How to Pivot and Transition to DEI

Co-written by Samantha Hutchinson

How can I transition into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a career? This is a question I asked myself 3 years ago when I was a digital marketing specialist. At this time, I didn’t have any idea how to answer this question and I was determined to go on a journey to find the answer.

So before I get into this it's important for me to say that transitioning into another career has been more like an experiment than a fixed plan. I can say that pivoting into a new career has been a journey instead of something that happened overnight. The journey could be accurately described as a series of experiments that I ran to see what would work to help me achieve my goal.

Everyone’s career journey is unique. There is no one fixed way to pivot into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The words below are meant to share what I feel made the most impact for me to transition into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

All right, let's get into it.? Here are the 6 actions and perspectives that I feel made the most impact for me to pivot and transition into DEI.?

1. What do you really want??

I think when considering changing the direction of your career, it is really important to start by asking yourself: What do you really want? This all comes down to one word: CLARITY.? It's also important, to be honest with yourself about what you want as well as what you don’t want in your next role.?

One of the best ways I found to gain clarity on what I wanted is to do a START, STOP, CONTINUE exercise with my current role. This helped me to get a better understanding of what I want to continue doing, what I want to stop doing, and what I would like to start doing.??

Through the amazing career pivot program Careergasm by Sarah Vermunt, I gained the perspective to think about a career as a recipe of things that you like to do instead of a fixed destination or title.

I think when considering a pivot it's really important to evaluate how you want to be involved with DEI. Take the time to think about how you want to contribute to the DEI landscape. There are so many DEI roles: marketing, communications, human resources, and the list goes on.?

I think it's important to also ask: Do you need to pivot or what can you do alongside and/or in your existing role to contribute to DEI?

Check out my article to learn more on how different departments can be involved in DEI

Check out my article with LinkedIn News on What it Means to Be a DEI manager

2. Self-Learning?

Be hungry for knowledge. Once you have decided you want to pivot into DEI, make it your mission to learn more about the DEI. When I first started I felt pressure to learn everything and I realized that it was an unrealistic expectation. I realized that the most important thing is to be consistent and set up specific times of the week dedicated to learning more about DEI. This is something that I still continue to do! LinkedIn Learning has great resources and is an amazing starting point. Take advantage of your internal training opportunities to gain access to more educational opportunities. There are a lot of resources out there and the most important thing is to take the time to learn more about what you want to pivot into.? One of my personal favorite places to learn about DEI is the Harvard Business Review.?

Please take the time to research and learn more about what you want to do before reaching out to connect with professionals in the field. It is important that the questions that you are asking professionals that are doing what you want to do are based on knowledge, information, or articles that you have come across. Being prepared will make the conversations richer and more targeted to prepare you for what you want to do.?

3. Know The Language

So you have taken the time to get clear on what you want and the decision is that you want to pivot to a full-time DEI role. What’s next? Now, it's time to learn the language. It is important to get an understanding of what employers are looking for in the types of roles you are interested in.

The blueprint for understanding what employers are looking for in the types of roles you want is in the JOB DESCRIPTIONS! Taking the time to analyze job descriptions can give you clarity on what employers are expecting candidates to have or be familiar with to be successful in the role.?

When I did the exercise, I analyzed 3 different job descriptions to find common skills and attributes that employers are looking for. Once I identified the common skills and attributes I was able to ensure that I was speaking to them in my resume.

Also, job descriptions really help with ensuring that you are speaking the language of the industry or role that you want to move into. Every industry has its own language and it's essential to ensure that your resume uses keywords that are relevant for the roles you want to pivot into. Job descriptions can also provide some inspiration for language about how you can quantify your impact and relevant experience.

4. Act as If Right Now

Start where you are.

Please act as if you are in the role you want to be in RIGHT NOW. Do not wait until you are in a DEI role to start making an impact within your organization. Getting involved now can help you develop the skills and relevant experience needed to secure your future role. I started getting involved in DEI when I was a digital marketer, which was how I was able to pivot. If I hadn't been getting involved with DEI, I wouldn't have got my first role.?

Ask yourself a series of Qs:?

• How can I support, contribute or amplify the work of the Employee/Business Resource Groups within my organization??
• How can I get involved with the design and development of employee engagement and learning initiatives???
• How is my organization supporting the local community? How can I get involved and volunteer my time and knowledge??
• How can I role model the behaviors of an inclusive leader within my team/organization?
• How can I integrate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within my day-to-day process and procedures??

5. Quantify and Qualify Your Impact

I can’t stress this one enough. The process of quantifying and qualifying your impact goes a long way to illustrate the value that you have provided to your organization through your daily actions. Especially when pivoting to something new it is so critical to ensure that your resume highlights how an organization has benefited from your experience.?

Check out my article to learn more about how to qualify and quantify your impact??

Make sure that your resume and LinkedIn profile speak to your skills and impact from the perspective of the roles you want to pivot into.?

6. Live in the Question

I believe that once we are able to sit in the question, be with discomfort and uncertainty long enough, the answer will find you.

I started this journey with a question: How can I transition into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a career? I’ll be real with you. There was a lot of uncertainty and at times I had no idea if/how it going to happen. However, I realized very quickly that I had to find peace with not knowing. The moment I realized that my job was to be open to learning and focus on the process, everything shifted. I wasn’t panicking anymore about not knowing how it was going to work out. Instead, I focused on taking actions in alignment with what I wanted. If I felt changes needed to be made, I made them. If I felt I needed support, I got it. My job in this journey was to be consistent in taking action. I let go of needing to know the answer.?

Pivoting is not a linear process- it takes time, intention, and clarity.??

Trust the process.?

If I can do it, you can do it. I wish you all the best on your journey