Embracing Challenges Led This Consultant to Her Dream Job & She Wants You to Do the Same

Before she was an employee at American Water, Kulwinder Bhoombla — a senior business process consultant for the company’s Technology & Innovation team — worked as an independent consultant for over 16 years, helping companies to implement human resources systems. Making a major career shift like this can be tricky, but Bhoombla says that joining American Water two years ago is actually the career move of which she’s most proud. 

She’s proud in part, she says, because of “the leadership that American Water is achieving in the public utilities industry,” but also because she gets to work at an organization that trusts its employees, which results in better business outcomes. As Bhoombla puts it: “The freedom we employees have in innovating and collaborating with everyone in the company to come up with groundbreaking solutions helps us reach our customers in a more profound way.”

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Bhoombla recently chatted with Fairygodboss about the morning and evening work routines that keep her on track, how she spends her time outside of work, and her No. 1 tip for women who are job searching. 

What’s the first and last thing you do at work every day? 

The first thing I do at work every day is check my calendar and emails so I am prepared for all the meetings throughout the day. The last thing I do is check all of my emails to ensure there are no pending tasks to be completed before the start of the next day. 

What’s the most unique or interesting aspect of your job?

The most interesting aspect of my job is our customer-centric approach and being more of a strategic partner with our business, which is the overall culture Technology & Innovation represents. 

What’s something you’re especially good at at work?

Innovative solutions: enabling myself to think outside of the box by not always following the conventional way of bandaging a product, and instead looking at the root cause to transform a process in its entirety.

What about outside of work? 

Outside of work, I love to spend time with my family and kids.

What are you trying to improve on? 

I consider myself a workaholic and need to improve on work-life balance!

What’s your No. 1 piece of advice for women who are looking for jobs right now?

Just believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid of taking challenges!

What’s the one career move you’ve made that you’re most proud of? 

The career move I made that I am most proud of is joining American Water two years ago, and it is because of the leadership that American Water is achieving in the public utilities industry. 

The freedom we employees have in innovating and collaborating with everyone in the company to come up with groundbreaking solutions helps us reach our customers in a more profound way. 

Who is/was the most influential person in your life and why?

Although many people have influenced my life, the most influential person was my dad. He has taught me the values to live by and the importance of caring for others. He made us feel special every day in our lives.

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