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 to the UK! It’s hard enough finding another job in your city, but finding one in another country adds an entirely new layer of complexity.

As someone with a nonlinear career journey, including a 2-year break from full-time work to pursue a master’s degree, I’ve found that it can be difficult to convey my background into a cohesive story during interviews. There is a common theme throughout all the decisions I’ve made, but without a clear narrative, it’s easy to list off experiences as a series of events rather than as a pursuit towards a bigger goal.

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.

Interviews can be a bit awkward because you’re already nervous meeting someone for the first time and hoping they will give you a job offer! The challenging part is figuring out how to answer your interviewer’s questions without being avoidant. The Career Walking Deck is a great tool to keep you on track and help you land your message!

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 behavioural interviews, it helped me connect the dots more clearly, better explain my background, and visually anchor my responses.

  • In one interview, I was asked to share my career background, so this was the perfect cue.
  • In another interview, I was asked about why I wanted to move abroad. I took this as the cue to bring up my Career Walking Deck and shared my values.
  • I didn’t have time to bring it up in technical interviews since it was a rapid fire of technical questions.

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.
  • The more you share your Career Walking Deck with others (even practicing with friends or colleagues), the less awkward it will feel to bring it up!

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!