At Avanade, we create the future by expanding our thinking, experimenting courageously, and learning and pivoting. We do that for our clients, but we also do it in our own careers. Francesco Amodeo, data protection consultant, shared how this impacted his career journey.

How did you expand your thinking about your career?

After two years in the Avanade Italy Security Talent Community, I asked if there was a chance for a relocation. In February 2022, I moved to join U.K. Security. Moving abroad helped me change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. I started seeing challenges as opportunities for growth – to be bold and experiment – and with determination and hard work, it helped me to expand my abilities and skills. Moving abroad allowed me to expand my career advancement by being able to work with new clients and by using different products. Finally, Avanade put me in a position from day one to forge new relationships, have access to all possible resources to hone my skills, and plan steps for career advancement well in advance.

Have you experienced working in different Talent Communities or parts of our business?

I always worked in Security's Talent Community but in two different countries (Italy and the U.K.) In terms of colleagues, I can say that I have found wonderful people in both countries. The great thing about working at Avanade is that no matter where in the world you work, you will find the same shared values, commitment, support and enthusiasm. From an operational perspective, since Avanade is a multinational company, the same tools and portals are used, so you don't have to figure out a whole new system.

How did you approach these career moves and how did this help you to progress?

The first thing I recommend doing is to talk to your career adviser (CA) about your intention to relocate. Your CA is the most important person in any matter whether it concerns your career or any other question, request you may have. See your CA as your guardian angel!

The CA will report your request to the directors of your Talent Community. At this stage, the directors gather information about your motivation and preference of the country you would like to move to. The directors will then informally contact their colleagues in the desired country and ask if there are any open positions based on your skills. If the answer is yes, you will be invited to two HR interviews, one from your home country and one from the destination country. At this stage, HR will assess whether there are conditions to start the transfer process. Finally, you will be invited for one or two technical interviews with the directors of the destination country to get to know you better, assess your technical and soft skills and plan your future growth. If you successfully pass this last stage, the Talent Acquisition department will take care of all the bureaucratic paperwork until the day of your transfer.

What is the one piece of advice you would give on how to drive your career journey forward at Avanade?

Discuss your professional aspiration with your CA. Be clear about what you like to do and what you feel most inclined towards. Keep an open mind when considering new challenges, e.g. being involved in a project even if you know relatively little about the technology you will have to work with. You will be surprised at how many new and useful things you can learn, and this will be appreciated and valued positively for your future career. Remember, you drive your career, but it is also in Avanade's interest that you are happy, you grow professionally and become successful. What steps would you recommend someone takes? Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice. Speak up! You'll be surprised how the company culture at Avanade is geared towards supporting its talents and not just the business. Your colleagues will always be ready to support you and don't be afraid to confront those who are very high up in the role. The best advice always comes from people with more experience and who have faced the same hardships as you.

Can you describe a distinctive experience in your career journey that has made you feel #AvanadeProud?

A distinctive experience that made me feel #AvanadeProud was when I made a request to attend a three-day course on Open-Source Intelligence analysis, a cybersecurity subject outside Avanade's common offering. Not only did Avanade accept my request, but it also even funded the course. At the end of the course, I shared my experience and knowledge gained during one of the monthly Security Roundtables.

How did you ensure that you were ready for this next role?

You simply collect feedback from the people you work with, whether they are from Avanade or clients. Once collected, share it with your CA and dedicated tools. Once a month, discuss with your CA about your progress but especially your shortcomings and what you could improve on. Try to take at least a couple of certifications per year and get involved in any +1 activity.

What key learning from this experience would you like to highlight?

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone 😊