When you start a new job, join a new company or a new team, others need to understand how you work. 

The earlier you get to know the people you will be closely working with and the earlier they get to know you, the smoother your work collaboration will be. 

Transparency about what you like and don't like, how you work, how you communicate, and how you make decisions at the very beginning is key for your success in the new role, company or team as well. 

Whenever I start in a new position, I try to be very open with my work style and explain it to others as soon as possible. 

My recommendation is that you have a short list in bullet points about how you work, what you value and what you need to be successful in your collaboration with others.

The Importance of Knowing Your Work Style

This post might be controversial for many. Some might agree. I'm sure many others will not. This post is also very vulnerable and personal. It's my take on the much-debated question if women can have it all - career and kids - reflecting on how 2022 went for me. 

Two big things happened this year for me professionally: I joined a new company starting a new job and I published my second book (on a completely unexpected topic even for me). 

Had that been pre-baby, it wouldn've been at least four big things. 

I never shied away from saying that I'm ambitious. I want to achieve a lot career-wise. I've already achieved a lot for my age, however, my curiosity and eagerness to do more and learn more pushes me forward. I get bored with the same. I need change and my brain needs progress. 

Sometimes this can have negative connotations because I put too much pressure on myself to achieve more, be better, and get more done in the finite hours of a day that I have. 

When I wasn't a mother, this didn't bother me. It pushed me beyond my limits in a good way.

Lately, quite a few people from my network reached out to seek my advice on getting a job in tech, given my close to 5 years at HubSpot and now almost 2 at Cisco and the fact that I started my career in a very different area - PR. 

Tech and IT are hot industries right now especially with the whole Coronavirus situation that's pushing us to 100% work remotely. 

You don't have to be an engineer to work in tech. In fact, tech companies are hiring for different types of talent. They seek people in Customer Success, Sales, Operations, Marketing and many more. Just like any other company, tech companies have different functions that ensure the business can run daily. It's not just about the engineers who make the product. It's also about those who market it, sell it and then ensure that customers use it plus all of the behind the scenes teams such as finance, HR and so on. 

So if you want to transition into tech but are not an engineer, this post is for you. (Even if you're an engineer, this post will provide some useful tips.)

3 Tips How to Get a Job in Tech [For Non-Tech People]

I returned from maternity leave about two weeks ago and stepped into a new role as a Program Manager in the Chief of Staff office for CX EMEAR at Cisco. 

It's an exciting move for me and so far it's been super interesting. Lots to do, lots of new people to work with, lots of opportunities to make an impact. 

Since I started my career, I've held about 10 different positions and switched four industries - I began in PR, moved into Marketing, then Customer Success, then Project and Program Management. I've worked in agencies, SaaS and IT companies. 

So it's safe to say that I've had experience switching roles and industries.

At this stage, I think I've figured out how to make it work so I want to share with you some tips on how you can approach stepping into a new role. 

Top 7 Tips for Stepping Into a New Role

I've always believed that you don't need to work harder or longer to achieve more. You simply need to work smarter. 

But that doesn't often come naturally or easily, especially if you are inexperienced and junior or still new to a role where you want to prove yourself.  

Over the years, I've managed to build some habits that allow me to work smarter and fewer hours and simultaneously to achieve more with better results and higher quality. 

Work less but achieve more? That sounds a bit impossible, right? 

But it's not. It's all a matter of knowing yourself and your strengths and then utilising them to the maximum when you're most productive so you do a certain task in the fastest manner possible at the right time. 

What's helped me are certain habits that I want to share with you today which you can try and see if they'll make you more productive to achieve more but in less time. 

How to Achieve More in Less Time - My 3 Key Tips