company you are already working at increases your chance of success because you have:
Existing relationships
Experience with the product and industry
Experience with the sales process
How to approach industry change
“The smart ones watch the industry in their spare time…. How should I look at the space because I think I want to participate in it…. The smart people have a view on the kinds of things they are open to and why.” Andy Price, Artisanal Talent (see this great podcast)
Spaces evolve. Good spaces can mature and new ones emerge. AI for example will completely upend many software businesses. You should always be thinking about what spaces are emerging and have theses on trends that excite you (and example companies). Some ways to capitalize on this in your career include:
Writing: Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and in longer articles. It can open up new dialogs for you.
Podcasting: Start listening to podcasts around these topics and even go on a few yourself
Networking: Share your thesis with others as you network which also helps you refine them
Recruiters: Share where you are focused and the opportunities you want to see
“Don’t take a …. call with a recruiter unless you have a point of view first.” Kelli Dragovich