Jody Jones credits her passion for retail as the key to her current career at Lowe’s. Growing up, her parents owned small businesses, and Jones was eager to contribute to the family enterprise. As soon as she was legally able—around age 13—Jones worked the cash register, imbued with a sense of responsibility.
“My dad believed in providing ‘outrageous customer service,’” she says. “He instilled that way of working and love for it in all his kids,” she says.
After earning her BA in creative writing, Jones’s first job was as a journalist and features editor of a small newspaper. Following this role, she accepted an opportunity at AOL, then gained increasing seniority at other well-known brands, including Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Food Network, HGTV, and Time, Inc., where she was the Senior Vice President of Digital for their lifestyle brands like Real Simple.
Her tenure at Time, Inc. left Jones craving a little more freedom and creative autonomy. She formed a consulting business focusing on content and brand development, and this venture proved to be the right avenue for growth and fulfillment. Ten years later, Jones decided to return to the corporate sphere.
“When I was ready to return to working for someone else—hoping to ‘future-proof’ my career—I decided to get into tech,” she explains. “Based on my experience with editorial and media, content design was the logical place.”
Now, Jones is Lowe’s Lead UX Content Designer for consumer mobile apps. She shares advice for those hoping to make a career switch like she did, why she’s continuously inspired by her work, and how she’s evolved as a leader.
What’s the biggest challenge you faced when changing careers, and how did you overcome it? How have you applied these learnings to your current role?
My experience has primarily been in editorial content development, digital strategy, content marketing, and executive-level management. One of my biggest challenges was entering a product development organization for the first time and becoming familiar with the systems and best practices. This was a new type of role for me, so I had a lot to learn. It was also tough coming back in as an individual contributor. For many years, I was the boss, so it was refreshing and maddeningly frustrating to step away from a decision-making role. I’ve learned how to appreciate making an impact without operating in a managerial role.
What advice do you have for others—particularly women—thinking about changing the course of their careers the way you did? What do they need to do to succeed?
It’s not easy, especially as a woman over 50. For me, it was at first humbling and almost sad that I had to go back to the beginning and learn a new business. In the past few months, I’ve felt proud of doing the hard work to start anew and the impact I’ve made. Go, me!
My advice: Keep sending out resumes. Keep networking. Keep trying until someone like my manager sees the diamond in the rough you are and how you can use your experience in new ways.
What are your core responsibilities as the Senior Content Designer? Why does this work excite or inspire you?
Acting as the connection between tech and humans, content designers turn complexities into simplicities through patterns, words, and intelligent, user-centric guidance. My responsibilities include developing information architecture, collaborating on product design, writing copy, and ensuring things make sense. It’s a big, fun puzzle that results in a happy customer. Who wouldn’t be excited?
How would you describe your leadership style? How has it changed or evolved?
I hope people see me as someone who leads with empathy, empowers her team to ask questions and express opinions, values research and seasoned instincts, and always advocates for our customers. I was rougher around the edges in my earlier years—a bit less tolerant. Practicing mindfulness is essential to becoming the leader I want to be.
What’s one notable highlight or achievement of your career thus far at Lowe’s, and why?
I’ve been especially proud of and excited about a project I’m co-leading to develop comprehensive and standardized guidelines for UX content development and writing. The whole organization will benefit from this for years to come, and it sets the stage for us to do more impactful work. It’s been a lot of research—studying, writing, and herding cats. But, man, is this cool!
How does Lowe’s encourage and enable employee development and internal mobility? How have you been personally supported?
Lowe’s has several programs and processes that support employee development, from tuition-free education assistance programs to Lunch and Learns. I’ve been supported by my manager and director, who both offered opportunities to learn and advance through important projects and exposure to the other big brains working here.
What’s a common misconception about switching careers from editorial to tech content design, and how would you respond to it?
There’s one misconception that goes two ways:
- Editorial isn’t related to content design—content design isn’t a writing job.
- Editorial work is completely translatable to content design—they’re both writing jobs.
The answer lies somewhere in the middle. While you DO write as a content designer, it’s one of the tools you use, not the totality of your product. Writing skills and instincts are more than nice-to-haves, but they aren’t your entire job.
Outside of work, what was the last piece of media you read, watched, or listened to that positively impacted your worldview?
Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by his daughter, Shannon Lee. The publisher says, “Bruce Lee’s daughter illuminates her father’s most powerful life philosophies—demonstrating how martial arts are a perfect metaphor for personal growth, and how we can practice those teachings every day.”