This Manager’s Secret to Career Pivots (Hint: It’s All About Encouragement!)
Deciding to try a career pivot can be scary. However, for some, all it takes is a push and a little encouragement from a friend or colleague to get you to make the jump. That’s ultimately why Ali Ernst, an end user manager at CRH, decided to make a switch. “A colleague in IT made the difference,” says Ernst. “He reached out to me and encouraged me to apply even though I was nervous about being a good fit for the open role.”
Her background wasn’t perfect, and she was concerned that she wouldn’t be a great candidate. However, once again, she found support from her peers, who highlighted not only her transferable skills, but also her personality, attention to detail, and willingness to try new things.
“Ultimately, I applied and was selected. It took about a year to get confident in the IT field,” she says. “Eventually a new management position opened for the Midwest region, and I was quick to apply.”
Now, Ernst is a manager and couldn’t be happier about her career choices. Here, she talks about career pivots, what challenges she faces at work, and her favorite part about her job.
Where did you start your career journey?
I started my career journey with CRH as a buyer. Prior to joining CRH I had a background with ten years experience in corporate interior design and sales. Joining CRH is a funny story; I applied for what I thought was a temp agency. I had never heard of CRH and thought it was a hiring company. I showed up to my interview, and I quickly realized my mistake but was happy to proceed with the interview.
What were your previous roles and experiences like?
Working in procurement with my background, I was able to pick up the procurement duties quickly and was assigned several additional responsibilities. Handling logistics, tire purchases, monthly metrics, and training new hires for the procurement team. During that time I had to overcome a lot of challenges with staff changes and responsibility changes.
How did you make this switch, and how did your company support you?
The people in my company have been so supportive. First encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and apply for Field Services, then when I joined the IT team at the end of 2024, the Central West Manager asked me if I would go to Atlanta for leadership training. I was ecstatic and in February and March of 2025 I flew out to Atlanta to attend the CRH IT Leadership Training. It was such a great experience and really set me up for success later.
How have you benefited from the skills and experiences gained through your career pivot?
My career pivot has expanded both my skill set and my mindset. Coming from my previous role as a buyer, I brought transferable strengths such as problem-solving, relationship-building, and an ability to understand user needs, which has been incredibly valuable in my new path. At the same time, stepping into a new domain pushed me to build fresh capabilities, including new technical skills.
Tell us about your current job.
In my current role, Manager of End User Experience Central Division, my primary focus is ensuring that employees have a seamless, reliable technology experience. I oversee the day-to-day operations of our support function, making sure user issues are resolved effectively and in a timely manner, while maintaining high service standards across all user-facing technologies.
A key part of my role is monitoring user satisfaction. We do this through feedback, surveys, and performance metrics and then use that information to identify where we can improve. I also manage the lifecycle of our end-user hardware and technology assets, from deployment to refresh, ensuring everything stays current and aligned with business needs.
I work closely with both IT and local business teams to understand user challenges and collaborate on solutions that support productivity. Developing my team is another major focus: I mentor and train staff to deliver consistent, high-quality service and to foster a customer-centric mindset.
Overall, my role centers on removing friction from the user experience, supporting the business, and leading a team that delivers exceptional service.
What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about your work?
I find helping people the most rewarding part of my job. I have been in many “thankless” positions over my professional career, and this is not one of them. I enjoy that I can see the relief my users experience when a problem gets solved. Building relationships and being a pillar that others can rely on is what I find most rewarding.
The most challenging part of my work is communication. If you ask people what the biggest issue when interacting with IT is, it’s usually communication. There are so many different teams, divisions, and processes in IT that getting a quick answer for a problem is sometimes very difficult. In my new role I am striving to bridge some of the communication gaps and be an advocate for both my field service teams and the business to get consistent and timely communication about changes to our processes and the business.
What’s your favorite thing about working at your company?
The people! I have met so many amazing people since working at CRH. In my local companies we have a very close, cohesive group that is supportive not only in our daily functions but also when it comes time for the company get-togethers. We have an office full of people who ask about your day, what you’re struggling with and if they can lend a hand, and how your family is doing. The support and willingness to invest in good employees is not something I’ve experienced at any other company, I truly feel privileged to work for such a great group.
What advice would you give to women considering a career pivot?
Don’t be afraid of not having the exact technical skills a job post is asking for! Skills can be taught, finding the right fit for your team goes beyond whether you’ve done a specific task before. Don’t be afraid of failure, we often learn the most when we feel we’ve failed. Apply to things you’ve never heard of and learn something new. Be creative! Creativity goes far beyond the art and design world and can be used to improve processes and see obstacles from a different perspective.
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