How did you choose your career path?
Unaware of my abilities
Well, mine started when I moved to Denmark in 2013 to start a new life with my ex-wife, after which my only work experience came from two internships: one at Siemens Energy and the other for the Danish government in my home country Brazil.
I had no idea my competencies and potential, I did not speak Danish (I am still not very good at it, btw) and I had no idea what I could offer Danish companies / employers.
I felt lost and my self-esteem was shattered.
Applying blindly
Still, it was exciting; everything felt fresh and I lived life as a tourist.
Having a blog and creating content gave me meaning and strength when it got tough, but it didn’t pay my bills. Soon real life came and I felt a need to really work and integrate.
I applied for more than 300 jobs and contacted over 600 people.
Targeted connections
One day I came across an article on relationship building on LinkedIN. I decided to give it a try. After all, my results had been relatively poor.
So here’s what I did: I wanted to contact the decision makers with a follow up email after applying for jobs.
My note said: “Dear John Doe, My name is Carlos and it is a pleasure to e-meet you. I have a blog where I publish content about the Brazilian economy. I would be happy to connect and receive your honest feedback. “
And so after connecting, I would like to send a thank you note.
Five times my network
The results? Well, my network went from 300 to about 1,500 (now with many Danish decision makers).
I got comments and DMs interested in my content on how to start or develop business in Brazil, and in January 2014, I closed my first agreement to help a Danish lighting design company enter Brazil.
And that’s how I started my ‘professional life’ in Denmark.
To discover a way
Of course, I made a few mistakes along the way (see fact box). So I can not really say that I chose a career path. Instead, I discovered one for myself.
It took me a long time to learn about my unique strengths, weaknesses and blind spots. But in late 2015, I made a decision. And since then, I have worked with companies in the digital commerce field.
So how did you choose or build your career?
My mistakes:
– I did not focus on a specific market or niche
– I was not specific to who I wrote
– I did not focus on relationship building
– I may have spammed too many people *
* Please forgive me if you were one of them!
Source: The Nordic Page