Sometimes you don’t have to go far to make a career switch. My guest today is a great example of how to change careers without changing companies.
Mia Villarreal went from social media strategist to product marketing manager—within the same organization—in only a couple of years.
In this episode, Mia shares how she first got into VMware, a global software developer, in 2020 as a contractor—a move that gave her access to the company culture and cross-functional teams before she was even a permanent employee.
Mia walks us through the inside track she took to change careers within VMware—from leveraging in-house platforms to tapping into her internal network.
She also recalls how her mentors and trusted colleagues helped her navigate her impostor syndrome about transitioning to product marketing when she had no direct experience.
Episode Highlights:
• Getting your foot in the door as a contractor
• Is your company culture conducive to a career change?
• Accessing in-house resources
• Getting help with impostor syndrome
• How to ask your manager for support with switching roles
• What to keep an eye out for possible openings within a company
• Setting up coffee chats – how to approach people and what to cover
• What to do in the first 30, 60, and 90 days in a new role
• Leaning into your strengths when making a career switch
Resources Mentioned:
Product Marketing Alliance: https://www.productmarketingalliance.com/
CliftonStrengths Assessment: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Career coach Alicia Wolfe: https://www.integratewell.co/
Additional Episodes:
Need more help with impostor syndrome? Check out these episodes:
Ep 49: Need some A.I.R. with your career change?
Ep 11: Impostor syndrome and other roadblocks to a career change
Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay
Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com