How My Career Walking Deck Helped Me Land a Job Abroad as a Microsoft Solutions Engineer

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Heather Grandy succeeded in moving abroad to Microsoft UK as a Data Platforms Solution Engineer 🎉

To help and inspire fellow job seekers to build a Career Walking Deck, she has shared her personal experience (in her own words, with minor edits for brevity) below.

Defining a career vision

It was challenging to decide on the next step in my career. And without a clear vision, the job search can feel very chaotic. That’s why it’s important to get clear on what you want to achieve so that you can develop a plan and adapt it as needed.

For me, I decided that I wanted to move abroad from Canada!

It’s hard enough finding another job in your city, but finding one in another country adds an entirely new layer of complexity. And as an Industrial Engineer with a nonlinear career journey, I’ve found that it can be difficult to talk about my background in interviews.

Developing a career narrative

I first learned about Career Walking Decks from Karen and saw it as a way to stand out from other candidates.

The process of creating one was simplified thanks to Karen’s templates and tips! By taking the time to build one out, I developed a more cohesive narrative of my career journey. It took me 4-5 passes before I was happy with my own deck, but I know it will continue to evolve.

When answering the “Walk me through your resume,” question in interviews, it helped me connect the dots more clearly, better explain my background, and visually anchor my responses.

I leveraged my Career Walking Deck in several interviews for a UK-based role and ended up receiving an offer! I have since relocated from Canada to the UK and am extremely grateful for the opportunity to experience life abroad while continuing to pursue my career!

Building out the Career Walking Deck not only helps you develop your narrative, it also creates a memorable visual anchor for your interviewers.

Career Walking Deck Tips

  • Articulate your career journey and how it connects to the role you’re targeting.
  • Start with one of Karen’s templates and then make it your own (I promise she didn’t bribe me to say this 😊)!
  • Just start now. Keep iterating. Get feedback from friends and colleagues you trust.

Thanks for reading!

I hope Heather’s personal story and experience with career walking decks has inspired you to build your own.

You can also find hundreds of daily tips on my LinkedIn (DM me if you have any questions).

Best of luck!