Tips for Career Change Interviews

Tips for Career Change InterviewsTips for Career Change InterviewsIf youve succeeded in getting an interview for a job in your new desired career, congratulations Thats a sure sign that youve crafted a career change cover letter and resume that successfully conveys that youre a qualified applicant, and your previous experience is relevant to your new career. During your interview, continue to hammer that message home. Here are six tips to help you have a successful career change interview. Play Up Similar Skills Heres the good news about switching careers Its bedrngnis a hard reset. You wont need to work your way up from an entry-level stelle all over again. During your original career, you gained valuable experience and knowledge that youll bring to any new role. In fact, your former field may have more in common with your new industry than you thought. Before your interview, list out the skills you used in previous jobs thatll be relevant in your new career. Review the job desc ription, and consider where you have applicable experience. Heres how to match your qualifications with the job description. During the interview, sell these transferable skills, giving lots of specific examples. Soft skills, in particular, often carry over from one career to the next. Also look for ways the two careers have overall similarities. If youve managed a construction crew, for instance, youll want to put the focus on your management skills (delivering on time, communicating projects, etc.) during interviews (and not on your construction know-how). Or, if youre moving from retail to food services, you can focus on your strong customer service background. Have a Plan for Gaining New Skills While soft skills can often transfer, you may not have some of the hard skills or job-specific skills needed in the new role. This will likely come up in your interview, so make sure you can address how youll ramp up and gain this experience, whether by taking a class, finding a mento r, or researching online. You can also consider implementing plans to gain knowledge and expertise even before you have the job. For instance, if your new field requires a basic knowledge of hypertext markup language or the ability to copy edit documents, you can enroll in a class. Then, if it comes up in the interview, you can say youre already taking a class to improve your knowledge, which will make you seem proactive and invested in your new path. One cautionary note Its better to be straightforward about areas where you do not have experience than to be vague or obfuscate. And never, ever be dishonest - thatll only lead to unpleasant revelations when you do get the job. Keep in mind No job candidate will have all the skills and experience required for a job. So its fine to have some gaps. Showcase Your Flexibility Not everyone deals with change well. Companies will only take a chance on some new to the field if theyre confident the candidate can adapt to new workflows, pri orities, and responsibilities. During the interview, make it clear that youre comfortable with change by showcasing moments when youve dealt with unexpected adjustments, such as a new boss, changes in your job description, or even just moments when youve handled problems on the fly. Point Out Any Advantages of Your Old Career Path It could very well be the case that your previous career offers benefits to your new career in the form of insider information or a helpful network of connections. For instance, if you switch from a client-side role to a vendor role, youll be able to share insights with your new employer on what exactly clients are looking for. If youve moved from content to publicity, you might be able to share a contact list of writers and editors to promote a product, or might have insight into what pitches will be best received. Be Prepared to Explain Why Youre Changing Careers Theres no question that youll be asked during the interview process why you are shif ting careers. Try to frame your move as being logical - develop a narrative that conveys why youre making this move. Your goal is to convey that you are not flighty, and will not seek to switch careers again. Employers are eager to hire candidates who will stick around. Put the emphasis again on the qualities that are similar between the roles, and share what makes you feel excited and enthusiastic about your new career. Be careful to avoid being overly negative about your previous career. Its fine to say that an industry is shrinking or you feel theres a lack of available opportunities, but dont harp on the negative aspects. Be Aware - and Adjust for - Culture Changes The appropriate interview outfit for a corporate job and a start-up company are very dissimilar, and the same is true for fashion and banking, teaching and sales, and so on.The differences in whats considered appropriate arent only outfit-based Different industries can have vastly different cultures and communic ation styles. Start-ups, for instance, often have a flat organizational structure, with feedback welcome from everyone, while more corporate industries may have a top-down structure. If the environment in your new industry will be very different, try to show that youll fit in by walking the walk and talking the talk during your interview.