The question “Why do you want to change your career?” is important to the interview and it is a question that can make or break your interview depending on your answer, so fasten your seat belt.
Why do you want to change your career?
Welcome back to our ongoing series, where we tackle the most common interview questions and the best ways to answer them.
Whether you are simply switching organizations or careers or undertaking a comprehensive job revamping, you will encounter a copy of this question.
Some other forms of the question
There are many formulas for the question “Why do you want to change your field of work?” depending on the question, including:
- Why do you want to change your field of work?
- Can you explain why you changed career paths?
- Why did you choose to change your field?
- Why would you like to change your career paths?
Why does the interviewer ask you this question?
Hiring managers will be curious as to why you might want to change the field. They want to hear that you're leaving for the right reasons, better opportunity, more challenges, and career growth.
The interviewer will want to make sure that you don't leave your field because of poor performance, difficult work relationships, or because you hate your job or your boss.
When answering questions about why you changed your field, it's important to rest assured that you're moving forward for the right reasons, not just to get out of a bad business situation.
How to prepare for the answer
First, there is a difference between the question “Why do you want to change the job?” and the question “Why do you want to change your career?”
If it includes a story close to your heart, go ahead and share it. If your new career choice is something you find happiness in, share it too. Or that a career change often brings us back to things we had to give up in the past.
Whatever your story is, share it and make sure there are feelings and passion behind it.
Make sure of the following:
- Find common threads.
- Show performance.
- Remember your best defense is a good attack.
- Don't over-explain.
- Do not offend your profession, your company, your old sector.
- Transfer your motivation.
- Talk about the industry, not the money.
Don't forget to research the organization's background to show the employee how much you care about the job.
Of course, it's helpful to read some press releases or articles online to give you an idea of what's going on behind the scenes.
Show your ingenuity. Collect and inventory all the skills and strengths you have accumulated.
Try to match the skills you have with the job, and be prepared to discuss these with the interviewer.
Examples of answering the question
By asking the interviewer, “Why do you want to change your career?” Some of the answers that you can give him for specific situations include the following:
In my current organization, I have had a lot of experience and gained important skills such as resource management and customer service. I am now keen to manage a bigger team because I feel ready to take on more responsibility. Your career field seems to be the next logical step in my career. Working with your organization will enable me to successfully grow professionally.
There is no particular reason to change career path. I realized that my strengths and weaknesses are not in line with the requirements of the career path I am on now. It was a great organization and a great job but my expectations for the field were different. I decided it was better to leave sooner and started looking for more opportunities in my field. I am looking to work in a professional field that has a creative environment.
The current field is a pioneer in the corporate sector and I have had great opportunities to grow and explore my interests within the organization. I have honed my skills in management, resource allocation, fundraising and many other areas. I thought my calling was in this sector alone. But recently, I realized that now is the time to actually switch. With my disciplined skills at the company, I genuinely want to make a greater social impact. As a result, since the past few weeks, I've been searching for a good reason to change the field and a great opportunity to make a change.
The reason for changing my field is the drop. I have been in the current field for the past 4 years and have grown very well. I am grateful for my experience as I imbibed an amazing work ethic and deep knowledge of the field. However, my work is no longer a challenge. I don't have new avenues to grow within that field. However, I am keen to make this transition to stay on the path of progress. I am excited to interact and work closely with thought leaders in our industry who are also part of your organization's leadership team.
See: Tell me About a Conflict You’ve Faced, and How You Handle it? - Interview Question