Agata Lewandowska

Client: Agata Lewandowska was head of administration and facility management at the Polish affiliate of a multinational engineering and technology company.

Industry: Manufacturing, Non-Profit, NGO

Function: Management, Consulting, Technical Management

Challenge: A relocation to Geneva combined with the outbreak of the pandemic made for a very difficult job search for someone with a thin network outside of her home country.

Process: The Career Plan helped Agata articulate her professional identity and she embraced TCD's networking process.

Landing: Agata landed a position that perfectly intersects her values and professional interests – an operational efficiency consultant for a major non-governmental organization in Geneva.

For 13 years Agata Lewandowska worked for the Polish affiliate of a multinational engineering and technology company, based in Warsaw. Starting out as an assistant to the office managing director, Agata worked her way up through the organization to reach head of administration and facility management, where she oversaw office services, logistics, fleet management, travel, and special events for an employee headcount of nearly 2,000.

After more than a decade, Agata was ready for a change. In 2019 she informed her boss that she was planning to resign to move with her husband to Geneva, Switzerland. Sadly, six months before she was due to leave, her company undertook a massive global reorganization, impacting her team. Agata had to terminate most of her staff before her own departure.

"It was a very depressing time for me and made my transition even harder," said Agata.

"All the things The Career Doctor taught me about networking I used to engage people who didn't even know they needed to know me."

The pandemic compounded her challenges. One day after Agata arrived in Geneva, the country went into full lockdown. Job searching during a global pandemic with a thin network outside of Poland was going to be very difficult, so Agata hired The Career Doctor to help her find opportunities.

Agata's experience began with the Career Plan, where she took stock of her skills and professional preferences. It was just what she needed after the bittersweet experience of exiting her old company.

"The Career Plan gave me a lot of energy. I worked with Rita Boie. Her approach was just perfect for what I needed. She helped me figure out who I was and what I could offer. I know my competencies, but I hadn't been able to articulate them in a way that differentiates me in a professional environment. By the end of the Career Plan I had a professional identity that I could present to potential employers," said Agata.

Agata moved on to working with Isabelita Castilho, her career consultant, who overhauled her LinkedIn profile and trained her in how to build up and leverage her professional network. Agata threw herself into the networking process with a passion.

"When I arrived in Geneva, I had few contacts there. TCD showed me how to build up my network, using LinkedIn and other means, and reach out to people to try to have conversations with them. I had about 600 LinkedIn connections when I started with TCD. By the time I landed, I had 2,500!" said Agata.

Agata was also very proactive in making contact with people outside of LinkedIn, approaching strangers in a non-intrusive manner to introduce herself.

"All the things The Career Doctor taught me about networking I used to engage people who didn't even know they needed to know me."

"By the time I landed, I had 2,500 LinkedIn connections!"

Agata found the guidance that TCD gave her about how to communicate with people to be very helpful.

"TCD taught me how to write a message to get people to talk to me. The message should be short and shouldn't sound like you are begging for help," said Agata. "I got replies from people at any level – even C-level people. They were in general really happy to talk to me. It was amazing!"

In the end, the contact that led to Agata's new job came via one of the 25 people that Agata had identified using TCD's research techniques. Thanks to this connection, Agata was able to snag an interview and get to the final two candidates for a coveted position at a large non-governmental organization that she was familiar with from her time in Poland.

She is now an operational efficiency consultant, helping the organization streamline operations and optimize administrative functions – a role that intersects her values and her professional interests.

"Everything about this job is perfect. It's a values-driven organization. I work in a very international team. The job checks all my boxes, like creating something new, optimizing, collaborating, and using my expertise. TCD helped me to find a fantastic, fulfilling job opportunity and to finally show what I can do."

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