A career growing in unexpected directions

R&D was never in Zhang’s career development plan, since she was happy in purchasing for 5+ years. However, she was always open to new opportunities.
 

It was this openness that paved the way for her journey to the R&D department. Zhang stated “My manager at the time actually said on our first meeting, ‘Zhang Chun you know you would make a good R&D manager’. I was a bit shocked since it was the first time we met but he had me outline my skills and the job requirements to see if there would be a fit.”

Zhang has gone through many facets of the business and was happy to share some guiding principles that facilitated her journey.
 

Try new things
She advises new starters to “be open to new things, because even if you fail, you tried something new and gained new experiences, which is a great thing.”

Be prepared
She also advocates for preparedness over opportunity-seeking. “I always tell my team that you don’t go out looking for opportunities, you prepare yourself as best you can, and opportunity will find you. Just be the best version of you and people will notice.”

Be open

Zhang describes the Signify work-life balance and open environment as promoting the freedom to speak out and have an open dialogue with managers. “It’s important to share what’s on your mind, positive or negative. That’s how we grow and improve.”
 

Finally, Zhang wanted to leave with one key message: “The main thing I want people to take away from my story is: take challenges and adapt to the change. That’s my message!”