Interview Question: “Tell Me About Your Change in Careers”

If you're in the process of changing careers, many prospective employers might ask you about your professional transition during an interview. Employers typically ask about your career change to evaluate the transferrable skills and experience you could bring to the new role if they decide to hire you. Answering this question with tact and confidence may help you demonstrate your value to these prospective employers. In this article, we discuss why employers ask about career changes, explain how you can respond and offer example interview answers to help you prepare your response. Related: 5 Signs You're Ready for a Career Change

Why might an employer ask about your career change?

Prospective employers typically ask about your career change to assess how committed you might be as an employee. Prior to selecting a candidate, a hiring manager wants reassurance that spending both time and money on hiring or training you may be a decision that benefits both of you. Employers want to invest in candidates who are enthusiastic about and capable of developing a career with their company long term. Here are some of the ways that a hiring manager might ask you about your career change:

Why do you want to change careers?
Tell me more about the reasons that led you to transfer to a new industry.
What factors make you sure that you'll feel satisfied with your new career?
Tell me more about yourself and your desired career change.
Why do you prefer this new career to your previous one?
Tell me about an instance from your professional history that makes you confident that you'll succeed in this new role.
Why are you interested in pursuing this new career at our company?
What is your dream job?
Tell me about your professional goals for the next five years.
How long did it take you to discover the type of career you're most interested in pursuing? Why?

Related: 10 Ideas for a Career Change

How to address your career change in an interview

Following are some steps that can help you discuss your career change while interviewing for a new role:

1. Discuss your long-term goals

Explain how your decision to change careers relates to your long-term career goals. Show prospective employers that you're seriously thinking about your professional future. Discussing how this unique opportunity or specific company relates to your long-term career ambitions can demonstrate to employers that you're interested in growing your career with their business. Related: How To Succeed Independently in a New Career

2. Be positive and honest

Answer the employer's question honestly while focusing on the positives of your change. The hiring manager could appreciate that you're able to stay motivated and focused through a change. Here are a few examples of how to answer a career change interview question honestly while emphasizing the positives:

"Although I had to leave my previous position because of unforeseen personal circumstances, my departure from there gave me the opportunity to finally pursue my ideal career in marketing."
"After facing numerous challenges in my previous industry, I realized that my unique personality traits and skills would be a better fit for an industry that places more emphasis on building personal connections with both clients and colleagues."
"My family moved to this city recently to be closer to my kids' grandparents. I had been considering seriously for a few years transitioning into a tech career, and given the many generous opportunities your company provides to beginner coders, this seemed like the right time to finally do so."

3. Highlight your unique perspective

Focus on the unique value you can offer based on your last career. Having a different career path than many others in your new field can help you provide a distinct perspective. During your interview, show how your qualifications give you an advantage. For example, an educator transferring to a librarian career could use their interview as an opportunity to explain how they already know about children's varying reading preferences and levels. Related: How Often Do People Change Careers?

4. Emphasize your skills

Showcase the professional skills you already have by offering an example or two in your interview answer. Talking about specific instances when you've used your abilities can provide evidence that you could excel in a new career field. For example, if you want to highlight your communication skills, you could discuss in your interview response how you managed correspondence between departments and wrote weekly newsletters at your previous company.

5. Research the company

Before going into your interview, research the company, including information about their mission, long-term goals, history and company culture. You might also conduct more in-depth research on the open position or current employees in that field. Find aspects of the business that resonate with you and discuss what you like about those aspects. This can show that you took the time to research the company and how you could add to their culture and mission.

6. Bring tangible evidence

If possible, bring tangible evidence of your previous work that could transfer well to a new career. Examples include a portfolio, writing samples or letters of recommendation from clients. It might also be helpful to add this information to an online portfolio or website so employers can reference it later. Related: 10 Ideas for a Career Change

Tips for addressing career changes during your interview

Here's some advice for talking about your career transition during an interview:

Use positive body language

If you're interviewing in person or through video chat, try using positive body language. If you're able to, sit up straight, put your shoulders back and make eye contact with your interviewer. It can also be helpful to smile when appropriate.

Think about your tone and pace

Consider the tone and pacing of your words as you respond to your interviewer's questions. Speak slowly enough that the prospective employer can understand your meaning. Use a friendly, conversational tone that shows how you would interact with team members if you get the job.

Show you're willing to learn

Use your interview as an opportunity to demonstrate your willingness to learn about your new position or industry. You can be honest if you don't know everything about your new industry as long as you feel ready to work hard and master new skills. For example, you could acknowledge that you still have more to learn about data acquisition, but you've done some research and feel ready to learn more through collaboration in the workplace. Related: 9 Steps To Change Your Career Path at Any Age

Example answers for "Tell me about yourself" if you're changing careers

Here are a few example answers that you can use to help you craft a response for prospective employers who ask about your career change:

Example 1

"I decided to change my career because I have always had a passion for helping others but never got to truly explore it. Now that I have recently completed my nursing degree, I feel ready to gain practical experience. I believe that the empathy and communication skills I've developed as a counselor can help me provide the type of comprehensive and individualized patient care that your hospital strives to give."

Example 2

"My partner and I recently relocated here rather unexpectedly. I decided to use the opportunity to grow and learn more about sales. While I still have some practical sales skills to learn, I believe that my recent sales certificate, combined with my record-keeping skills gained from my previous administrative positions, have well prepared me for this career change. My goal is to eventually be a sales manager, and I would love the opportunity to develop my sales career at your company." Related: How To Change Industries or Careers With No Experience [Video + Transcript]

Example 3

"Although I enjoyed my previous line of work, I realized that there were few opportunities for me to advance my career. I'm excited about the possibility of transitioning into a cybersecurity role because this field continually evolves and encourages its professionals to grow with it. I have used your company's antivirus software for years, so it would delight me to be a part of developing more easy-to-use and effective cyber security products." Nonverbal communication is one of many tools that can help you make a good impression in interviews and in your professional life. However, candidate assessments should be based on skills and qualifications, and workplaces should strive to be inclusive and understanding of individual differences in communication styles.