The Unconventional Journey to Success
Carrie Beckett is the Vice President of Professional Services at Elevated HR Solutions. Carrie took an unconventional path to get to where she is today as she didn’t start out in Human Resources, but started in occupational therapy! When reflecting on her journey, she shared “I worked in healthcare for a few years and then have been very lucky to stumble into each role I have been given after realizing OT wasn’t my path forward. I won’t say its luck – but I will say that it was determination and focus of where I wanted to go, who I wanted to be and how I was going to get there! I have worked with several great employers while building my human resources knowledge and skills and now have been with Elevated for 7 years and haven’t looked back.”
With an unconventional journey, comes pivotal points. For Carrie, the decision to leave Occupational Therapy and move forward was a huge change. She was 22, but like many of us, was uncertain what she would do next. However, one thing she did know: she would be able to use her skills and build on her education to move forward. On top of this shift, she also experienced a significant pivot when she transitioned from being a leader of an internal HR program to working with Elevated HR. She says “I thought I had time management under control until I learned what it was like to work for 30+ organizations as their HR leader who all wanted my guidance asap.” The change in position required her to adapt quickly and effectively!
When we asked Carrie about key lessons she’s learned that she wishes she knew sooner, here’s what she had to say! “Be kind to myself! Instead of making large goals that were lofty early on, I have learned in the past few years it's much more gratifying to set knowledge goals, skills goals or exposure goals. It isn’t about the title for me, rather gaining new exposure and opportunities for growth . Early on in my career I was always shooting for career trajectory and would be frustrated when I didn’t think I could ‘do’ something in a job description. Now I can look back and see what I have learned, see where I have grown and understand that this is a lifelong commitment and not just about my resume.”
When you’re on your own unconventional journey, it can be challenging to define success when the end outcome for your career might be changing regularly. Like many of us, when Carrie first went to university, she just didn’t feel the ‘click’ like we often expect to feel. “I look back at myself and wish I could have told past Carrie that success doesn’t come with a university degree or a new job or a new title. Success comes with inner growth, ability to see the big picture and also patience in that with determination, growth will come.” Success looks different for everyone, and Carrie shared a starting point for anyone who might be trying to define success. “It’s important to think about the times in your life when you really felt amazing. Was it winning a race? Finishing a big paper? Getting a congratulations on a job well done at work? Focus on when you felt good and recreate that feeling for your own personal success internally. Surround yourself with people who help you push forward; we give you support but also praise you when praise is due.”
Specifically, for Elevated HR, they define their success when they are living in their values. “We don’t just have some statements up on the wall in the boardroom for marketing purposes, rather we use our values to define the behaviors we want to model and see as well as praise and recognize while we are living the values. We hire to our values and ensure that our team aligns with the values so that we can all work in collaboration while working toward our goals. I meet regularly with each of my team members on a 1:1 basis to ensure that we are aware of personal and professional goals and how both Elevated and I can support them.”
Lastly, Carrie shared some pieces of advice for university students navigating their own journey to success. “I think that the best piece of advice that I was given (and will give as well) is to look at each of your previous or current roles and really think about the experience you gained versus the title you held. It also helps to seek out opportunities that will help you grow and learn, whether it's volunteer positions, staying up to date with reading and industry knowledge or finding a mentor to help with gaining clarity on what you truly love and helping you get there!”
Overall, Carrie's advice can be summed up in a few short points. Stay focused; think about where you want to go, who you want to be, and how you’re going to get there. Be kind to yourself, as success comes with inner growth, patience, and ability to see the big picture.