How Does Tribal Impact Support Career Changes?

Throw yourself in and give things a try – Sarah Winter

We may feel a lot of pressure in life to figure out who we want to be at a young age. At around 13, children have to choose which GCSEs to take. Then, after completion, there may be choices regarding A-levels, college, and even university. All of this can lead to the ultimate choice of which career path you want to follow.

I started my working journey thinking that one path was right for me. However, somewhere along the line, changes to the world and people’s ways of living led me down a new path. Now, at Tribal Impact, I’ve found a way to change my working role, and reaped the benefits of doing so.

Previous work

When I first started working, I ended up in the publishing industry. My role was to aid with the publishing of magazines. I spent many years helping to bring a number of stories to life. While the digital age was a benefit in a number of ways, it also brought problems to the magazine world.

Once the internet became popular, I realised that magazines weren’t likely to progress. Around me, I saw once-successful names folding, and redundancies were common. Due to this, I thought it best to get out of that industry as soon as possible.

I had already decided that I wanted to take an extended career break to travel in South and Central America, so I quit my publishing job. Then after travelling for a year, I had decided that now was the time to make a career change, so instead I looked for temporary work.

My career change

It was during this time that I first encountered Tribal Impact, while working as a PA to a director of social services. Due to how creative I was, she had me making videos and other pieces of media for business usage.

My story makes it seem like everything aligned in my favour. The director had by now moved on to a new role and was discussing business on the train with a woman, and mentioned my more creative aspects and skills. My previous employer felt that these aspects could really benefit this woman’s company.

The ‘random woman’ was actually Sarah Goodall, CEO of Tribal Impact!

To begin with, I acted as Sarah G’s PA. My skills and experience were noticed and praised, which allowed me to move into more of the delivery of our products and services. Here, I learned how to deliver webinars, grow client accounts, and work within employee advocacy.

Tribal Impact enabled me to grow my skills quickly, and even gain further opportunities. From here, I progressed to become Account Director, liaising with the sales team and helping to build on the relationships with existing customers by replicating my previous successes.

This might sound like something which would take years to achieve, yet it is important to make clear that I have been at Tribal Impact for three years, and in my current role for three months.

Next steps

One of the aspects I am trying to improve at the moment is my work/life balance. While other team members may already have this in place due to their personal lives, I find it that much more difficult to switch off, especially with emails and work on my phone, and not needing that time to commute.

This is something that my colleagues try to assist me with, such as nudging me to get offline and look after my wellbeing.

Benefits of Tribal Impact

Having worked for both a magazine with deadline pressures, and social services where a mistake could be fatal, it is rather a nice change working at Tribal. While I do my utmost to keep clients happy, I don’t need to worry too much about the little mistakes as there is no chance of someone being hurt or vilified.

The team itself are also fantastic. Even though we mostly work remotely, I have built up great relationships to the point that I know who I can speak to if I need a chat about work or my personal life.

Career changes in your 30s

Working in a completely different industry isn’t an option solely reserved for those in their early 20s. When I came to Tribal, I was 37. While not old, that didn’t put me at the beginning of my employment journey either. I found that, at Tribal, there is no age discrimination. I had the same chance as others to grow and achieve new roles. This means that you could be 18 or 58 and still be able to explore your potential.

Advice to others considering a change of career

We’re currently experiencing big changes in the recruitment landscape with the Great Reshuffle having a major effect on the job market. I would always tell people to give it a try, especially if it’s something you really want to do. There are opportunities out there if you look for them. At times you may feel like job listings ask for a lot. However, you don’t always need to tick each box. Sometimes, having the right attitude and motivation can help you to get a foot in the door.

Final thoughts

Having had experience in varied roles, I do think my experiences have helped me. Each role has been interesting for a number of different reasons. While I wouldn’t want to go back, I do appreciate the opportunities I’ve had. Changing your career can help to put life into perspective, and even enable you to unlock your full potential.