My talk from the Information Architecture Summit 2014 about movi

1. GROWING YOUR
CAREER WITHOUT
LEAVING YOUR
COMPANY
LIS PARDI
@LISPARDI

2. Lis icon designed by Jay Bellew
HI. I’M LIS. I USED TO BE A REQUIREMENTS
ANALYST, BUT NOW I’M AN INFORMATION
ARCHITECT. WHAT FOLLOWS ARE THE STEPS I TOOK
TO MAKE THAT CAREER SHIFT.

3. MY GUIDING
CLICHÉS
IF YOU WANT TO MOVE FROM WHAT
YOU’RE DOING TO SOMETHING NEW,
YOU’LL NEED TO FOLLOW THESE
SIMPLE CLICHÉS.

4. TELL THE STORY OF HOW YOUR SKILLS APPLY
TO THE JOB YOU WANT.

5. Constellation designed by Nathan Grealish from the thenounproject.com
CONNECT THE DOTS ON YOUR RESUME SO
HIRING MANAGERS AND RECRUITERS KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR.

6. BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN WHERE YOU ARE
AND WHERE YOU WANT TO BE.

7. Businessperson designed by Yaroslaw Bondarenko from the thenounproject.com
IF YOU LOVE WHERE YOU ARE, YOU DON’T NECESSARILY
HAVE TO LEAVE. YOU’LL LIKELY GET MORE FREQUENT
AND LARGER PROMOTIONS BY STAYING THERE.
http://HBR.org/2010/07/Managing-yourself-job-hopping-to-the-top-and-other-career-fallacies/AR/1

8. SET A GOAL
SO YOU KNOW
WHERE
YOU’RE
HEADEDhttp://HBR.org/2012/11/a-campaign-strategy-for-your-career/AR/1

9. PRETEND TO
BE GOOD AT
YOUR JOB
DON’T LET YOUR WEAKNESSES
STOP YOU. JUST PRETEND YOU CAN
DO IT OR EMULATE SOMEONE WHO
CAN.

10. Poster designed by Eddy Ymeri from the thenounproject.com Tape designed by Joseph Charles Epstein from the thenounproject.com
Post It designed by Matt Brooks from the thenounproject.com Marker designed by Dan Hetteix from the thenounproject.com
STOCK UP ON SUPPLIES. TAKE YOUR
PROCESSES OUT OF YOUR HEAD AND PUT THEM
ON THE WALL.

11. Wireframe designed by Missy Kelley from the thenounproject.com
REFER TO YOUR WORK AS INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE. YOUR CONFIDENCE WILL
AFFECT HOW YOU’RE PERCEIVED BY OTHERS.

12. BUILD
ALLIANCES
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE,
YOU’LL NEED OTHERS TO HELP
YOU.

13. Handshake designed by Scott Lewis from the thenounproject.com
BUILD ALLIANCES.
BUT DON’T BE WEIRD ABOUT IT.

14. High Five designed by Elizabeth Smith from the thenounproject.com
MAKE FRIENDS. IT’S MORE FUN AND LESS
WEIRD.

15. Bearded Man designed by Riccardo Greg from the thenounproject.com
HOW CAN YOU HELP OTHERS? OFFER TO PITCH
IN ON A PART OF A PROJECT THAT’S
INTERESTING TO YOU.

16. TAKE ON
SIDE
PROJECTS
THIS WILL HELP YOU BUILD SKILLS
AND TRY OUT NEW THINGS.

17. Web Design designed by Miroslav Koša from the thenounproject.com
YOU KNOW THAT THING THAT MAKES YOU
CRAZY? SEE IF YOU CAN FIX IT.

18. HAVE THE
RIGHT
PEOPLE ON
YOUR SIDE
MAKE SURE THE DECISION MAKERS
KNOW YOUR SKILLS.

19. Shamrock designed by Pham Thi Dieu Linh from the thenounproject.com
TIP: ALSO BE LUCKY.

20. ONCE YOU
SUCCEED,
STAY WHERE
YOU ARE

21. NURTURE
YOUR
FRIENDSHIPS
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WILL
HELP YOU EXPLAIN THE VALUE YOU
BRING TO A PROJECT.

22. ADDRESS CONCERNS THAT MAY RESULT FROM
PROCESS CHANGES. (ESPECIALLY FROM YOUR
FRIENDS.)

23. COLLABORATE MORE TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE
HELPING YOUR TEAM THE BEST WAY YOU CAN.

24. Idea designed by Edward Boatman from the thenounproject.com
PREPARE TO GO UN-CREDITED. IT’S OKAY.
WE’RE NOT IN THIS FOR THE GLORY.

25. NEVER STOP
PRETENDING
TO BE GOOD
KEEP UP YOUR ACTING. YOU MIGHT
ACCIDENTALLY BECOME GOOD AT
YOUR JOB.

26. Meeting designed by Ainsley Wagoner from the thenounproject.com
ONCE YOU REACH YOUR GOAL, SET THE NEXT
ONE. PRETEND TO BE EVEN MORE GOOD.

27. EDUCATE
YOUR TEAM
DON’T EXPECT EVERYONE TO JUST
“GET IT.” THEY MAY NEED SOME
MORE INFORMATION.

28. HOLD EXTRA STAKEHOLDER REVIEWS IF
NEEDED SO EVERYONE KNOWS HOW YOU’LL
HELP THEM.

29. Collaboration designed by Krisada from the thenounproject.com
RESIST THE URGE TO JUMP IN AND CHANGE
EVERYTHING. BUILD SLOWLY AT FIRST.

30. Hierarchy designed by Murali Krishna from the thenounproject.com
KEEP AN EYE ON NEW PEOPLE. HAVE THAT
ELEVATOR PITCH READY IN CASE THEY DON’T
KNOW ABOUT YOUR WORK.

31. TAKE CONTROL
OF YOUR
SITUATION

32. Ninja designed by Drew Ellis from the thenounproject.com
Panda designed by Angela Angelini from the thenounproject.com
BE LIKE THE KUNG-FU PANDA. HE USED HIS
TRAINING TO TURN AN ATTACK INTO AN
OPPORTUNITY.

33. YOU HAVE CONTROL
OVER YOUR WORK LIFE
• Pretend to be good at your job
• Make things easier for others
• Pick up side projects
• Connect with the right people
• Nurture relationships
• Keep pretending to be good at your job
• Educate your teams

34. THANK YOU
LIS PARDI
@LISPARDI