How LinkedIn and Kaltura Changed My Career and My Life

I’ve always been career-oriented. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. While it hasn’t affected my abilities, it has meant that I need more flexible working options to accommodate it. My job at the time in Technical Customer Support didn’t offer room for growth unless I could physically be in the office every day, so I started looking for a new career opportunity last year.

Updating My Presence on LinkedIn

I found my last three jobs through LinkedIn, so I immediately turned to LinkedIn to update my profile. I spent time thinking about what I wanted from my next role and defined this in my Summary and Headline. I wanted my profile to stand out, be succinct, and attract exciting and forward-thinking employers. Rather than duplicate my CV, I used the Experience section to summarize my previous employers, roles, and most importantly my key achievements and impact.

Once I updated my profile, I asked for recommendations from customers, peers and managers I had worked with in the past. My aim was to gather at least three recommendations for each job and at least one from a customer. In my view, it’s the recommendations that make you stand out from the crowd. These are true testimonials from people you’ve actually worked with or provided a service for. They matter more than a CV, as they are a clear indication of your success, and that’s one of the key benefits of using LinkedIn. I was surprised at how willing people were to write recommendations - many were really happy to write a short note about their experience working with me. It’s easier if you collect these throughout your career so I try to keep mine constantly updated.

Landing My Dream Job

Shortly after updating my profile, I was contacted by Michal Tsur, Co-founder, President, and CMO of Kaltura, an open-source rich media and video platform. Michal contacted me through a personalized InMail about an opportunity to help build their UK team. Over the next 10 days, I had a series of phone interviews with various department leaders and founders of the company. My final interview was with the General Manager of the Kaltura London office, Leah Belsky, who I hit it off with immediately. Throughout the interview process, I was honest about my epilepsy and need for flexibility in my work, which the entire team at Kaltura was supportive of. Next thing I knew, I received a call saying that my application had been successful and that I had landed the job of my dreams in Account Management. Kaltura enabled me to work from home for a portion of my week, which helps me manage my local and international travel. They have provided me with the tools and support I need to grow and succeed in my career.

The benefit of using LinkedIn is that my profile has global reach and exposed me to both local and international job opportunities. This isn’t always the case. When you submit your CV to a recruiter, they look around and try to match you with local jobs. When you update LinkedIn, the whole world sees it, so your reach and exposure is much wider.

Advancing in My Career

My new role is a big promotion from my last job and is international in scope. I was recently promoted to Director of Strategic Accounts, where I oversee client relationships and projects in the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Europe. I have the opportunity to work with a wide customer base across industries including education, media and enterprise. I love that my role is customer facing and exposes me to different sectors, cultures, languages, and regions. There’s a huge challenge in keeping a global team working together, but Kaltura’s approach to flexible working, their use of video, VOIP and live streaming, and their open attitude about supporting employee growth and development make it a world-class company to work for.

Quite simply, this new role has changed my life. My salary has increased, my career growth path is now excellent, and I’ve never been happier. Thanks to LinkedIn and Kaltura, I was able to overcome limitations to find opportunities I never would have found otherwise.