Embarking on a career as a new or recent college graduate is an exciting experience that can make a big impact on a person’s professional trajectory. Two Abbott employees, Shaistha Abid, an environmental health, and safety senior specialist and Kaylynn Seludo, quality assurance specialist share how they sought out experiences that helped them launch a career path that fits their goals. These are three areas they focused on early in their career:

1. Cross business experience with skills training
2. Mentorship and networks
3. Benefits with impact

Cross Business Experience with Skills Training
Abbott has a rich diversity of career paths in different businesses serving various functional needs. New hires are encouraged early on to explore and learn skills that would allow them to move between different teams.

Shaistha joined Abbott as a college intern, then she earned a spot in Abbott’s professional development program (PDP). It’s a two-to-three-year rotational program where members have six-to-12-month long assignments in different parts of the business, which may even include a rotation in a different country.

“That experience really opened my eyes to the different types of work we do at Abbott and the different customers we serve. It also helped me understand the scope of how we create products with our different teams, from the work in R&D, to product manufacturing, quality control, and commercial sales,” Shaistha said.

Since her PDP experience, Shaistha has worked with Abbott’s corporate global environmental health & safety team and the global engineering services team. She joined the rapid diagnostics team to support the response to the pandemic. She’s now a division environmental health and safety representative for Abbott sites in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Kaylynn started as a lab technician in the bioanalytical quality assurance (BAQA) testing lab with the diagnostics business, then cross trained with the analytical quality assurance (AQA) platform testing lab before moving to the change management group. This group helps teams transition to different technology platforms by giving training and updating documentation.

“The skills I learned in both the BAQA and AQA labs helped me to be successful in my new role,” Kaylynn said.

“A big draw of why people come to Abbott is they know they can have multiple careers here. As they learn, expand their curiosity, and network with other teams they continuously find new areas of interest and find teams that fit their career aspirations,” Shaistha said. “Our work is ever evolving with the latest technology, customer needs, and healthcare priorities. We're constantly training to have the relevant and necessary skills for the jobs of the future.”

Mentorship and Networks that Bridge the Gaps
Finding the right opportunities to transfer between different teams and seeking out the right training to enhance your professional experience can seem like a big endeavor to someone in the early stages of their career. That’s where having mentors and networking groups come in to help people make informed decisions and steer towards path that can lead to career growth.

Kaylynn asked her mentor about different teams at Abbott. “My mentor then went one step further and introduced me to different team leads for informational interviews,” Kaylynn said. “From the informational interviews, I was able to job-shadow in areas that I was interested in. It was a big help to have first-hand experience in these areas and make informed decisions in my career exploration.”

Another big opportunity to explore are the Abbott employee networks. Both women actively participate in the Early Careers Employee network to connect with colleagues whom they may not have otherwise worked directly with. “At Abbott, there are many teams in different businesses. So, it’s great to meet colleagues with similar skillsets and work informally together. One of my favorite activities was volunteering to support local schools and do STEM activities for the community.” said Shaistha.

Kaylynn was the co-chair for the Chicagoland area chapter of the Early Careers network and used it to grow her network. “Our Chicagoland chapter has members from all of Abbott’s businesses, which is unique to our location.” Said Kaylynn

Gaining the skills for a solid professional background while having the support of mentors and networks helps pave the way for employees to confidently explore their professional potential early in their career.

Benefits with Impact
Prioritizing benefits early in your career can be key in helping pursue financial freedom and grow both professionally and personally.

One popular benefit at Abbott is the tuition assistance program, FreeU. Launched in 2021, FreeU enables eligible employees in the US to obtain undergraduate degree on flexible schedules without the financial burden of tuition and student loans. Offered in an online format that lets employees’ study at their own pace, FreeU provides the means for Abbott team members to build their skills and grow in their fields while earning a degree.

Kaylynn enhanced her skills through FreeU. She received a certificate in leadership in data analytics through a local college, and Abbott paid her course tuition in full. She then took a course in project management from Abbott’s internal learning and development team.

Shaistha wanted to improve her conflict resolution skills, and she found a course that would help her do just that and the FreeU program will pay for the tuition.

“I shy away from conflict sometimes,” Shaistha said. She decided that remedying this was important for her professional growth, and she signed up for the course in consultation with her manager, who supported her decision.

Freedom 2 Save is another popular benefit offered by Abbott for employees based in the US. This first-of-its-kind program helps employees with existing student loans pay down their school debt while saving for retirement.

Together, these programs make educational advancement and professional development more attainable for employees, allowing them to stay up to date on the latest developments in their field while positioning them well for future career changes.

Shaistha and Kaylynn invested time and commitment early on to explore Abbott’s different career paths and added transferrable skills to their experience to design a career that can grow with them.