I’ve always been interested in a career in sales, but I never thought that my non-profit skillset could translate in the private sector. In my first jobs, I supported individuals with disabilities and then moved to roles as a Community Developer, an Employment Counsellor and an Outreach Worker, all in the non-profit sector. But it wasn’t until I took a chance on a side-gig selling Disney travel that I realized I had what it takes to work in sales.
I grew my travel business over four years and decided to take it full time in February 2020. COVID promptly crushed my dreams in less than a month. This was particularly heartbreaking because my travel business was on track to double sales for the year. Fortunately, that was enough time to discover I really enjoyed the chase of the sale. So, I was super excited to secure my current role as a Business Development Representative at D2L in January 2021.
What has surprised me most over the last few months is the transferability of my non-profit experience. If you’ve ever worked in a team to support others you know how important it is to build strong relationships. If you’ve had to raise money or plan community events you know that building connections and strong communications skills are a must. Non-profit work has you practicing active listening in your sleep and gives you more intuition than you know what to do with. All these skills are precursors for success in a sales career.
Not only am I loving the strategy and goal setting that is part of my role, but I still get to do what I do best: connect with new people every day! D2L has an awesome onboarding process, a great team structure and a welcoming environment. The pandemic has impacted so many careers and industries, I feel very fortunate to have found this role with D2L. I feel like this is just the beginning of this chapter of my life and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for me in my D2L career path.
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