The Change Your Career Job Interview

Employers may be hesitant when they meet you first as they have probably heard similar career change stories before. Hopefully your CV has addressed their concerns so your job in the interview is to convince them that you are serious and committed. Here is how:

• Have your research done. Make it perfectly clear that this decision wasn’t made on a whim.

• Have your reasons for wanting a career change straight in your head, and be able to discuss them. Focus on the benefits that you see from your new career path, rather than listing the bad points about where you’re coming from.

• Know where you want to get to in one/five/ten year’s time. Ask about career prospects to let them know you are here for the long run.

• Are you prepared to accept a reduction in salary if you are going to be starting at the bottom again? This may very well come up during the interview; make sure that this isn’t the first time you’ve considered it.Whilst we always recommend you leave any mention of salary off your CV, there is more of a justification for mentioning it in this specific case. If you decide to include it in your CV, ensure that you explicitly state that you realise you may have to accept a lower salary as you’ll be starting at the bottom.

• Convey that you’re prepared to train and to learn; better still if you can demonstrate that you’ve already started this process on your own initiative.

• Remember to have a few good examples of each transferrable skill ready for the interview.

Keep these simple rules in mind for the job interview and you have set another step towards an exciting new career.

 
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