ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
How did your EMBA help you make this transition?
The EMBA was clearly a key success factor for me since I was
then equipped with the knowledge and wider understanding of
how other industries operate. Aside from the title of the degree
itself, it also gave me the tools to be able to show up in interviews
and get what I want. Most importantly, it allowed me to significantly
increase my level of confidence when getting out of my “comfort
zone.” Studying for an EMBA with a full-time job on the side is
a challenge that pushes you to your limits, and this experience
supported me a lot when deciding to make such a challenging
transition.
What advice would you offer alumni looking to change
industry?
Changing industry is never as easy a process as one might think.
The best way to manage such a transition is to have a plan in place
and clear milestones on what you need to achieve during the first
three months in a new business in order to gain respect and knowhow from your colleagues.
Accepting that you are going to be in a new environment
with new colleagues, and trying to capture new information in a
short period of time to become operational, is never going to be
easy. You have to be mentally and physically ready. You have to
approach the right people with something that would bring value
to their business. I usually say the rule of 85/15 is very valuable—
when you talk to someone that you find interesting, it should be
85 percent about them and 15 percent about yourself. You have
to have a 30-second elevator speech ready to drop at any time to
anybody and not be afraid to hear “no”. If you don’t hear “no” often
enough from different people then you are doing something wrong.
Learn to be an expert in one field but also remain a generalist
“The transition was difficult but it just
takes character and an understanding
that in order to be successful in a new
environment you have to focus on your
core strengths and make adjustments
to some of the cultures and behaviors
that are embedded in your current
working style.”
in order to be able to enter different industri W2