Stories of Career Growth

The most surprising thing I learned at Atlassian? Your growth is never just yours. It’s shaped by how others see you. Sometimes they’re cheering. Sometimes they’re not. When I joined Atlassian, I thought career growth was linear: → Do great work. → Get recognised. → Repeat. But in reality? It’s messier. More human. Over the last 3 years, I’ve been promoted twice, from Recruiter > Senior Recruiter > Principal Recruiter. On paper, it looks smooth. But behind the scenes? ▶︎ Some people rooted for me. ▶︎ Others doubted me. ▶︎ And most had their own lens—shaped by their experiences, biases, or fears. I used to crave validation. I wanted everyone to like me. Natural, right? Until I realised: You can’t control how others see you. But you can control how you show up. So I chose to: → Focus on consistent, meaningful work that built my internal brand → Build relationships rooted in trust → Align with my values, especially when it was uncomfortable (this was hard at times). Here’s what helped me navigate that path: - Detach from opinions: They’re often reflections, not truths. - Stay mission-focused: Clarity cuts through the noise. - Keep receipts: Let your track record do the talking. - Find your crew: The right people will lift you higher. - Own your story: Don’t let someone else narrate your journey. - Be visible: Make sure your manager and the right people see your impact. And a few deeper truths I had to learn: - Growth isn’t always visible. Some of the biggest leaps are internal, building resilience, navigating uncertainty, learning how to advocate for yourself. - Leaders aren’t always in leadership roles. Some of my greatest support came from peers who simply showed up for me. That matters more than titles ever will. - Career growth = strategic growth. It’s not about doing more, it’s about saying no, aligning with priorities, managing up, and protecting your energy. This was a huge lesson. One I had to learn the hard way. - How you make people feel… sticks. Especially in recruiting. People remember how you treated them long after they forget your title. That reputation? It follows you. Atlassian taught me a lot. Many things I'm truly grateful for. But the biggest lesson? →The most authentic version of you is the most powerful, especially when you learn to navigate the game without compromising who you are or what you stand for. Have you ever had to tune out the noise to grow in your career? ---- "My account wasn’t hacked. I really started at Atlassian on Feb 21, 2022." Still one of my favourite photos and moments from the journey. Joining a company like Atlassian after spending my career in startups? Huge milestone. I thought the hard part was getting in. But the real growth came after.

Are you shaping your career, or is it shaping you? In a world obsessed with job-hopping, Philippe Lazaro's story is a refreshing reminder that sometimes, the grass is greener where you water it. For eight years, Philippe has been transforming his role at Plant with Purpose, evolving from a traditional marketing specialist to a storyteller who uses his natural talents to amplify the organization's mission. His journey teaches us that: 1. Embracing our innate strengths can lead to unexpected opportunities. 2. We have more power to reshape our roles than we often realize. 3. Balancing personal expression with organizational culture is key to long-term success. 4. Commitment and persistence can yield profound growth and satisfaction. Philippe's story, which I explore in depth in the latest SPARKED Newsletter, challenges us to look inward before looking outward for career fulfillment. It's a powerful reminder that sometimes, the key to unlocking our potential lies not in changing our circumstances, but in changing our perspective. Are you ready to rewrite your own career story? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever transformed a role from within? What challenges did you face? Share your experiences in the comments below, and let's start a conversation about creative career development.

From Recruitment to LinkedIn Top Voice and a Career Coach: Imagine losing your job and finding a new path that changes everything. That's my story. I was a recruitment specialist, helping people land jobs. It felt noble, empowering others. But then, the pandemic hit. I lost my job and felt stuck at home for three months. I couldn't just sit around. I needed something to do. I looked online for opportunities, trying different things like marketing, but nothing clicked. Anxiety crept in. Then, a chance came. I got a gig as a freelance resume writer. My first paycheck after months was just 400 rupees. It wasn't much, but it was a start. That small step led to more opportunities. I kept writing resumes, helping people present their best selves. Slowly, I found my groove. I shared my journey on LinkedIn. My posts resonated with many. I talked about the struggles, the hustle, and the tiny victories. People connected with my story. Soon, I became a LinkedIn Top Voice. My experience in recruitment and my personal journey gave me insights others found valuable. I started coaching people on careers, leveraging my background and new skills. The transition wasn't easy. It was full of uncertainty and doubt. But each step, no matter how small, brought me closer to a new purpose. My advice to you! * Your setbacks can be setups for a new direction. * Sharing your story can inspire others. * Every small opportunity can lead to bigger ones. Embrace the journey: Adapt. Learn. Grow. Your path might be uncertain, but it's yours to shape. Share your story. The world is waiting. #learning #career #success #journey #careercoach #jobsearchcoach

🚨 STOP disqualifying people for career gaps, one-year roles, or career changes. On paper, my career looks… messy. Gaps. A one-year position. A complete industry change. Here are the things my resume doesn't tell: 📈 Stepped into a new role that shifted me from part-time to full-time. 📚 Earned my Master’s degree. 😶 Experienced a layoff when the company closed its doors. 🥳 Left after just one year — for a promotion from part-time assistant to full-time Director and a $40,000 raise. 👶 Navigated COVID while becoming a first-time mom. 🎓 Earned my Doctorate degree. 💻 Chose a fully remote role so I could be present for my family while my husband worked 6 days a week, 10-hour days. 🏚️ Bought our first home and moved. 💼 Pivoted into recruiting for a faster-paced environment with more opportunity to grow. Now? I’m in a place that will allow me to build a higher education staffing vertical in a recruiting firm. Full circle. A resume will never tell you the full story. Life happens. Circumstances change. Growth looks different for everyone. If your career path isn’t a straight line, you’re in good company. #careerjourney #careergrowth #lifehappens #professionalgrowth #careerpivot

How A Client Landed Multiple Roles (Including FAANG) Despite Layoffs and Self-Doubt Oleg’s journey wasn’t just about getting a new job but about rediscovering confidence and rewriting his career narrative. When he joined the program, he wasn’t new to product management. He had a solid track record with brands like Amazon and Remitly, making him a perfect candidate on paper. But beneath the surface, things felt different. After leaving a fintech startup that didn’t work out, he found himself at a crossroads. His confidence had taken a hit, and the once-assured belief that “Amazon on the resume opens all doors” no longer felt true. Despite his experience, applications went unanswered, and frustration began to build. His transformation: Oleg’s transformation began when he immersed himself fully in the program. One of the biggest shifts? Storytelling. In the beginning, his interviews felt factual but lacked the emotional depth that sets candidates apart. Through rigorous practice, peer interviews, and hours of watching himself on camera, he crafted stories that showcased not just what he did but the drama and difficulty behind his decisions. He learned how to articulate moments of failure, resilience, and leadership — the human elements that hiring managers remember long after the interview ends. From Quick Fix to Long Game: Initially, he hoped the program would be a quick fix. But as he went deeper, he realized that true career growth isn’t a sprint — it’s a marathon. His perspective shifted. Instead of chasing any open role, he built a targeted job search strategy that prioritized fit, impact, and long-term growth. Referrals replaced cold applications, and every move was intentional. The Results: He secured interviews with Amazon, Coinbase, Square, and Engie. Ultimately, he landed multiple offers, including from Amazon and Engie. What’s more powerful is that Oleg had the luxury of choice — a rare gift in today’s challenging job market. Angie's wasn’t even on his radar initially. It came through a referral in the program, intended as a “practice interview.” But as he met the leadership team and learned more, his perception changed. He realized this was an opportunity to shape something meaningful from the ground up. Oleg negotiated fiercely, narrowing the gap between offers. In the end, he chose Angie's — a role that aligned with his vision for the future. The Real Victory: Oleg walked away not only with a job but with the skills to lead, tell his story, and command the respect he deserves — a skill set that will serve him for life. If you’re facing layoffs, rejection, or self-doubt, remember this: It’s not your resume that lands you the role. It’s your story, your perseverance, and your willingness to invest in yourself.

A client recently said to me, “Julia, I’ve had such a weird career. I’m afraid people won’t get it.”   I asked her, “What if what you think is weird is actually what makes you remarkable?”   She was stumped. Her face said, “How is that possible?”   Her fear was that people would judge her and think, “This doesn’t look right.”   Like most people, she’s taken detours. She left a corporate job for a start-up, paused to raise kids for a couple of years, and even shifted industries. We talked about how her résumé may not follow a straight line, but that’s what will make her a great hire.   Many people I coach worry that their path looks “off.” But the world of work has changed and so has what stands out. What’s most important is how you tell your story.   For starters—you need to own your story. Why did you make those moves? They probably made sense at the time, so you need to paint the picture of what you knew you’d gain by making that move.   Then, you need to prove what you gained from that move. What did you learn? How did it help you grow? How will it play a role in making you excellent in your next role?   By the end of our coaching session, she realized that every “weird” move told a story about growth, adaptability, courage, resilience, and curiosity.   Next steps…   On her resume, instead of worrying about what didn’t match, we highlighted the through-lines. We looked for skills and themes that ran through her experiences—leading teams, solving complex problems, building relationships, and navigating change. Then, we followed her title with a tagline that showcased her expertise. Here are 2 examples (not hers):   1.     Operations and Strategy Leader | Driving transformation across industries 2.     Marketing Professional | Turning insights into impact across corporate, agency, and start-up settings   Then, we focused on LinkedIn because that is where you get to own your story, in your own voice.   In her About section, we started by explaining her journey with confidence, not an apology. For example:   “My career hasn’t been traditional, and that’s been my greatest advantage. Each move gave me new skills and perspectives that now shape how I lead, collaborate, trouble-shoot, problem-solve, and communicate across an organization.”   Next, we added examples that showed her knowledge, growth, curiosity, and courage, bringing her personality and personal style into it, so the reader could see HER.   Lastly, we talked about interviewing confidently and explaining the growth that came from her career decisions. An example:   “I took that role to explore an industry that I knew would force me to be a student again, to learn, and listen intently. It ended up making me a stronger leader and a better manager.”   By the end of our call, she realized her career path didn’t need to look linear to be powerful. It needed to make sense to her, and if she could articulate that, others would see the value, too.

The 💯 Unglamorous Truth About Career Growth Nobody tells you that career growth is 20% skill building and 80% showing up consistently when you don't feel like it. Not when you're inspired. Not when the project is exciting. Not when someone is watching. But on the days when you're tired, the work feels repetitive, and nothing about the week feels like progress. And this is the part people rarely talk about on LinkedIn Over the years, I've worked on projects that went off track, dealt with impossible timelines, and had more "career growth" conversations than I can count and here's what I've noticed: Most #career stories focus on the big moments like the promotion, the certification and the high-visibility project. But real growth happens in the loooonnng middle where nothing feels special. →The months spent running the same weekly status meetings. →The quiet work of documenting lessons learned. →The follow-ups, risk logs, and dependency calls nobody is excited about. Those are the moments that build real capability. Consistency quietly builds: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 - You are able to spot problems earlier because you've seen them before. 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 - People can trust you because you've delivered what you promised, again and again. 𝙅𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 - You've learnt to make trade-offs under pressure through experience, not theory. 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 - When something important comes up, your name gets mentioned and it's not because of your title, but because of your track record. Truth is none of this happens in a quarter. It happens over months and years of work that feels ordinary at the time. And if you're in the Middle right now, I want you to remember that: Career #growth isn't always about big leaps. Sometimes it's just showing up, learning, and doing the work week after week. Those quiet seasons build the judgment and trust that open the next opportunity. If you're in that phase right now, don't underestimate it. More is happening than it seems. A question for you....What's keeping you consistent these days?? Follow Benjamina for practical perspectives on #projectexecution, #leadership judgment, and #delivery under real constraints.

Career growth isn’t just about what you gain. It’s also about what you’re willing to give up along the way. Here are 3 career sacrifices that have shaped my journey: 1. I financed my entire move to Chicago on a credit card. I had gotten a job offer but it did not come with a relocation package. At the time, I was living in Charleston, SC and knew I was ready for a bigger city So I packed everything I owned into a U-Haul, my dad and I drove from Charleston to Chicago, and I figured the rest out along the way. But it wasn’t just a financial risk. It was starting over. I had built a life in Charleston. Friends. Community. Familiar routines. A sense of belonging. Choosing Chicago meant choosing growth over comfort and trusting that I could rebuild everything again in a new city. 2. I have spent real time and real money exploring my career. Certifications. Conferences. Coaching. Trial and error. Some investments paid off immediately. Some, honestly, were not worth it. But all of them gave me clarity. They helped me understand my strengths, what kind of work I enjoy, and what environments I thrive in. And that clarity has been priceless. 3. I didn’t company hop early in my career. I stayed with one company for over 7 years. Not good. Not bad. Just a choice with tradeoffs. I gained deep experience, stability, and strong internal credibility. But I also delayed exposure to different industries, cultures, and faster salary jumps. Career growth usually asks for something in return: money, comfort, speed, certainty, or familiarity. Most of those sacrifices never make it onto LinkedIn profiles but they’re often the reason the growth happens at all. What’s one career sacrifice you’ve made that helped shape where you are today?

The career journey of one of my favorite people, my inspiring friend Fran Mardjetko, helps challenge limiting beliefs that immobilize potential career changers. “𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚/𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.” Fran went from being a highly successful film producer in charge of what at the time was THE largest advertising account on earth, to become an executive coach with a specialty of helping people cultivate the skills that foster open, candid dialogue. To make this happen, she invested in professional development in this area and then made the leap. Because of her skill at this, a consulting client hired her to create and oversee a comprehensive leadership development and succession planning program. She had done neither before, but…because she had produced valuable results as a coach, they trusted she could learn on the fly and produce results. She did. Now…other EESOP employers seek her advice on how they can do the same. "𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙄’𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧." I often see this in clients contemplating a career change, including twentysomethings who compare themselves to their classmates who seem to be crushing it in their career. “I have learned something in every job I ever had” notes Fran, even as a teen working an ice cream machine in the summers. No job was a waste of time. I've experienced the same thing, including the value of skills from previous careers. Skills that I loved using in an early chapter-like storytelling and practices that build resilience and grit--ended up being extraordinarily useful in later careers. I remember thinking I would never be able to use all the storytelling skills I had invested so heavily in learning, and loved using, when I left the therapy world to go into corporate training. Little did I know that storytelling would eventually become recognized as an important part of employer branding, employee engagement, and coaching. As a career coach, I quickly discovered that I could apply what I had learned about storytelling to help people become WAY better at interviewing. To further the process of overcoming limiting beliefs about changing careers, ask people who changed careers to share their story. It will help you both see that it's possible and also learn their "how to." Also...check out podcasts on people's career journeys, like How I Got Hired, Sonal Bahl's podcast and Dawn Graham, PhD, LP excellent book Switchers You can do this.

Five years ago, I thought I knew exactly where my career was headed. Spoiler: I was completely wrong. And that turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. Here's what I've learnt about career growth that no one tells you in orientation: 1. Your career isn't a ladder. The best opportunities often come from sideways moves, unexpected projects, and saying yes to things that scare you a little. That "detour" you're worried about? It might teach you exactly what you need for where you're going. 2. Skills compound faster than you think. Every presentation you give, every difficult conversation you navigate, every problem you solve - they're all building something bigger than the task itself. You're not just doing the work; you're becoming a more skilled person who can do this work. 3. Your network is your net worth, but not how you think. It's not about collecting contacts but about building genuine relationships with people who challenge you, support you, and see your potential even when you can't. The person who will change your career might be sitting three desks away. If you're crushing it right now, remember: this momentum you're building is real. Keep investing in yourself. Keep showing up. Keep being curious. The career you're building today is setting you up for opportunities you can't even imagine yet. What's one unexpected turn in your career that ended up being exactly what you needed? ------- ➕ Follow Jonathan Maharaj FCPA for finance‑led leadership. 📰 Subscribe to Financial Freedom: https://lnkd.in/gYHdNYzj 📆 Let's work together: https://lnkd.in/ggJPiHEV