Interested in making a transition into a new role? You are in the driver’s seat, time to take the wheel! With Gallup research showing that the cost of replacing an employee is typically one-half to two times that person’s salary, employers have great incentives to retain you and help you transition into a new role. Afterall, it is far less expensive for your employer than losing you all together.
According to the newest Gotara REACH Report, 50 percent of women in STEM + indicated that they are considering leaving their employers. Sometimes it’s time to leave, especially if what you want vs. what your company offers are not aligned (see the below image in why STEM + women leave their jobs: Download the report here). But more importantly, exploring a new role, even if outside your area of expertise, will allow you to become part of the solution to help your company make progress in building a stronger diversity and inclusion culture.
Maximizing your chances to successfully switch roles requires some prep work first to ensure you are well-positioned to make the switch. To make the transition into a new role, we must get beyond the basics of negotiating more compensation and reading about the role.
Before diving in, here are five tips to successfully transition into a new role.
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- GET ADVICE: Talk with people in your network who have taken on or know about the role you want. Ask them what skills are required to transition into a new role successfully and how to navigate the change.
- RESEARCH: Identify the required skills and experience needed for the role you want.
- EVALUATE: Match your current skill set and experience to the new role and identify gaps. Hint: examine all your experiences to draw parallels to the new position, even if the skill wording isn’t an exact match.
- TAKE ACTION: Develop a plan to address these gaps.
- MOVE ON: When you’re ready, revise your resume to fit the new role and plan to move forward.
Once you decide to make the transition into a new role, have a strategy to quickly succeed. Here are some helpful tips from Harvard Business Review and from our Taratalk with Texas A&M mechanical engineering professor Cynthia Hipwell.
How Gotara Can Help
At Gotara, we always think about what makes a good and successful leader in STEM +. Our team has over 100+ years of combined working experience as women in STEM + leadership positions at companies like Amazon, General Electric, Nielsen, Hub International, and more.
We understand what STEM + women really want from their employers to stay and grow in their careers and take a holistic approach to help all stakeholders.
Are you a STEM + career woman?
Become a Gotara member to gain free access to just-in-time advice designed for and by STEM+ women leaders who have been in your shoes. Not only will you find answers to questions like how to transition into a new role and hundreds more, but you also gain 24/7 access to trusted confidential career advice in a community of over 15,00 women from 163 countries.
Are you an employer of women in STEM+?
Explore Gotara’s comprehensive career growth platform for STEM + women to increase innovation, productivity, employee satisfaction, retention, recruiting, and grow a pipeline of leaders. Our unique approach offers:
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- reimagined mentoring, coaching, and upskilling,
- bite-sized “nanolearning” under STAR leadership development programs providing “just-in-time” advice as needed,
- content—created for and by STEM + women — delivered in quick, consumable bite-size pieces that are relevant, relatable, immediately actionable, and effective.
Gotara STAR Programs offer a unique approach to nanolearning that delivers positive impact in 8 weeks.
