The type of organization skills that I worked on as a lab manager have come in very handy these days. I work independently and my success rests solely on my own shoulders, so keeping organized is a huge plus for me. I’m glad I don’t have to work out my own best work practices and filing systems “on the fly.”
I’m extremely self-motivated and efficient. In a field where you have to “politic” your way to the top, being an excellent worker is a must. Now I don’t have to fight my way to the top of anything, but knowing how to work hard and get things done quickly just means that I can make so much more progress in my newly chosen field.
Being an outsider in general is also a point in my favor (or I’m trying to spin it that way). I’ve worked with sales reps as a customer, and I know what techniques were helpful to me and got that rep a spot in my rotation, and what really drove me nuts and made me “lose” business cards. I want to be the kind of rep I loved – a resource of information, helpful even when it’s not regarding my own product, always willing to follow up on a question and when I say I will respond with an answer, actually responding.
Being an outsider has also been helpful in that I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into! This is a tough field, full of its own competition and struggling through the pitfalls of boom-and-bust cycles. Having not paid attention for the last 8 years when my in-laws bemoaned their fate, I’m coming into this with eyes wide open, believing in the best. I hope this kind of attitude takes me far.
