touch interview questions for a career changer

1. Tough Interview Questions for Career Changers

2. Yue-Wen LIM
25 year corporate career “veteran”
www.LifeWork-consulting.com
yw@lifework-consulting.com
http://careerhmo.com/coach/yue-wen-lim/
Yue-wen@careerhmo.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/limyw

3. First of all…
 Congratulations on getting the interview!
 You have gone against the odds
 There is something that the recruiter has seen in you
despite limited previous experience
 Now is the time to sell them what you have and how
this can help them

4. Recruiter Key Concerns About Career
Changers
 Lack of prior relevant experience?
 How long will you stay?
 How will you fit in?
How will this
candidate make
me look good?

5. Key Questions for Career Changers
 Why do you want to
switch careers?
 Why do you want to
work here?
 Why should we hire
you?
 How long will you take
to settle in

6. Why do you want to switch careers?
Tell a story…connect the dots
 Create a connection from past to present
 Have a theme
 Avoid over-emphasizing personal feelings (eg personal
fulfilment)
 Talk about value you bring to the table
ie “What did you do wrong in your last job?”

7. Why do you want to switch careers?
Your history is not a liability
but a strength

8. Why do you want to work here?
Why did you chose us for this new career?
The role is more junior / the pay is lower
How long will you stay?
Emphasize the Fit
 As a problem solver: how your skills can help solve the
company’s problems
 Cultural fit: how your working style and values matches the
company
 Personal fit: eg like the products/services, great location

9. Why do you want to work here?
The job looks great to me
because of xyz….
 Eg I can use my skills /
experience….
 Eg Learning & growth
opportunities
 Eg Fits your personality,
preferences (culture)
 Eg Location is 5 minutes
away, I love using the
products…

10. Why do you want to work here?
 Show belief in achieving growth in the
organisation “I plan to add value in this
position, develop my skills to help grow the
company, and eventually move into roles of greater
responsibility”
 Show desire for job stability “In my last job,
I stayed for x years. I plan to stay as long as I can. I
don’t want to change jobs if I can avoid it..”

11. Why should we hire you?
ie “With your limited experience, how can you contribute”?
Be confident
 Talk about benefits first (ie how you can help improve
the company or the life of the person hiring you)
 Then talk about features (ie your transferable skills)
“Features may have gotten you in the door for the interview,
but benefits will get you the job”

12. A personal example
Benefits Features
I will solve your high staff turnover
issue
I have extensive people management
experience and a successful track record
of building effective teams
I will help you expand your brand
presence internationally with a lower
marketing budget
In my previous roles, I leveraged on non
traditional marketing strategies which
had greater ROIs and impactful results
I will increase the quality of your MBA
student intake
In my past roles, I moved the customer
base to a higher level by re-crafting
outreach messages and targeting the
right segments

13. How Long Will you take to settle
in?
ie “when will you start to contribute”?
Present your plans & goals for the role when you
come onboard
 Shows your commitment for success
 Becomes a discussion instead of an interview
 Shows you understand the job, can do the job, and will
do the job – instead of risk, you become an asset!

14. How Long Will you take to settle in?
Elements of your activity plan:
Getting to know the business and the company
Evaluating any changes or improvements needed
Implementation, initiate, bringing in results
Key question to interviewer:
“if I were to be able to carry out the plan, do you think I
would be successful in this job?”

15. Summary
 Address interviewers key concerns about career
changers
 Demonstrate commitment and show pro-activeness
 Become an asset – not a risk!