Career Reflections: - Pauriccarroll/reflections GitHub Wiki

Why did you choose to pursue a new career?

Last time I decided to move was because I wanted to scale my impact and move beyond 1:1 client interactions. I also wanted to move closer to the product side in Google with an eye on gaining people management experience.

Currently frustrated with the lack of impact I am making in my job. Also frustrated by the lack of meaning I am deriving from my role. When I look back on my work, will I be proud of who I am

Updated: Alot of the frustration I feel is in my own control. There is a need to be more proactive in terms of how I approach my job but also my life.

What questions do you currently have about the tech industry?

What is the salary I can command in this market.
What does good look like in this field?
Is there a way to push myself on even further.

What skills do you want to improve or develop?

Influence without authority. Deeper product management skills and data analytics skills in general. I would like to gain more technical skills but also behavioural skills. I would like to have the ability to come into an organisation and make significant changes.

What are 2-3 personal values that matter to you above all? For example, a common one is "to help people."

Personal Growth and Improvement.
Respect and being recognised.
Helping others and helping teams to grow.

What are your top preferences for a compatible work environment (geographic location, company size, employment type, etc)? The list can be as long as you'd like!

Location: Dublin, London, New York or Paris. Company Size: 1000-5000 Max Employment Type: Full Time

Also would like that the company allowed time to develop outside of work.

Mission statement: Lifting others by being the best version of myself.

Resources

https://career-resource-center.udacity.com/job-boards

When researching for a new job you should carry out the research in the following manner:

Primary products,
History of the organisation,
Company mission, leadership,
Why you want to work there,

Get to know a company

Down the road, the information you've compiled in the previous exercise will be important for any cover letters you send or interviews you attend. For now, you should be able to get a good idea of how some companies in your intended industry perceive themselves. If anything seems too good to be true or draws your curiosity, make note of them. You can dig in a little bit on sites like Glassdoor, which allows employees and interviewees to post information about their experiences anonymously.

Get to Know a Company's Product

You've taken a quick snapshot of three companies. If one or more of them interest you further, your next step is to better understand their products.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to have an understanding of a company’s product when you decide to apply for a job. If the product is free to acquire (for example, an app that you can download and test out), use it for a few days and take notes on what your user experience is like. If you cannot pay for the product, or the product is inaccessible to you, search for reviews online and see what people who have used it have written. Here are a couple of things to watch out for that will help you understand the product’s role in the current market:

How many users does it currently have? Where does it rank against its competitors? Have any major publications (The New York Times, Bloomberg Business, Wired, etc.) covered the product or company’s growth and development? Are there any major glitches, bugs, or other technical flaws that have been reported and have gone unresolved? In your opinion, what are the best attributes of the product? What are things to be fixed or improved? By learning the most up-to-date information on a company's product, you will be able to speak more eloquently in an interview or to a company contact, showcasing your in-depth knowledge of the company.

Informat Interviews

What is an informational interview?

After performing your own career and industry research, the natural progression of building upon this knowledge is talking to people, in order to learn from them. Usually, an informational interview is a one-on-one informal meeting, phone call or video conference where you lead a conversation with someone who is currently working in a role, company, or industry you are interested in.

Why is it useful?

Being able to speak with those already working in the industry will allow you to confirm or refute the information you've collected on your own. It is an opportunity for you to learn about company culture, responsibilities of a role from an internal perspective, industry prospects, or even open positions at the company. Informational interviews are also a great way to make new professional connections and expand your network, whether you’re currently active on the job market or not.

In this lesson, we will cover the following topics:

How to find people for an informational interview How to reach out to someone What to ask in an informational interview What to do after the informational interview to keep the conversation going