How to Build a Career You're Passionate About

Have you ever heard someone say, "Oh, I just fell into this industry?"

Odds are, they were in talent acquisition or HR.

That’s exactly how Salem Wirth’s career began.

Initially, on the path to becoming an accountant, she pivoted into TA, moved into HR, where she worked her way up to a Chief People Officer, and then launched a consulting business to provide HR and Operational leadership to start-up companies.

Through years of hard work and a passion for learning, Salem has built a successful career. Today, she shares her journey and her top tips for anyone looking to grow in their field.

What are the qualities you look for in a team player?

1. Be unapologetically yourself.

I don't want to be in a room full of people who are telling me what I want to hear. I want to hear different opinions. I want to hear different trains of thought. Because if you're not innovative and you're not thinking about things differently, you're not going to grow and you're not going to make your project the best it can be.

2. Be proactive, not reactive.

If no one raises their hand to do something, I'll do it because I want to learn something new and I want to sharpen the tools in my tool belt.

3. Be passionate about what you're doing.

This will shine through in every type of conversation that you have with people. Are you passionate about working with people? Are you passionate about problem-solving? Are you passionate about the product that you're selling? In the end, everyone is a salesperson for their company no matter what role they're in. So, if you don’t believe in the product you're selling or the product you're supporting behind the scenes, you're not going to like your job, you're not going to want to come to work every day and that affects your team.

How do you determine whether you’ll be passionate about a role before accepting it?

Ask your interviewers to paint you a picture. Ask them to describe the culture to you (e.g. company values, how those are lived out day to day, etc.). Ask yourself how those resonate with you.

Look up people who used to work there and reach out to them on LinkedIn. You can ask why they left and sometimes you might get helpful, different perspectives from those people.

Finally, ask the hard questions. Weed out the fluff that people are giving you and ask very directed, pointed questions so that there's no room for them to skirt around issues. If you can find a leader who can give you a direct answer about problems that are going on, that’s a healthy sign of their culture. They can be transparent internally AND externally which goes a long way for the future of that company.

What advice would you share with job seekers and others looking to level up their careers?

Never be the smartest person in the room. If I'm the smartest person in the room, I'm in the wrong room. I can't learn anything. I always want to surround myself with people who are so much smarter than me, so much wiser, people who have that muscle memory and experiences that they can teach from. I soak that in like a sponge. That's been a huge part of how I've grown in my career.

For those looking right now, the market is so hard. You have to have a competitive spirit. It's so easy to get discouraged. It's so easy to get frustrated. It's okay to take a step back and recalibrate. You might feel like you have to spend four hours a day on the computer, applying, applying, applying, applying. I felt this way when I was looking.

Take a breath, go for a walk, start back at it tomorrow, and be really pointed in your search. If you know you want to work in a certain industry, target the top 10 companies and message all of the essential people so that you can get in front of them. Be strategic about your outreach. Write a quick sentence or bullet point paragraph sharing the four things you could do for them right now. Show that you can think creatively.

Don’t be afraid to utilize your network. People want to help you. Whether they’re mentors, previous co-workers, or people you haven’t talked to in five years, you can ask them for help. You never know where that next opportunity will come from. Your network goes a long way.

Throughout my career, I have always made a point to take jobs that scare me. I don't want to go into something already comfortable because I won't be challenged. So the short moral of the story is that "if it doesn't scare you, it won't change you.”

What is one skill you think will be essential moving forward?

Being innovative, thinking outside of the box, and bringing as much creativity as you can. Things are constantly changing and so is the workforce. So many things are centered around technology and AI. To be informed about those changes, but also to be able to think ahead will go a long way. For example, if I know AI is really big right now, where could I sprinkle in an innovative idea of how I could use AI to solve their problems? Being able to stay informed of market trends and sharing how you could provide value for their team will make all of the difference.

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, Salem.

To learn more about Salem check out her LinkedIn here.