Jocke, how do you see changing career paths by trying out new industries?
I haven't changed jobs very often over the years, but when I have, I've usually made sure to change industries as well. The reason is that I am driven by great curiosity and a desire to challenge myself and test limits. I have changed industries three times during my career and in all cases it has led to wonderful challenges and that I have gained a lot of energy and my experience is that it has been very useful both for me and for the companies I worked at.
What is it above all you think you get?
Firstly, I get a little high on the fact that the learning curve is so steep in the first few months. I think it's important not to feel pressure because there's a lot you don't know, but instead to enjoy everything you learn and everything you have to contribute from your previous jobs.
In addition, curiosity about the new business makes me ask a lot of questions. This leads to me gaining a lot of knowledge in a short time and at the same time the people in the business are reminded of how much competence they have, what an exciting business they work in and they also feel seen. A clear case of win-win!
What concrete "stories" can you share that have made a difference?
A positive consequence of changing industry is that it is always possible to bring experiences and working methods from their previous workplaces and cross-pollinate it with the new business. One example is that, after just over six months at Verisure, we redesigned the entire "go to market process", which was based on existing working methods, skills and experience from other countries in the Verisure group and also spiced up with experience that several of us had from other industries. As a result, we increased sales by 40% in two years! Awesome!
My experience is that you have to work a little more if you want to change industries when you change jobs. This is because both companies and recruiters want to minimize risk and this is generally done by recruiting people from the same industry. But once you succeed and take the step over the fence into slightly more unfamiliar territory, it is clearly worth it for both companies and employees! So everyone wins by daring!