Jocke, how do you view changing career paths by trying new industries?
I haven't changed jobs that often over the years, but when I have, I have mostly also made sure to change industries. The reason is that I am driven by great curiosity and a desire to challenge myself and test boundaries. I have changed industries three times during my career, and in all cases, it has led to wonderful challenges and that I have received an enormous amount of energy, and my experience is that it has been very useful both for me and for the companies I have worked for.
What is it above all that you think you gain?
Firstly, I get a bit high on the fact that the learning curve is so steep in the first few months. I think it is important not to feel pressure because there is much you cannot do, but instead rejoice for everything you learn and everything you have to contribute from your previous jobs.
In addition, the curiosity about the new business means that I ask many questions. This leads both 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 industries is that it is always possible to bring experiences and working methods from your previous workplaces and cross-fertilize it with the new business. An 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, competence and experience from other countries in the Verisure Group and also spiced with experiences that several of us had from other industries. This led to us increasing sales by 40% in two years! Really cool!
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 when you finally succeed and take the step over the fence to slightly more unknown territory, it is definitely worth it for both companies and employees! Everyone wins by daring!