Why I left Fortune 500 to Become an Assistant
By: Lia Heaivilin
Tags: Entrepreneur, Marketing, Jobs, Business, Hiring

Fortune 500 was such a big deal as a new college graduate.

There were hundreds that applied to join what’s now Hewlett-Packard Enterprise from all over the country, and dozens made it to the on-campus group interview that was held over 2 days in Roseville, CA.

Only 20 or so made it through, and we were dubbed as “wave 1”.

Being a high-performing salesperson

I quickly became part of an enterprise sales team selling data center services to other Fortune 500 companies.

The sales training programs were great, I got to mentor and train new team members and new hires, and I exceeded the quota of $8MM+/yr every single year.

I loved the challenge, its atmosphere, and the ever-changing IT industry.

But one day, I decided to leave.

Becoming an executive assistant

I was going to be an assistant for a “relatively” small business in Reno, NV where I had gone to school.

Trust me, I wasn’t necessarily proud to tell my colleagues what job I was leaving for. While a lot of my co-workers were going to LinkedIn, Salesforce, or other big IT corporations getting big pay bumps, I had to make my assistant job sound a bit more interesting than what it really was.

But this job was the best career move that changed my life forever, and no one could’ve seen this coming.

My official title was Executive Assistant to the CEO.

When I met the CEO not much earlier, he had expressed his need for an assistant as his current one was retiring.

Was I interested? Not at first. I wasn’t planning on going backward in my career.

But then as I talked to the CEO, I realized that this was one of the fastest-growing companies in its industry with a lot of potentials, but more importantly, the CEO was willing to teach me about his business.

I took a pay cut and accepted the job.

What you need to make out of a job

My job description wasn’t anything special, but I decided to change it. I started learning about all parts of the business and came up with new projects with different departments. I was part of sales, marketing, purchasing, operations, and everything else in between.

It was fast-paced, creative, and challenging.

During that time, the company went from 1 distribution center to 3 across the nation, and only after 2 years with the company, I became a Vice President at age 30 at one of the biggest national importer, wholesaler, & retailer of aftermarket print consumables.

Trust and respect had to be earned from people inside and outside of the company by doing things that mattered to the company’s top and bottom line.

I got to manage and grow a team, travel to China to work with Chinese manufacturers, and participate in all types of strategic decision-making processes.

I worked as if the company were my own (although, technically I was, given small equity with the promotion), and when the company eventually sold, I decided to leave to start a new adventure.

My husband and I traveled the world visiting Asia and Europe for 4 months. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we’ll continue to talk about.

Since then, we started a digital marketing agency and marketing technology company to help Small-and-Medium Businesses (SMB) sell products and/or services they work hard to market.

This next challenge is no different- I have my goal of working with and helping others, and I go above and beyond what is expected of me.

Key takeaways

This part of my life wasn’t simply a career change. It changed my life.

However, a job can’t change your life if you’re simply working a job.

I’ve seen this over and over again with the hires I made as well as observing other employees in different companies.

You need a bigger purpose to work towards (whether it’s becoming a business owner, CEO, or team lead), take ownership of your current role, and do the very best to go beyond what’s expected of you.

For business owners or hiring managers, stop looking for qualified people and start looking for someone that can make a difference in the company.

Someone who is willing and curious that likes to question the status quo.

Someone who’s able to learn quick, enjoys challenges, and does what it takes to solve any problem.

Why you need to make a choice

This assistant job I thought was a step back turned out to be the best promotion I could’ve had to get me to where I am today.

If you’re in any small or big position and thinking of switching to something that may not make sense to others, or maybe even to yourself, think more of its potential and what you will learn from it.

Most importantly, ask yourself what you’re willing to make out of it.

I could’ve simply made my job about answering calls and emails, booking travels, and running reports. But I didn’t.

If you’re the type of person that loves the adventure, refuses the status quo, and can handle challenging times, then what are you doing in your job that makes you unhappy?

Why not go make something great happen!

What are your thoughts and experiences on this?