Introduction
Welcome back to the second part of my “Switching Lanes” blog series! In the previous part Switching Lanes Part 1: How I Found Fulfillment Through Lateral Career Moves, I delved into my unconventional career journey, highlighting my lateral moves across diverse domains and the valuable lessons I’ve gathered along the way. In this second part, I will share with you guys a comprehensive framework of questions that I’ve crafted to assist anyone pondering a shift in job domains. These questions serve as a compass to guide you through the process of evaluating whether a domain switch is the right choice for you and how to navigate it with confidence.
The Lateral-Move Questions Framework
When I stand at the crossroads of my career, I’ve made it a habit to navigate my thoughts by addressing a set of questions. The question framework I’ve developed consists of three core aspects, each comprising several thought-provoking questions. This framework acts as a structured guide to help you evaluate your motivations, aspirations, and the practical steps required to transition smoothly.
| Section | Questions |
| Personal Reflection | – Why am I unsatisfied in my current role?
– Am I utilizing my strengths and skills effectively? |
| Professional reflection | – What’s my ideal next job?
– What gains can I expect by switching domains? |
| Transition research | – How to leverage my existing skills for the new domain?
– Do my current and new companies share any similarities? – Can I tap into my network to learn more about my desired domain? |
The Lateral-Move Questions Framework
Navigating a career transition requires thoughtful introspection, and while answering these questions demands time and reflection, the investment is worth it. This upfront effort ensures well-informed decisions, guarding against future regrets. A logical approach is crucial, yet intuition also plays a role; trusting your instincts is a powerful compass amid uncertainty. Armed with these insights, you’ll be well-equipped to assess your desire for a domain switch. Extensive research and self-reflection provide the foundation to address these inquiries, while seeking advice from those who’ve undergone similar transitions offers an added advantage.
Job Transitions Table
Now, let’s quickly look again at my career transitions. My career journey saw four distinct roles within three different domains—Marketing, Customer Success, and IT—all within a span of five years. On the surface, this might seem like abrupt shifts, but I assure you that each transition was grounded in a blend of aspiration and expertise. To illustrate this, I’ve compiled a job transitions table, manifesting the roles I transitioned from and to, as well as the transferable skills and experiences that facilitated these shifts:
| Current role | What I desire for the next role | Next role | Transferable values |
| Community Marketing Specialist @Vaadin | – Less content writing
– Greater focus on data |
Growth Marketer @Vaadin | • Continued within the same company and department
• Gained technical expertise with diverse SaaS tools |
| Growth Marketer @Vaadin | – Desire for customer-facing roles | Key Account Client Solutions Manager @Tiktok | • Analytical mindset
• Technical proficiencies • Cross-domain collaboration and communication skills |
| Key Account Client Solutions Manager @TikTok | – Blending technical roles with customer interaction | Customer Solutions Engineer @Smartly.io | • Deep understanding of digital advertising products
• Customer-facing experience |
| Customer Solutions Engineer @Smartly.io | – In-house technical roles | Software Developer @EWQ | • Applied technical knowledge
• Cross-domain work experience |
By examining this table, you’ll discover that my career progression, which may have seemed disparate, follows a logical thread. The first row depicts my current role, while the second outlines my aspirations at the time. The third row reveals the subsequent position I pursued, and the fourth outlines the specific skills and experiences that I carried forward to enable this progression. This perspective underscores that my career path wasn’t as disconnected as it might appear.
Deep Dive: From Growth Marketer to Key Account Client Solutions Manager
In this section, allow me to take a deep dive into one of my most challenging transitions: from an in-house Growth Marketer to a Key Account Client Solutions. We will take a look at my answers for the question framework for this one particular transition. And later on, we’ll examine my transferable values.
Lateral-Move Question Framework for the Deep Dive
| Question | Tips to answer | My answer |
| Why am I unsatisfied in my current role? | Consider whether your dissatisfaction stems from the nature of the work, your colleagues, management, or even personal factors | I sensed a lack of growth prospects within the newly-formed team and an absence of clear career progression. Simultaneously, there was ambiguity around the necessary skill set. |
| Am I utilizing my strengths and skills effectively? | Reflect on how your current role aligns with your strengths and identify areas where your potential remains untapped | My adeptness in communication is a strong suit, and I’m eager to apply it more prominently in my next position. |
| What’s my ideal next job? | Envision your desired job in the future, pinpointing the aspects that resonate most with you | I envision roles involving direct customer engagement, either through problem-solving or strategic consultation. |
| What gains can I expect by switching domains? | Evaluate the skills and experience you’ll acquire in your new role, as well as the skills you’ll relinquish by leaving your current position | Transitioning promises customer-facing expertise, improved communication skills, and adeptness in managing client expectations. Meanwhile, leaving my current job would give up expertise in the Marketing domain. |
| How to leverage my existing skills for the new domain? | Catalog your current skillset, then identify which skills translate to your new domain. | My proficiency in data analytics, technical acumen, and experience working across different domains can be effectively applied. |
| Do my current and new companies share any similarities? | Explore the shared ground between your current and future employers. This could include a common domain like SaaS, Health, Finance, or Education. Also, if you spot ex-colleagues at the new company, they can provide recommendations and a familiar starting point. | For this transition, there were not many similarities between the two companies. The only domain that was similar was Marketing (Growth Marketing vs. Digital Marketing). |
| Can I tap into my network to learn more about my desired domain? | Tap into your network, which includes friends, current and former colleagues, and LinkedIn connections | I engaged with the Customer Success team in my present organization, and I sought insights from friends already thriving in customer-facing roles across diverse corporations and agencies. |
Transferable values
The transferable values are the cornerstones that both you and your prospective employer will use to gauge your readiness for the new domain. A significant hurdle in this transition was my limited customer-facing experience. Nonetheless, here’s how I tackled each of the requirements needed for the new role:
- Data Analytics: With a data-driven mindset, I could analyze customer advertising strategies effectively, which aligned with the role’s requirement for data scrutiny.
- Technical Proficiency: Leveraging my proficiency in utilizing various SaaS tools, I demonstrated my ability to extract and interpret critical data.
- Customer Interaction: My experience collaborating with cross-functional teams—Marketing, Sales, and Product—highlighted my communication skills and adaptability.
This example underscores how seemingly disparate skills can align with the demands of a new domain. I quote the term ‘values’ because they’re not limited to personal abilities alone. They can also include things like similarities between the domains of the two jobs, the two companies or valuable connections. A good strategy when transitioning to a new domain is to explore companies that share similarities with your current one.
Conclusion
Ultimately, before embarking on any job domain switch, you must engage in thorough research and reflection. In this blog post, I’ve endeavored to distill my experiences into a practical framework, empowering you to assess your career trajectory and confidently chart a new course. Always keep in mind that a well-informed transition not only opens doors to fresh opportunities but also fuels your personal growth. So, here’s to navigating your career’s next chapter with purpose and enthusiasm!
Stay tuned for more blogs from me in the future. Until then, happy lane-switching!
Let’s connect with each other on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/binh/
Author’s bio
Binh Bui is a software developer and a speaker with a diverse career history. Over the span of five years, he has navigated various roles in different domains, gathering a wealth of experience and insights. He shows interest in career talks, startups, and personal development. You can find Binh bouldering or reading in his free time.