7 things you need to know about making a career pivot
**Bio: Chris Meador has 15+ years of experience in the tech, media, and the entertainment space at companies like Facebook and Microsoft and is currently the Executive Director of Talent Strategy at tech-enabled start-up, Hunt Club.**
Back in May 2021, I was asked by the Israeli Border Policy my profession and I froze… You don’t freeze at the Israeli border (iykyk). After being asked a 2nd time, I started sweating. On the third try, I lied with my answer of “Marketer” and then braced myself to make some memories in a holding room (it was only a private corner of the airport, so win).
Why did I freeze? I was no longer a marketer as I had been working as a recruiter for close to 7 months, and I was proving to be pretty good at it. I had closed roles, built relationships, and was settling in this new work. Yet a simple question left me awkward and uneasy.
Background: in September of 2021, I made a career pivot from tech marketing (Facebook, Microsoft, Wistia) into executive recruiting at an early stage, tech-enable start-up called Hunt Club. Why? Well that’s another [longer] story, but the Cliff’s notes of it are; I was burnt out. Burnt out from feeling like I had something to prove, fighting for why brand marketing matters, tired after pivoting and leading teams through 2 years of uncertainty while, personally, moving my family 3 times, becoming an in-home teacher’s aide, and, you know, surviving a pandemic. I needed to change my aperture. Here is what I knew: I wanted to try something new, where I was using my strengths, the business challenges felt meaningful and I could meet wickedly interesting and good people. These were my North Stars.
Now back to the story at hand – Why did I freeze? The simple reason could have been I hadn’t had practice talking to strangers, and so the words were new to say out loud. But that was too easy an exit, and what I was learning in this pivot was never to assume, but to sit and ask the hard questions of myself.
The truth was, I was embarrassed, not by being a recruiter, but by saying out loud what I did. I felt like I was also saying I “failed” at marketing. While I know that’s not true, that was the truth I created and also needed to face head on.
So, here I am 18 months into my pivot (and 10 months since almost getting arrested in Israel) and I can proudly yell, I am a recruiter… and I’m pretty good at it! The self-doubt was hard but, I think, it’s part of the pivot journey – maybe even what is necessary to fully embrace the new.
But here’s the thing: pivots ain’t for everyone, truthfully I wasn’t ready, I was just forced to act. But I’m glad I did. I’m even a heck of a lot happier. So, here’s my best unsolicited advice if you find yourself in need of a pivot:
Pivots are not comfortable. A pivot is like going through puberty with a mortgage payment -> a whole lot of feelings but even more bills to pay. It’s okay to feel, but also you have to get the job done.
Talk to other people who have pivoted. Talk to those who succeeded and failed* (*FYI, I think the only failure in pivoting is not having feel like you learned, if you got paid, met folks, know what does/doesn’t work, it’s a win)
Define what you are “pivoting.” At one point in my career, my pivot was industry -> media to tech. Now, it’s pivoting my soft skills (influence, strategy, sales, emotional intelligence) to a new role. With that, I know what is new and I know what my strengths are, and what I am bringing to the table.
“Yes and….” It took me months to figure out my job, and I did it by saying yes to the work and then asking some hard questions. While counter intuitive to how I used to work, it’s helped me gain credibility to say, “I did the work, here’s what I learned.”
Check your ego at the zoom. Something about the pivot won’t fit -> comp, title, equity, team size, report structure. And that’s ok. Just try it on for a while as you figure out what you need.
It’s not forever. At the moment of decision, when I was about to back out of recruiting, I was given this sage advice, “head of marketing will always be available to you, will this?” And, the advice was right, I can always go back to marketing.
Make yourself open to change -> I intentionally made space to put my voice first in my head and be open to the dialogue. Soon after, I got a call from a recruiter, who over the course of a conversation, said I’d rather recruit you to join our company. I laughed, I rolled my eyes, and then I acted on the voice that said, “go see how this one plays out.”
Lastly, I don’t exactly know what I’m doing, but I'm enjoying the ride, and looking forward to passing Israeli border security next time without any issues.