Welcome to the 11th episode of the Career Hackers Secrets Podcast. Today we welcome Dominik Mertens, a mother of 3 who, after running events in higher education for 15 years, lost her job due to Covid.
Despite her fear of not knowing what was next, she didn't settle. She didn't lose sight of her goal, and she managed to pivot into an incredible new career. Today Dominik is Chief Customer Officer at Bond, a platform that assists schools and organizations with digital transformation and virtual community building.
In today’s episode, we will discuss job hunting, preparing for interviews, and negotiating a salary. We will also touch on why you shouldn’t assume you don't have the skillset for a new industry and field and why you are never too old to pivot.
Finally, we will discuss the importance of knowing and advocating for other priorities in life, such as being a mom.
This is an inspiring story, and I hope this episode will inspire as much as it inspired me. So if you are someone who recently lost your job and is looking to bounce back and redefine your career, this episode is for you.
TimeStamps
00:00 - Introducing Dominik Mertens
03:04 - Dominik’s background: From Belgium to Barcelona and traveling all over the world
05:00 - The new job: Sales and building relationships
05:20 - Bond’s mission: Education and private community engagement
06:17 - Being let go due to Covid and bouncing back
08:40 - What inspired you to make this pivot? Focusing on the next step
10:40 - What options did you have available? Looking for jobs and filling out my Linkedin profile
12:18 - How long did the search take, and how did you approach it? Keep your energy up and be realistic
14:50 - What was the thing that helped you move forward? Believing in myself: If you want something to happen badly enough, it will happen
16:30- The three levels of commitment
17:41 - How did you determine this was a good opportunity? Because of how the job was described: Humanizing technology and sales as building relationships / Don’t assume you don't have the skillset for a new job, since a lot of skills are transferable
20:42 - Were there some skills you didn't have? How did you bridge the gap? Acquiring digital knowledge / Setting clear expectations about what soft skills you have and what hard skills you need to learn
23:04 - How did you prepare for interviews? Googling, looking at the competitors, thinking about what would you reply to questions, and showing interest
24:59 - The five C's: A framework to identify blind spots in a company
25:50 - Read the company’s website and focus on your strong areas
26:35 - Negotiating your salary when you are starting: Let them make the first offer and know your priorities (family first)
30:50 - Being a mom and a career woman
32:29 - Why do you think you got hired over other candidates? Being authentic, knowing your value, and being humble
34:14 - What advice would you give to someone who wants to pivot? Think about what are your transferable skills. You are never too old because experience is worth gold
37:17 - Any last words of wisdom? Don't worry if you don't have a clear path, new opportunities come.
