This week, I officially announced the next step in my professional growth: after nearly four great years where I’ve seen my career take off dramatically at IHS, I will be heading to the energy practice of management consulting firm Alvarez and Marsal.
In the year and a half I have been doing this column, I have dispensed A LOT of career advice both in my weekly pieces as well as personal emails with readers, so securing this newest opportunity was enlightening: I was on the “other” side!
Indeed, going through the process I knew that this was going to be a good test and (hopefully) validation of all the things I have shared with you, and I am happy to report that…
I am not full of it.
For all of you out there wondering about your next step and how to take it, here is what I took away from this transition:
You have to embrace change
Since graduating from university in 2006, I have worked for several companies and gone back to school twice. My roles and experiences have been very diverse, and it follows that the one constant in my career has paradoxically been “change”.
Each change was necessary and prepared me for the next chapter in my career: enabling me to make the transition into oil and gas, assuming positions of leadership in a technical capacity, building my reputation in the industry, acquiring some rock-solid credentials and very soon combining all of that knowledge to deliver results directly to a variety of clients.
From a mobility standpoint, I feel that these changes were necessary to move up the industry ladder. In an ideal world, the more you demonstrate competence, the higher up you go. Unfortunately there are so many other factors that play a role: did you land the “right” project that happened to catch the attention of the CEO, was the economy doing well or poorly when you started managing a business unit, etc
You can’t control those things, but you certainly CAN control how you react and adapt to them.
I am doubtful that I would have reached my goal of being a CEO had I stayed at my first firm, and I know that I wouldn’t have as much of a reputation as I do now outside that company.
I have adapted a few more times since then, and here I am, not a CEO yet but still climbing and earning a modest yet global following with my writing.
All because I accepted long ago that to grow and to succeed means to accept change.
Just because I accept it doesn’t make it easy: I’ve gotten butterflies in my stomach before each “first day”!
If your own trepidation leaves you hesitant to make a change (and that could mean a new role rather than a new employer, or perhaps going back to school full or part-time) think about it this way: everything you’re good at now required struggle and probably entailed a case of the butterflies, but you got through it and emerged a better/more skilled person.
Learning new skills and taking on new opportunities means opening doors…but you have to take that leap. If you want to go farther than where you are now, accept that the only way to do that is seeking out and embracing change.
Networking and participating in industry events are critical
If there is one theme that comes up all the time in my writing, it’s networking: you can be the smartest person around, but doors only open when you know the right people.
My experience hiring onto Alvarez and Marsal demonstrates just how important putting yourself out there is.
A few years back, about 5 months after I had started with IHS, I went to a shale oil conference; in the afternoon session two gentlemen from Alvarez and Marsal were giving a talk, and one was introduced as having an MBA degree from UT.
I thought to myself “maybe he went through the same program I did, I should go introduce myself after he is finished”.
So I did, we started talking, and not long after, I was invited to interview for their firm, and extended a job offer…
Which I turned down after a lot of internal deliberation.
I hadn’t been with IHS for long, and I was about so start school again, for petroleum engineering, so the timing just didn’t feel right.
However, that didn’t change the fact that I was still interested in both the firm and the opportunity, so we kept in touch.
Fast forward a few years, and here I am. There is almost no way that I would be in this position if I had not gone to that conference and introduced myself to new people.
Run TO an opportunity, not FROM your current one
I forget where I originally heard this fantastic piece of advice, but it applies perfectly well to my situation.
I could have taken the job offer the first time around and gotten a bit of a pay bump, but there was no reason to run from my role at the time: I had only been there a few months (yes, do make changes, but give yourself time to make an impact first) and it would have been very tough to start school again while also having to re-establish myself someplace new.
So I stayed and did my best, and sure enough an even better opportunity with A&M came up. The timing was perfect: school was finished, my time leading “The Way Ahead” was up and I was looking for a new challenge.
I now had something to run to, making the decision a no-brainer.
Always keep your information up to date
Even if you are happy with where you are, you can never predict the next round of layoffs, or know when a recruiter will come around with a fantastic opportunity you just can’t refuse, so don’t wait until they are needed to build out a great LinkedIn profile and resume.
Every time you reach a goal, achieve a new certification or graduate from a degree program, update all the necessary documentation!
Be professional about your transition, and don’t leave anyone hanging
My team is lean and runs very efficiently, so I knew that while they could certainly find a replacement, regardless of when I left it would be difficult for them. I respect all of them and tried to make my exit as smooth as possible by requesting a later start date so that I could help get my current team through some tough client meetings, and allow enough time to transition smoothly.
I can leave with a clear conscience now, with no regrets and happy that my co-workers can now just be my friends.
Take stock of all the things you gained in your previous role
Running to something is very exciting, but I’ve made it a habit to look back periodically and appreciate all the things I’ve done. IHS has been really great to me: I’ve traveled to far-away places, worked with really friendly people and great clients, and built up my industry profile, all in a work environment that was flexible enough to allow me to complete two graduate degrees.
I’m thankful for all of that, and I know that where I’m going would not be possible without where I’ve been.
Looking ahead
This blog is still very important to me, so count on seeing a new article every week.
Also count on seeing the subject matter shift a bit: while I will probably still address career-related issues I also look forward to being a bit more free in sharing my views in areas such as the global oil markets (up until now I’ve always understandably been asked to defer to the IHS view).
Of course, I’m also now “for hire” through Alvarez and Marsal! If you’d like to chat about how things are going in your business, I’d love to hear from you, and of course if you just want to drop me a line with your own career change experiences, that would be excellent also (you can reach me online at davidvaucher.com, through email at buildinghydrocarbonbonds@gmail.com or on Twitter @DavidAVaucher).
Share this: