This post continues the saga of my friend Phil, who just successfully transitioned from a career as an evening news producer to a sweet gig as the Director of Communications for the Ohio House Democratic Caucus.

As you guys know, talking to people about how to change careers, and how to find a job they’re truly passionate about, is pretty much what I do.  And Phil’s story is one of the best I’ve heard this year.  Fortunately, I was able to personally witness how the events unfolded.

A few months ago, Phil and his wife Elizabeta invited me to speak at a networking event they were holding in their hometown of Columbus, OH.  Phil was still working at the TV station then, but knew he wanted to explore very different opportunities in communications, so we edited his resume the night before the event to reflect his more general skills areas – like public relations, event coordination, and people management – rather than his ultra-specific TV experience.  

Phil and Beta had invited a panel of successful Ohio-ans to supplement my keynote, and Phil and I discussed how, during the networking portion of the afternoon, he’d talk to every single one of them about his potential career switch.  Well, one of those panelists was Jay Goyal, an inspiring guy himself who, in his mid-twenties, had just been elected to the Ohio House of Representatives.  Jay gave Phil’s resume along with a glowing personal recommendation to some people he knew on the Columbus political scene, and next thing we all knew, Phil had an amazing job in a brand new career.  He’d barely broken a sweat.

I have to admit, when Phil first told me he wanted to move from journalism into a senior communications position, I was skeptical.  I’ve been in the communications field for almost ten years, and you’re usually expected to work your way up.  But Phil figured out what he wanted to do, he crafted a resume that would appeal to his targets, and then he went about meeting the people who could help him make the switch a reality.  He exemplifies how if you’re willing to follow a workable process and have a little faith, you can do just about anything.