Client: Steven Levy was director of brand leadership for a midsize advertising agency.
Industry: Advertising, Quick Service Restaurants, E-Commerce, Consumer Goods
Function: Advertising, Marketing
Challenge: Steven was recruited from a leadership role at one fast-paced advertising agency to another only to realize that he had reached a point in his career where he wanted to slow down and pivot out of advertising altogether.
Process: Steven targeted marketing roles with a rebranded resume and LinkedIn profile, leveraged his network to explore new opportunities, and used enhanced interviewing skills to sell himself.
Landing: After reaching out directly to the president of an e-commerce business needing a marketing manager, Steven convinced the individual not only to hire him, but also to elevate the role to a director position.
Study: Steven Levy was director of brand leadership for the national account of a major quick service restaurant at a midsize advertising agency in the Kansas City metro area. He had been recruited to the position only five months earlier from another advertising agency where he had spent the bulk of his career and where he had directed the regional account of another major quick service restaurant.
Steven took the new position because it would provide him with new management responsibilities and great opportunities to shape a well-known brand. It did, but, during one grueling day on a production shoot far from home, he realized that the long hours he kept were taking a toll on him and his young family. His job transition prompted him to see that his values had evolved since beginning his career, and that what he now wanted was a role close to home that afforded him a better work-life balance. So, Steven gave his notice and began considering how to pivot out of the advertising industry altogether.
Very quickly, Steven felt out of his depth.
“I was looking at LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed… and I just became overwhelmed by the thought of a career transition. I realized that if I wanted to leave advertising, I would have to do something bold in my job search.”
So, Steven began looking for professional career change help. In an online search he came across The Barrett Group. The Barrett Group would be a significant financial investment for Steven, but, he reasoned, to successfully transition to a different industry and role, it would be smart to invest in himself.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so the Clarity Program was particularly attractive. That step would help me hone in on my options based on my skill set and what would make me happy,” said Steven.
“The Barrett Group’s other service offerings – interview prep, offer negotiations, resume writing, and research on employers – were also attractive to me. The Barrett Group was a one-stop shop and I liked the idea of having a team of people working on ME. And you get all those services for a flat fee – once you sign up you don’t have to worry about paying for anything else at any other point.”
Steven leaned into his Clarity sessions to tease out the types of jobs and industries that would be compatible with his experience and values. He found it to be an excellent start to his program.
“I absolutely loved Clarity and working with Laura Leaton! Figuring out who I am professionally and how to make that jive with who I am privately was so valuable. We used personality assessments to determine my skill set, my goals, my accomplishments, my strengths, my shortcomings. Laura then helped me synthesize it all. It was a very good experience. I gained a lot of confidence through those Clarity sessions.”
Steven and Laura discussed potential avenues into corporate internal communications, marketing, higher education, and even a previous dream like directing youth camps. After considering his passions, income preferences, and need for work-life balance, too, Steven decided to target marketing and communications roles.
In the next step, Steven worked with career consultant, David Black, on the practical aspects of job searching. They discussed people Steven might use for references, how to rebrand himself, and how to retool his resume to bypass AI filters. He appreciated David’s hands-on approach and the TBG writing team in helping him translate his experiences into sales growth and other metrics that would impress employers.
“It was so helpful to work through these changes with experts in-person. It was a kind of handholding, but I needed that! I’ve done advertising and communication my entire career, but when it came to my resume and my LinkedIn profile, it became clear that I wasn’t good at selling myself!”
Once his resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile aptly represented him and his value proposition, Steven began applying to jobs and simultaneously leveraging his network of personal connections.
With David’s coaching, Steven began reaching out to his network, building relationships, and using LinkedIn to identify people at companies of interest that might help him explore opportunities.
“It was hard work, but I had made an investment in The Barrett Group, which was an investment in myself, and I was determined to see it through.”
It took nearly three months to obtain interviews but, when he did, he was well-rewarded for his efforts.
“It took longer than I expected, but when it started raining, it was really pouring! And anywhere I got an initial interview, I was able to get follow-up interviews. I was then able to consider whether it was a role I wanted. Did it promise longevity? Personal and professional growth? The right compensation? Those all had to line up. In some cases, I decided to step out of the interview process.”
By the end, Steven found himself with two job offers to choose from. The first opportunity was with a large, well-known, tax advisory services corporation that needed an associate director of marketing. He submitted a resume to a job posting and leveraged help from someone he knew that worked at the company to put him directly in touch with the hiring manager.
“A personal reference helped me get the first interview. The compensation was very good, but the role was a narrow marketing scope. I would be focused on email and SMS marketing, which would require me to become a specialist.”
More appealing to Steven was the small, privately-owned e-commerce business of outdoor apparel that was looking for someone to help expand the company’s marketing reach. When he saw the job posting, Steven noticed that he was loosely acquainted with the president of the company through other personal affiliations. The advertised role was just manager-level, but Steven took the liberty to email the president directly to discuss the larger goals of the company.
“We had a really good conversation, and I think I impressed him. He liked me and my people skills. We discussed what they were trying to do, and I felt very confident I could help them achieve their goals. He ended up elevating the role to a director of marketing position. I was lucky! They wanted the person, and they made the role fit the person. It was one of those “stars-aligned” kind of things!”
Although the hiring process moved quickly, Steven was able to line up TBG specialists within a day to help him prepare for interviews and offer negotiations.
“The specialist sessions were so useful! My interview preparation was with Vivek Agarwal. I absolutely loved working with Vivek! He started with a mock interview. Then he explained how I could have improved my responses because time is limited, and you have to be targeted in what you talk about. He was relaxed, patient, and effective. The way he communicated what I needed to focus on was really well done.”
Several months in, Steven loves his new job and says it’s an excellent fit.
“There is great work-life balance, the office is close to home, and there is good opportunity to grow and work my way up in the company. I am rejuvenated! I wake up every morning and think, ‘I get to go to work!’”
Steven is also grateful that his new job search skills helped him chart a new direction in his career.
“There were so many valuable pieces to The Barrett Group Program. If I hadn’t gone through it, I would still be stuck in the advertising industry. Ad agencies were still trying to recruit me and if I had been unsuccessful in transitioning into marketing, I would have succumbed and gone back to it. I needed The Barrett Group’s help to break out of that cycle.
