5 Tips for Charting a New Career Path

Most of us don’t have our entire professional lives figured out from the moment we enter the workforce. That’s certainly true for Deena Lipson, who advanced her career at Cox by exploring new paths and building her reputation at work.  

Early in her career, Deena took a job as an executive assistant at a real estate business but wanted to make a move into the corporate world, where she saw the potential to grow in different directions.  

“I knew I had a great skill set, and I just needed a starting point to get myself into corporate — and then from there, I had faith that I would be able to figure out whatever came next,” she said. “I was lucky that I had people who really were advocates for me and believed in me and saw my options for stretching.” 

Deena’s efforts paid off in 2021, when she pivoted to Cox Automotive’s communications department as a senior communications specialist, where she oversees the content that’s published in the company intranet, among other things. 

Deena realized that one of the keys to her success at Cox is that she established a “strong personal brand” at work. Many of the skills Deena’s been proud to have developed as an EA — a strong work ethic, attention to detail and a knack for learning new technologies and processes — all contributed to her ability to make a career switch within the company. 

Here, Deena shares her top tips for successfully navigating a career change.  

Cox has many job opportunities across its different divisions and businesses. Deena said that this can be overwhelming as you survey the landscape of possibilities for your next move. Her advice? Start by simply browsing job openings on the company website to familiarize yourself with what’s out there. 

“There are so many skills that are foundational in any job,” she said. “Look at different job descriptions and see how that sounds to you.” 

Too often, Deena explained, people can get themselves “pigeonholed.” But growth depends on expanding your horizons and being open to new opportunities.  

“What’s really nice about this company is that there’s so much you can do and so many places you can go — it’s all kind of open to you if you just get yourself out there,” she added. “I think getting yourself out there is one of the hardest parts.”  

In addition to her work ethic, attention to detail and ability to quickly pick up new technology, Deena built her personal brand around being reliable, a quality that goes a long way with people. 

“[When] people would hear my name [related to a project], they knew that meant it would get done in a way that they approve of,” she said. “People told me along the way, ‘You have a very strong brand, and that speaks for itself.’”  

3. Be a team player.  

“Collaboration is a huge part of my job,” Deena said.  

She works across Cox Automotive’s communications teams, as well as with Cox Communications and Cox Enterprises. 

Being a team player and team-oriented is crucial for advancing your career, she added. “I always like people to know they can come to me for help on a lot of random things. I’m usually going to say yes because it’s just how I am.”  

Generally, doing good work, being a strong team player and collaborating well with others will speak for itself, Deena says.  

4. Build connections.  

Finding mentors and sponsors can help you discover new ways to advance in your career, Deena said. For example, it was the leader she was working for at the time who nudged her to apply for a comms opening back in 2021. 

“She was like, ‘You would be perfect with this job,’” Deena recalled. “She was also really good about encouraging me to push myself and think outside of what I was doing.” 

Building strong relationships with people you can regularly check in with will keep you on a path to success, Deena explained. It’s also important to let your peers and leaders know you’re interested in looking for ways to advance in your career.  

“Finding common ground with people and being helpful — you never know what that will lead to,” Deena said. “It was really nice that I had people watching out for me, and I think it speaks to the kind of people that we work with.” 

5. Ask for feedback. 

Deena said she has regular conversations with those she works closely with, who she considers “trusted confidants.” This has helped her better understand her strengths, weaknesses and areas where to improve.  

While it’s important to have these conversations with your managers, Deena also likes to ask her peers for their feedback, so she has the benefit of learning about herself from multiple points of view. 

“It’s all about different perspectives and having that diversity of thought and how that can help you grow in your own path,” she said.

And while Deena admits that she doesn’t really know what her next step will be, one thing’s for sure: there’s a lot of room to grow and continue her career journey at Cox.  

“I feel happiness and fulfillment about working here and the people I work with,” Deena said. “That’s what’s important to me. It’s obviously a bonus that I like what I do and that there’s room for me to grow in that.”