Q: How do you transition into tech when you’ve had a long gap in US employment or have been out of the country for a while?

A: Use what you did during that time to your advantage by incorporating it into your story and your differentiated value proposition.

Our featured Empjoyee, Adele Sanchez did just that as she shares in today’s conversation. This is not intended to be an over-glorification of the gap period, as Adele took steps to make an impact during that time.

Instead, we encourage you to explore how Adele positioned her experience abroad and leveraged it to to her advantage when she returned to the US. And now, you’ll have the opportunity to shape your experiences in a way that works to your advantage too.

Enjoy!

Re-organizations (more commonly called “re-orgs”) are a common occurrence in tech companies as they grow and adapt to accomplish better meet product and market fit. These reorgs may result in a shift in team structure, priorities, and often the day to day roles.

Knowing how to navigate the ambiguity and ultimately continue to make the most of your time at a company for both you and your employer is an important skill to strengthen in the tech world.

Angela walks us through her journey in tech which more or less starts with a re-org (see Empjoyment glossary) and the steps that she’s taken since to progress in her career and add value. So much value in fact, that she has been able to work remotely between two cities throughout her career.

Let’s face it: making a career change when you’ve invested a lot just to get to where you are currently can feel really scary.

To take things further, transitioning into a brand new industry can make the fear of the unknown (and whether you’re making a good choice) even more overwhelming.

We get it, we’ve been there, and we’ve got Leslie Lai’s story to help you navigate that path to a place of personal fulfillment.

Leslie holds nothing back as she shares the resistance she faced while transitioning out of a career in law to tech.

As a career changer, there is a natural level of risk associated with an employer taking you on for a role. In fact, the fear of making a mistake with a “risky” higher can be a common roadblock to getting into a new field.

Great – now that that’s out in the open you can use this to your advantage. Why? Because you can make sure you’re taking steps to proactively mitigate that risk for an employer.

James Kaikis shares several examples of how to set, manage, and exceed expectations for both employers and clients through his incredible career journey. You’ll want to listen to this several times to capture all of the actionable lessons he provides!

One thing that holds a lot of us back from making the career change we know that we’re meant to make is the nagging feeling that we don’t know enough about the job/ product/ company industry/ [insert limiting belief here] to truly excel in a new career in tech.

We’re imperfect people, which lead to imperfect decisions. So the question may not be “how do I avoid making mistakes” but “what do I do to move forward when things don’t go as plan”. In the fast-paced environment of tech, that frame of mind will carry you far.

Mila Singh, our featured Empjoyee today shares her journey of leveraging 3 different career changes to land her first job in tech, her approach to overcoming a difficult setback in her first month on the job, and a simple, yet powerful tool to bridge every knowledge gap you come across at work.

You got this! Deniz Cebenoyan, our featured Empjoyee, reminds us that you already know what you need to know to be able to be widely successful in tech. It’s not about the specific skill sets that you possess, but rather how you approach problems, adversity, ambiguity, and more that plays a key a role in your ability to add value in a tech company.

Deniz sheds some light on the Imposter Syndrome and how she has transformed her view on her non-technical background from that of a hindrance to a form of strength and differentiation in the workplace. Deniz’ own career journey has taken her from research to product management and she still leverages that background daily.

Through that journey, she’s developed a confidence and a mindset that will help you embrace the postive power of being non-technical in a tech company. Enjoy!