Pivoting From A Role That is No Longer Aligned With Your Values

In this episode, I sit down with Elizabeth Binette, a public relations professional with the Government of Canada, to discuss her inspiring career pivot from administrative roles into communications. We explore what it really takes to change careers, build meaningful professional relationships, and create opportunities through visibility, community, and authentic networking. Elizabeth shares her personal journey, the challenges she faced breaking into a new field, and the strategies that helped her successfully make the transition.

Tune in to hear more about:

• How Elizabeth successfully transitioned from a decade-long administrative career into public relations

• Why volunteering and professional associations can help bridge the experience gap during a career pivot

• The growing importance of trust, relationships, and visibility in today's hiring landscape

• How authentic networking creates stronger opportunities than transactional connections

• Why personal branding matters and how to be intentional about what you want to be known for

• How curiosity, community, and showing up consistently can open unexpected career doors

By building genuine connections, sharing your unique strengths, and putting yourself out there with confidence, you can create momentum and open doors you may never have imagined. Tune into this episode of Career Ambitions to learn how authenticity, visibility, and community can help shape your next career move.

Guest Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethbinette/

Let's Connect:
Website: http://www.joannesparrow.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/careercoachjo
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@careercoachjo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-sparrow-career-coach
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CareerCoachJo
Threads: Joanne Sparrow 🔹 (@careercoachjo) 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Career Ambitions, the podcast for corporate professionals who are ready to stop waiting and take control of their careers. If you're tired of sending applications into the void, wondering why you're not getting interviews, and watching opportunities go to people who are no more qualified than you, you're in the right place, my friends. I'm Joanne Sparrow, former HR Director Turned Career Coach, and I've spent more than two decades sitting on the other side of the hiring table. That means I know exactly what hiring managers think and what they say behind closed doors. Join me on this episode of Career Ambitions, where I'm pulling back the curtains on the hiring process and unapologetically exposing the truths, job seekers are never told to give you the strategy and confidence to move your career forward and land your dream job or promotion. Welcome to today's Career Ambitions Podcast. And I'm so thrilled to be speaking with Elizabeth Bennett, who I just met a few weeks ago at the uh Women in PR conference in Toronto. So welcome, Elizabeth. Thank you. I would love for you to tell our listeners who you are and what you do.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Uh yeah, hi, Joanne. Thank you so much for having me. So my name is Elizabeth Bennett, and I work for the Government of Canada as a public relations practitioner. Um and yeah, I was really happy to meet you at the Women in PR North America Workwell Conference earlier this month.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Wonderful. Yeah, it was uh serendipitous that we met and uh so glad that we we chatted and really uh felt a connection right away and lots of commonalities. And I I reviewed your LinkedIn profile, and I see that you made a pivot in your career. And so I'd I'd love to hear your story and the how you went, what prompted the pivot, first of all, and some of the challenges. Um, I think it's important, you know, a lot of people are contemplating pivots and and um uh we would love to hear your story.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Yeah, for sure. So I started my professional career in the government of Canada in Ottawa as an admin assistant. Um, and when you join the government of Canada and and you get that opportunity here in Ottawa, you're kind of told like this is this is your future, you know, you're in it for the whole 35 to life or or 25 to life, and and you've got your pension and the benefits and everything. So I um I started as an admin assistant and I worked my way up. I was the executive assistant to the commissioner for correctional service Canada for a little while, right when COVID hit, which was a huge, uh, huge um learning experience to be in the office the whole time while everything, all of the policy changes were happening and all of that, the big decisions were being made. And uh and yeah, so a lot of my career was as an admin assistant. And then I had my son, and I was suddenly at home the admin assistant for this little um monster that they created. Um, and and it made me think like I didn't want to go back to work and and have to think of someone else's and another adult's um, you know, needs the way that I was thinking about my child's needs. And it it had me think, I always loved communications, and it was always the goal for me to end up in communications, but I didn't know what was out there, so I did some research, and uh here in Ottawa, there's the Diploma in Public Relations at Algonquin College. I reached out to them. Unfortunately, uh, they only have an in-person program and I couldn't commit to that. But the University of Victoria offers an online program, and I'm from Victoria, BC originally, so I hopped on that. It was meant to be for me. Yeah, I did that program, which they suggest to take two to three years to complete. I did it in 14 months. You know, once I decided I wanted to work in PR, it was that was it for me. It was um, it was interesting because I think a lot of communicators were not really math people, right? We were we're arts people, we like literature. And I had that same interesting um feeling of wow, this is hard when I was studying PR and putting together comms plans that I would have when I did math. But it it was interesting because I also understood it in a way that I didn't understand math. So it was like I had that challenge without the feeling that I wasn't, you know, able to grasp things. And that really solidified for me that like PR was the challenge that I needed in my life. Um so I finished my diploma in public relations with UVIC, graduated, and then I went to go back to work and hopefully find a position in communications. And I hit this wall, this catch 22, right? Where I was a mid-level career professional. I had done 10 years in the government and I had all of this experience, but none of it in communications. So how could I translate my experience into a comms role without having a comms role to get the experience from? I it was this catch-22 for me. And uh what I did is I decided to join the Canadian Public Relations Society as a student member at the time. I joined the Ottawa Gatneau chapter as their student liaison, and I started doing presentations at the colleges here of why it's important to join. And I went to their networking events and I helped plan events with them. So it was like, what could I do to get the experience where I didn't have to prove that I had the experience to begin with? And for me, that was volunteering in a role like with CPRS. And since then, I've become the vice president of the Ottawa Gatno chapter, and we plan monthly events, and we've got this huge network now of people that are just amazing and come out, and students that come out. And uh yeah, we offer we offer this space where people can gain experience like I did, or make connections like I did, without having to prove that they have the comms experience to begin with.

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Yes, well done. Congratulations. Oh, thanks. So um you hit on a really key point that I want listeners to take away today, and that is um showing up, getting outside of your comfort zone, networking, networking in-person events, especially at CPRS. If you're a PR and communications pro, that is the organization to be part of. And even if you're not feeling up to it, unless you're sick, you got a fever, get out there, get in front of people. It could be that one time you actually don't feel like going and you go, and something sparks. That is a conversation, an opportunity. If you're not putting yourself out there, you don't know what opportunities you're missing.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

I completely agree. And I think that in this kind of um hiring environment right now, people are looking for employees that they can trust and that they know a lot more than um they're looking for employees with like a solid um on-paper professional background. Um, like it's shifted from experience-based hiring almost to like trust-based hiring because organizations want to work with people that are gonna do the work, that are gonna contribute, you know, professionally, but that are gonna be enjoyable to be around, right? We all want to be on teams where it's fun to go to work, where you want to go to work. And that doesn't just mean, oh, I have all of this experience on my resume. It means showing up and showing who you are and and showing what your values are, what you're passionate about. And that's what people are gonna connect with before anything else.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Uh yeah, I love the point that you said the trust uh factor. Yeah. Uh, because every uh so many resumes are starting to look the same. Yeah. So employers and recruiters and hiring managers are no longer trusting resumes. Yeah, they're going to LinkedIn to search for candidates and they're going through their networks for referrals. So the people in those rooms that you're networking with can be your referrals, can be a door opener for you. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

And that's so important. That's what I tell students when I go um speak to them at uh like here in Ottawa at the Algonquin College program now. I go speak as a representative of CPRS. And one of the first things that I tell them is all of us sitting in this room right now, we're gonna leave with the exact same credentials. We'll all leave with a diploma in public relations. What's gonna differentiate you when you hit the job market? You know, is it that you have connections? Is it that you volunteered? Is it that you are part of a community? That's what's gonna make a difference. Because if you just show up and and you have the same exact exact resume as your neighbor, people are gonna overlook it because it's just not, it's just not what makes the difference these days. And I think that being part of a community is one of the most important things in job seeking right now, but also in like just being happy in your choice of profession. Like if you have friends and colleagues in a community that you can discuss with and that you can find out what they're passionate about and learn about what they're doing, that's gonna help you grow so much.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Because when you're out there networking at these CPR at uh CPRS events, um, you get marketing collateral, marketing for yourself. Oh, absolutely. The CPRS posts on LinkedIn of their events and who's attended. Yeah. And so that gives you uh visibility, and you posting on LinkedIn expands your network, it gives you up as a thought leader. You're attending these events, you're putting out your uh point of view on the event or a subject. Um, it those are golden moments that you know, as a job seeker, you don't have to be an influencer on LinkedIn, but visibility is the new currency when it comes to finding those opportunities. So taking advantage of in-person networking, even the online events that CPRS uh holds, hosts. Um, you take screenshots of, you know, with all the attendees, and if you're on there, you know, use that to your advantage. So talk about why you took the course, why you attended the event, and would you recommend it for others? So on that note, Elizabeth, would you recommend the same course that you took uh at the University of Victoria to other uh people considering a pivot or recent grads that are looking to uh get an undergraduate?

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah, absolutely. I loved it. It was an online program, it was asynchronous, which means that there's no in-person um learning, so you can do it on your own time. Uh it was the UVIC Continuing Studies Diploma in Public Relations, and that's what I did. Um, and you said uh you said something about showing up, and I just wanted to kind of add an extra word. I would say the most important thing is showing up authentically, which means as a public relations professional, you have to know your brand. And that's something that a lot of people I think struggle with in networking. I um I see it at CPRS, especially with with students who are really, I mean, they're looking for a job, and that's that's completely reasonable. We we need it, right? Survival. Um, but if you don't know who you are and what you want to say and what you represent and your values, then you're not showing up authentically. And you get these comments of, oh, networking is so it's a performative action. I I just show up and nothing happens, and then I'm tired. And well, what I what I recommend to people who are saying this is I recommend that they ask themselves, am I showing up and am I putting myself out there? Am I am I telling people what I can provide to them in the industry? Am I telling them about myself? Am I telling them what I'm passionate about, about my experiences, or am I just asking? Am I asking for advice? Am I asking to go have coffee and take their time? Am I asking for a job? Because you know, people do feel that um when it's not authentic. And so if you're going out and you're networking and and it's just to get, get, get, I want to get contacts, I want to build a list. Of course, you're not gonna see the results that you want. If you're going out there and you're sharing your values and what you can provide to people, it might not happen in the next two weeks. But somebody at some point is gonna think, oh, I remember meeting Elizabeth and she talked so passionately about doing, you know, this, this, this in her current job or her previous job. You know what? I think she would be a good fit for what we're looking for now. And that's what I recommend is know who you want to be when you put yourself out there. I did a class earlier this year on conscious leadership. And one of the like turning points for me was, you know, we can list our values, I honesty and transparency and all this. But the um the thing that that made an impact for me was the person asked, if you're standing in front of someone, what do you want to say? Not what do you want them to hear, but what do you want to say? And that's where your brand is. That's where who you are lies authentically. And and it made a big difference for me in this you know self-reflection path. Um, and also, you know, just dissolving these performative actions of showing up just to get contacts, just to, you know, try and get a job, dissolve those performative actions, dissolve the LinkedIn posts that are just because you know, you plugged something into AI and it made you feel like, oh, I can connect to that. I'm gonna copy-paste it. Dissolve that. Use your words, put yourself out there authentically. That's what's gonna make somebody remember you. That could be the turning point for getting a job in two years. You don't know. Until then, keep working. Yeah, you know, keep working on yourself, keep building, keep going out.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

Whether you are working on polishing up your personal brand or doing nothing, you have a personal brand. Yeah. So it's super important to take a conscious effort to build that brand. Yeah. To be known for something. Yes. And, you know, when you're in those in those rooms with other professionals who could potentially give you referrals or potentially lead you to a higher, you want to be able to share your career story. The other thing about networking events is show up with curiosity. Learn about what other people's stories are. People love sharing their stories. Like I was blown away by the um by the amount of women in the room at the conference that wanted to share their career, just on the spot. Yeah. And it was amazing. So that's that's my two two points on that is you know, focus on building your brand. What do you want to be known for? Yeah. And going to uh industry events um with curiosity.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

Yeah. And I guess at the end of the day, it's it's about doing it meaningfully, I think. You know, like you said, show up and learn about who's there, listen to their stories, share what you're passionate about, and that's where you're gonna build your community. Yeah. So what's next for Elizabeth and your career? What's next? So my career in the government um has has um become how do I put this politically correct? Well no, I'm all about honesty. So what's next for me is um the government, uh, I burnt out. I burnt out trying to fight the bureaucracy and um be allowed to be creative in my communications role instead of just following policy. Um there are a lot of really interesting stories that we could share that we're not allowed to because people are still afraid of being too transparent or being um, you know, or of oversharing or the questions that might come back. Um and that's not that's not one of my values. So I am uh doing another pivot, and I um I will be working for a boutique agency, which is interesting because as you pointed out at the conference, it's the kind of um opposite of what a lot of PR professionals do. You usually start in a boutique agency or in an agency, and then when you outgrow that, you move into a corporate landscape, and then you can grow forever. And I it just doesn't align with who I am right now. So I want to go back and I'm going back to a boutique agency where I can have meaningful impact on small organizations and feel that the work that I'm doing is um actually contributing um as opposed to just you know the corporate wheel.

SPEAKER_00 18:14

Yeah. Well, congratulations. Agency world can be amazing, exciting, uh fast paced, all those things. You get great client work, great opportunities, a career growth, great trajectory. Um, I really enjoyed my time at Hill and Oldton Strategies in Toronto. Um, unfortunately, that role, you know, it was shortly into that role, uh the pandemic happened. So it really changed the course of my career, but you know, in a good way.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yeah, of course. Here you are now. That's right. I mean, at the end of the day, I just like my dream is to be um memorable for a good reason. You know, like I would like to be that person eventually that that people talk about when they have work that they're like, oh, who should we get in touch with to do this? And they think of me, you know, that I've done enough meaningful and interesting and collaborative work that I'm just somebody that that they know can contribute, that they know can, you know, that that my record that you will make me.

SPEAKER_00 19:23

Yes, and that you will make a major impact.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Yes, that's that's the ultimate dream eventually.

SPEAKER_00 19:29

Yeah, well, congratulations, Elizabeth. So to wrap up our time today, uh, where can our listeners find you? Where would you like them to follow you?

SPEAKER_01 19:39

They can follow me on LinkedIn, Elizabeth Bennett, and uh that's that's basically where my professional, my professional uh life resides.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Excellent. Thank you so much for listening to Career Ambitions. If this episode gave you a new perspective, a practical takeaway, or even a little spark of confidence you needed, I would love for you to follow the show and leave a review. And if you're an ambitious corporate professional who's ready to stop guessing and start moving with a clear strategy, I would love to invite you to my masterclass. Inside this masterclass, I teach the exact strategies my clients are using to land their dream jobs. You can learn more about the masterclass in the show notes or at joannsparrow.com. See you in the next episode of Career Ambitions.