From a traditionalist point of view, my resume would be deemed as a mess. The multiple jobs I took doesn't seem to have any relation with one another. It's easy to assume that I don't really know what I want.

When I stepped into the career world, I knew that I wanted to be in the infosec industry. Like everything else, expectation doesn't actually match up with reality. I could choose to suck it up and continue pursuing something that I don't enjoy. I mean, that's what we've all been taught to do, right?

Except that I didn't. I ignored the status quo and explored the startup scene instead. It was definitely a life changer, taking on multiple roles while getting to learn at an accelerated pace. Perhaps, what I wanted more than ever was to equip myself with the knowledge and skills that could help me become a one man startup. When you look at it this way, my resume suddenly seems to make sense.

Given that I'm never a fan of being boxed by job titles, it became a challenge to define the role that I wanted to take on. Simply put, I just want to solve problems with everything that I know. It sparks joy in me when I'm able to apply multiple perspective to the work I'm doing. Think like an engineer / penetration tester, apply customer success thinking when interacting with people, write like a marketer etc. These are just some of the approach I took on in my current role as a recruiter.

In a world where change happen rapidly, we need to look at things differently. Gone are the days where we can just stick to a specialization and hope that it would survive till the end of our career. Take a look at how industries, roles and knowledge that were once in demand got rendered obselete these past few years. Does it make sense to hold on to that old mentality?

A forward thinking company would probably realize that it's silly to emphasize on a linear career path when they look at resumes. Rather than dismissing perceived job hoppers or penalizing lateral career movers, it's a matter of asking whether a person can do the job regardless of their background and trajectory. What value can they bring to the table from their wide range of experience and perspective in different roles / industries?

Focus on what matters. Keep a lookout for adaptability, learnability, creativity and problem solving ability instead. These are timeless and transferable skills that allows anyone to tackle unforeseen challenges wherever they are.

It's time to embrace the new norm.