March 4, 2025 • 20 mins
Career pivots are more common than ever – Nearly 49% of professionals make a major career change, and employers are becoming more open to hiring pivoters.
The employer's perspective – While some still see career changers as risky, many companies now recognize the value of diverse experience and fresh thinking.
Key factors that make a career pivot successful:
- Commitment – Show you’ve done the research, taken relevant courses, and built the skills needed.
- Transferable skills – Clearly explain how your past experience aligns with the new role.
- Passion & cultural fit – Employers want to see genuine enthusiasm for the industry and company.
Biggest red flags to avoid:
- Speaking negatively about your previous industry or employer.
- Lacking a clear, strategic reason for the career switch.
- Failing to connect your past experience to the new job.
How to stand out in interviews:
- Prepare a strong, confident narrative about your career shift.
- Highlight how your fresh perspective brings value to the company.
- Show that you’re eager to learn and master their way of doing things.
For hiring managers – Companies that embrace career pivoters see innovation, adaptability, and a competitive edge.
Final takeaway – A career pivot can be your greatest asset—if you know how to position it!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Volt 2 (00:00):
There were a couple of roles I used to interview people
for that it was common to seepeople pivoting their careers,
whether they are doing somethingdifferent from their last job,
revisiting something that theywere successful at before and
now coming back to because theyknow it works or trying
something completely new.
Maybe they felt like they.
(00:23):
Found their calling and werediving in no matter what,
pivoting your career, whetherit's trying a new type of job
duties, things like that, or awhole new industry can be really
smart.
It's strategic.
I think doing that is better foryour career.
You gain exposure to differentways of doing things, different
types of people and so manyother things, but it's also
(00:46):
something you need to know howto.
Communicate with an employer,you would wanna do it delicately
and strategically, and thereasons you share should not
always be the reasons that aretop of mind for you, right?
If you think an industry isfailing, that should not be the
reason you are getting intotheir industry, because then it
just looks like you're jumpingship.
(01:07):
It needs to be more, way more.
What can you do for them?
What skills did you learn?
In your industry that thiscompany can leverage to excel in
theirs.
Welcome to the job interviewexperience.
I'm a former executiverecruiter, search firm owner,
director of talent acquisition,talent acquisition leader today,
(01:28):
interview coach, and of course,your host of the job interview
experience.
It's no secret.
That the traditional careerladder is looking more like a
jungle gym.
These days.
I've been looking at statisticsthat show nearly half of all
professionals, a whopping 49%,which isn't half, it's nearly
(01:49):
half according to LinkedIn, willmake a significant career pivot
at least once in their career.
The Bureau of Labor Statisticstells us the average person will
change careers, not jobs,careers five to seven times in
their working life.
For employers, for the people onthe other side of the table that
are looking at your resume orinterviewing you.
(02:10):
This might sound like achallenge.
Someone hiring someone switchingfields can feel like a risk.
But I am here to tell you thatembracing career pivoting isn't
just a nice to have.
It's actually could be astrategic advantage in my eyes.
And it depends on the employer.
I.
And the job.
A study from McKinsey shows thatdiverse teams are 35% more
(02:33):
likely to outperform theirpeers.
Career pivots, like I saidearlier, they bring diversity in
spades.
In this episode, I'm gonna flipthe script and look at career
pivoting from the employer'sperspective so you can know what
to do, how to act, how to speak.
So we're gonna talk aboutunderstanding employer mindsets.
(02:56):
Are companies stuck in old waysof hiring or are they waking up
the potential of pivoters?
What employers really value?
So beyond direct experience,what skills and qualities make a
career?
Someone that's pivoting careersin the moment, attractive.
Of course, some success storiesbecause I've seen a lot advice
for employers.
(03:17):
I'm gonna share a little bitsome practical steps to create a
hiring process that welcomes andsupports pivot pivots, and of
course advice for you, thecandidate, because understanding
the employer's viewpoint is akey.
To success.
Let me make a couple notes.
Some.
Some roles aren't so easy topivot into.
If you wanna be a CPA and youare currently in sales or
(03:41):
something like that, it's notlike you can have a, even if you
have the best story in the worldand the best motivations, you
can't just show up and say, Hey,I'm gonna be a CPA, now I'm
gonna apply to your firm a bunchof others.
Someone's gonna hire me.
Obviously there are things thatyou need, training background,
you need to work your way upinto.
However standard skill setsapplying your skill sets what
(04:02):
you're good at, into a new role,that's much less complicated,
right?
You can't pivot from being a skiinstructor to a doctor just by
showing up for the interview andcommunicating.
Just I wanna make that clear toyou, which I know, but I also
want to say that out loud so youdon't think that, I think just a
couple magic words can get youanywhere because that's not the
case.
(04:22):
Let's start by getting into theminds of recruiters and hiring
managers.
For years, the traditionalapproach has been to look for
candidates with a linear careerpath.
Someone who's climbed the ladderin a single industry with very
specific experience, pivoterswith their more winding routes
might have been seen as morerisky bets.
(04:46):
Things are changing.
The modern workplace demandsadaptability.
Fresh thinking is at a premiumand broader skill sets are
helpful.
According to LinkedIn, again,60% of employers report being
more open to hiring people whoare cri pivoting.
Since the pandemic, smaller andmedium sized companies often are
(05:08):
more agile and innovative bynature, and they tend to lead
the way by this flexibleapproach.
One of the company, as I wasdirector of talent acquisition
of it was much smaller.
Maybe a hundred, I think 150people, but that lends the way
where I can easily talk to thehiring manager of that role, the
(05:28):
owners of the company and belike, Hey, this person hasn't
done this exact job, but theyhave this and this and this.
Say that we are a buildingcompany and we need someone to
do sales.
I could say, Hey, look, theyhaven't done sales, but they
worked at a lumber supplier.
So they actually know exactlywhat the sales side is.
(05:49):
They know the exactly what goeson from the other side of this
experience.
So I've found that the smallercompanies tend to be much more
flexible and open-minded, andsometimes it's just a benefit to
them to consider pivotersbecause maybe the salary is not
at a premium for that person.
Think about a tech startup, forexample.
(06:12):
They hired someone who hadpivoted from education into
software development.
Initially, some were hesitant,but this pivot brought in
incredible problem solvingskills, a knack for explaining
complex ideas clearly, whichteachers are always amazing at,
and a completely differentperspective on user needs.
(06:32):
What do you think the resultwould be?
Of course, it's a moreinnovative product and a more
round, well-rounded team thatunderstands the end user better.
If employers are becoming moreopen, what exactly are they
looking for?
When they evaluate careerpivots, it boils down.
To two or three things, I wouldsay.
(06:54):
The first is commitment.
Employers wanna see that thepivot isn't just on a whim.
This is something that I worriedabout.
I was looking for clearcommunication of career goals
and concrete steps the candidatehas taken to commit to the
change.
Things like coursework,networking, getting up to speed
on certifications.
(07:16):
And things like that.
What we don't want to be is anexperiment for someone who's
flighty.
We don't want to be them trying12 different flavors of ice
cream, and we're number three,that they're gonna try one each
month for a whole year.
There are people like that, butthere are also people who have
specific skills that also jumpjobs.
Speaking of skills, obviously,number two.
(07:38):
Second thing would be skills.
Pivots need to articulate theirtransferable skills.
These are the abilities.
To learn maybe on the field, onthe job, and be able to apply
them to one another.
So for project management,communication, customer service,
analytical skills, highlighting,certifications, or any formal
(08:00):
training in the new field iscrucial.
So being able to say exact no.
Being able to say that, exactlywhat you need makes a really big
difference.
You've jumped into this.
You aren't expecting the companyto do all the footwork to figure
this stuff out.
On top of that, what stood outthe most to me is people that
(08:21):
are willing to change and learn.
So if you come in and you say, Iknow how to do these things
because of my past, I've seenthe other side of the coin, or,
the skills I have as an educatorwill make me really good at
that.
That's maybe part of theequation how.
Communicating, saying out loudthat you are ready, willing, and
eager to learn the company'sbest.
(08:42):
Practice their system for doingsomething.
Any certifications you need, anylong online courses, whatever it
is, say I want to learn yourpattern for success.
I wanna learn your system that'smade so many.
Others successful.
I want to master that and leadthe way for your company as
opposed to saying, yeah, I thinkthere's probably a couple things
(09:03):
that I need to be good at.
If you guys have anything likethat'd be cool.
I'll take a look.
More than anything, it's fiteven more so for pivots.
Employers want to see a passionfor the new field.
For specifically that companyand what they're doing, and of
course, cultural alignment.
You can have all the skills andalign with the job description
(09:26):
perfectly, but if you don't fitwith their culture, what they
do, if you don't seem likeyou're gonna get along naturally
with the people there, that'snot gonna work.
So they want to know why thispivot makes sense for you and
why you are excited about theircompany.
What are some red flags?
Negative language about previousemployers or careers is a big
(09:48):
one.
Something I heard a lot issomeone would talk about their
industry, right?
And it's oh, you can't make anymoney there.
It's just a waste of time.
This is a dead end industry.
This is, industry isn't goinganywhere, no one's succeeding in
it.
Things like that.
Those were always big red flagsbecause I knew on the other
hand.
People were very successful inthose industries.
So maybe it's just that person,a lack of clarity about career
(10:11):
goals is another one.
And a failure to demonstrate howpast experience would connect to
the new role.
That would raise some really bigdoubts from the employer side.
Interview techniques areadapting, so instead of just
saying, tell me about yourexperience, a smart hiring
manager might ask, why?
Why are you pivoting?
(10:32):
Or How does your previousexperience apply to this job?
They're listening forenthusiasm, preparation and a
well.
Articulated narrative, if you,another thing I've heard a lot,
it never went well for them,Mrs.
Kind.
I don't know.
It just didn't seem to beworking.
I didn't seem to be gettinganywhere.
I don't know.
I thought I'd try this.
That is not enough.
(10:53):
The company is taking a certainlevel of risk on you.
They are taking on someuncertainty, so don't bring even
more with you.
Speaking of project managers, Iremember we interviewed someone
who had been a high schoolteacher for 10 years.
Another teacher story on paper.
It seemed like a stretch, butduring the interview, I don't
(11:16):
remember exactly why I called,but she blew it away on her
interview.
So she talked about managingclassrooms, planning curriculum,
and dealing with stakeholders,the parents, the students, the
administrators.
This is probably making a ton ofsense to any teachers out there.
And she made it click for me.
And those are all projectmanagement skills, which I knew
very well, and she was really,really good.
(11:38):
I don't know what she's doingnow.
This was.
Probably nine years ago, 10years ago.
But she brought on a really wellorganized and collaborative
approach to the team, and sheimproved the team dynamic.
She was hungry.
That was a big part of it too.
She was hungry.
She wanted to succeed like shewas, I.
Dead set on succeeding and itworked determined.
So it's a great example.
(11:59):
She just connected the dots forme.
And it's not just anecdotalcompanies with diverse teams,
including those with careerpivots, are seeing the financial
benefits I looked up.
And Boston Consulting Groupfound that companies with more
diverse management teams have a20% higher revenue, have 20%
higher revenue compared to lessdiverse companies.
(12:22):
One of the things I constantlycoach on is being able to say
out loud, my exposure to thisarea we can leverage my exposure
to this area to bring more ofthis, right?
This is, you don't wanna saythat their team has blind spots,
but you wanna show that withoutyour perspective.
The team does have a blind spot.
(12:44):
So for anyone here that hires,whether you act as a hiring
manager or you're in hr.
Do you wanna tap into, into thispool of talent?
Because it, if you don't, you'relosing out.
So first off, create a, make itclear what you're willing to do
and not do in your hiringprocess.
Because whether, no matter howlong you're at the company, no
(13:07):
matter how long you're at thecompany.
That will you want this to carryon on the long run, right?
You don't want this to just beyour attitude.
That means training recruitersto look beyond traditional
experience, evaluatetransferable skills, use
behavioral interview questionsto explore problem solving,
adaptability, learning agility.
(13:30):
Second would be supportingcareer pivots.
Once you hire them, it's notgonna be exactly the same.
So offer targeted training andmentorship to help them ramp up,
get up to speed on new roles.
It, the way some people mightcalculate this is, yes, there
might be a little more cost todoing things this way.
Why the recruiters might.
(13:50):
Interview more people,'causethey're open to talking to more
people.
They, that will take more time,more hours that you pay them or
a longer time to hire for theseroles.
So for the, for the listenerswho are the pivoters, you can
see how this is a little morework, a little bit harder to do
it this way.
However I think that addingdiverse perspective to the team,
(14:13):
the payoff there can be muchhigher once.
One company that I wasresearching a couple weeks ago,
they implemented a pivotfriendly onboarding program.
So they paired career changerswith mentors with different
backgrounds in the company, andthey saw a improvement in
(14:35):
retention rates for theseemployees.
So they investing in pivots paidoff for them.
So for those of you that arelistening that are career
pivots, let's get to it.
The, those of you that arelooking to move up, maybe within
your company, make a move to adifferent department or section,
or you're looking for adifferent job, what's your
takeaway from all of this?
(14:56):
I.
The key of everything I've saidis present yourself as a strong
candidate, specifically becauseyou're pivoting.
Don't try and hide from it.
Don't apologize for your pastframe, your pivot as a strategic
and well thought out long-termplan, something that's been a
long time coming, something thatyou've seen your success in one
area or one.
(15:17):
Thing that connects the dots tothis industry or this company.
This is, this area is where I'vehad the most success.
This area is where I broughtextraordinary, unbelievable
results, and I want to get 100.
I wanna put 100% of my bestskills and abilities into this
for you and your company.
Emphasize the proactive stepsyou've taken, networking,
(15:41):
certifications, volunteering inyour new field to maybe get your
feet wet.
When navigating jobapplications, it takes more
time, but make sure that yourresume is tailored and your
cover letter is tailored tohighlight the skills and
experiences that align with thespecific needs of the company
and the role.
Do your research if you want acompany to be willing to invest
(16:05):
extra time or unplanned time toyou and your unknowns.
Do the research on your side.
Connect the dots for them, andmost importantly, of course,
prepare for the interview.
Anticipate employer concernsabout your lack of direct
experience.
Be ready to address them.
Head on emphasize.
The value you bring, freshperspective, adaptability, and a
(16:28):
diverse skillset.
I think it's important to saytoo, is make sure that you're
not defensive.
The company might start offseeming a little aggressive or
on the offensive when they askyou questions.
My guess is they're just, theyjust wanna get to the bottom of
why you're there.
Why do this?
What's your motivation?
So don't go in expecting orready for a fight.
(16:50):
I would, I think the perfectattitude and response would be
that of.
Like agreeing with them, yeah.
On paper.
I know this doesn't make sense,but that's why I'm glad that
we're talking today because hereare three aspects of my
performance that stood out inthis company, and here's how
this directly aligns with whatyour goals are for this role.
(17:14):
It's clear that embracing careerpivots is a win-win.
Pivoters bring fresh insights,adaptability, and a wealth of
transferable skills.
In my opinion, employers whoopen their minds to these
candidates gain innovation,diverse perspectives, and a more
resilient workforce.
(17:35):
So employers, I encourage youto.
Reevaluate your hiring processand consider the incredible
talent pool of career pivotsavailable to you.
And for candidates out therenavigating this change.
I know it's not easy.
Remember to confidentlycommunicate your value and the
unique strengths you bring.
Re-listen to this episode forthose talking points, but also
(17:57):
just don't take it too seriouslywhen you get the interview.
Have some fun for the companiesthat ignore you.
Ask yourself or the companiesthat you interview with, and
this seems to be a big stumblingblock, maybe you're not the
right fit, and that's perfectlyfine.
But also ask yourself if it'sthe type of company you want to
work for that is this narrowminded that doesn't see the
(18:21):
potential in someone like you.
And consider that carefully, anddon't be discouraged when you
talk to those companies that didtake the time and had the
interest in talking to you.
But in the long run, in the bigpicture, it didn't work out.
Thank you for listening to thejob interview experience.
Thank you for tuning in.
I hope this makes a big impacton your pivot.
And if you're not planning onpivoting right now, this, see,
(18:42):
these are great things to havein mind so that you'll have even
more runway to do so when thetime comes.
Thanks for listening to the jobinterview.
Thanks for listening to the Jobinterview experience.
I'll talk to you again soon.
There were a couple of roles I used to interview people
for that it was common to seepeople pivoting their careers,
whether they are doing somethingdifferent from their last job,
revisiting something that theywere successful at before and
now coming back to because theyknow it works or trying
something completely new.
Maybe they felt like they.
(00:23):
Found their calling and werediving in no matter what,
pivoting your career, whetherit's trying a new type of job
duties, things like that, or awhole new industry can be really
smart.
It's strategic.
I think doing that is better foryour career.
You gain exposure to differentways of doing things, different
types of people and so manyother things, but it's also
(00:46):
something you need to know howto.
Communicate with an employer,you would wanna do it delicately
and strategically, and thereasons you share should not
always be the reasons that aretop of mind for you, right?
If you think an industry isfailing, that should not be the
reason you are getting intotheir industry, because then it
just looks like you're jumpingship.
(01:07):
It needs to be more, way more.
What can you do for them?
What skills did you learn?
In your industry that thiscompany can leverage to excel in
theirs.
Welcome to the job interviewexperience.
I'm a former executiverecruiter, search firm owner,
director of talent acquisition,talent acquisition leader today,
(01:28):
interview coach, and of course,your host of the job interview
experience.
It's no secret.
That the traditional careerladder is looking more like a
jungle gym.
These days.
I've been looking at statisticsthat show nearly half of all
professionals, a whopping 49%,which isn't half, it's nearly
(01:49):
half according to LinkedIn, willmake a significant career pivot
at least once in their career.
The Bureau of Labor Statisticstells us the average person will
change careers, not jobs,careers five to seven times in
their working life.
For employers, for the people onthe other side of the table that
are looking at your resume orinterviewing you.
(02:10):
This might sound like achallenge.
Someone hiring someone switchingfields can feel like a risk.
But I am here to tell you thatembracing career pivoting isn't
just a nice to have.
It's actually could be astrategic advantage in my eyes.
And it depends on the employer.
I.
And the job.
A study from McKinsey shows thatdiverse teams are 35% more
(02:33):
likely to outperform theirpeers.
Career pivots, like I saidearlier, they bring diversity in
spades.
In this episode, I'm gonna flipthe script and look at career
pivoting from the employer'sperspective so you can know what
to do, how to act, how to speak.
So we're gonna talk aboutunderstanding employer mindsets.
(02:56):
Are companies stuck in old waysof hiring or are they waking up
the potential of pivoters?
What employers really value?
So beyond direct experience,what skills and qualities make a
career?
Someone that's pivoting careersin the moment, attractive.
Of course, some success storiesbecause I've seen a lot advice
for employers.
(03:17):
I'm gonna share a little bitsome practical steps to create a
hiring process that welcomes andsupports pivot pivots, and of
course advice for you, thecandidate, because understanding
the employer's viewpoint is akey.
To success.
Let me make a couple notes.
Some.
Some roles aren't so easy topivot into.
If you wanna be a CPA and youare currently in sales or
(03:41):
something like that, it's notlike you can have a, even if you
have the best story in the worldand the best motivations, you
can't just show up and say, Hey,I'm gonna be a CPA, now I'm
gonna apply to your firm a bunchof others.
Someone's gonna hire me.
Obviously there are things thatyou need, training background,
you need to work your way upinto.
However standard skill setsapplying your skill sets what
(04:02):
you're good at, into a new role,that's much less complicated,
right?
You can't pivot from being a skiinstructor to a doctor just by
showing up for the interview andcommunicating.
Just I wanna make that clear toyou, which I know, but I also
want to say that out loud so youdon't think that, I think just a
couple magic words can get youanywhere because that's not the
case.
(04:22):
Let's start by getting into theminds of recruiters and hiring
managers.
For years, the traditionalapproach has been to look for
candidates with a linear careerpath.
Someone who's climbed the ladderin a single industry with very
specific experience, pivoterswith their more winding routes
might have been seen as morerisky bets.
(04:46):
Things are changing.
The modern workplace demandsadaptability.
Fresh thinking is at a premiumand broader skill sets are
helpful.
According to LinkedIn, again,60% of employers report being
more open to hiring people whoare cri pivoting.
Since the pandemic, smaller andmedium sized companies often are
(05:08):
more agile and innovative bynature, and they tend to lead
the way by this flexibleapproach.
One of the company, as I wasdirector of talent acquisition
of it was much smaller.
Maybe a hundred, I think 150people, but that lends the way
where I can easily talk to thehiring manager of that role, the
(05:28):
owners of the company and belike, Hey, this person hasn't
done this exact job, but theyhave this and this and this.
Say that we are a buildingcompany and we need someone to
do sales.
I could say, Hey, look, theyhaven't done sales, but they
worked at a lumber supplier.
So they actually know exactlywhat the sales side is.
(05:49):
They know the exactly what goeson from the other side of this
experience.
So I've found that the smallercompanies tend to be much more
flexible and open-minded, andsometimes it's just a benefit to
them to consider pivotersbecause maybe the salary is not
at a premium for that person.
Think about a tech startup, forexample.
(06:12):
They hired someone who hadpivoted from education into
software development.
Initially, some were hesitant,but this pivot brought in
incredible problem solvingskills, a knack for explaining
complex ideas clearly, whichteachers are always amazing at,
and a completely differentperspective on user needs.
(06:32):
What do you think the resultwould be?
Of course, it's a moreinnovative product and a more
round, well-rounded team thatunderstands the end user better.
If employers are becoming moreopen, what exactly are they
looking for?
When they evaluate careerpivots, it boils down.
To two or three things, I wouldsay.
(06:54):
The first is commitment.
Employers wanna see that thepivot isn't just on a whim.
This is something that I worriedabout.
I was looking for clearcommunication of career goals
and concrete steps the candidatehas taken to commit to the
change.
Things like coursework,networking, getting up to speed
on certifications.
(07:16):
And things like that.
What we don't want to be is anexperiment for someone who's
flighty.
We don't want to be them trying12 different flavors of ice
cream, and we're number three,that they're gonna try one each
month for a whole year.
There are people like that, butthere are also people who have
specific skills that also jumpjobs.
Speaking of skills, obviously,number two.
(07:38):
Second thing would be skills.
Pivots need to articulate theirtransferable skills.
These are the abilities.
To learn maybe on the field, onthe job, and be able to apply
them to one another.
So for project management,communication, customer service,
analytical skills, highlighting,certifications, or any formal
(08:00):
training in the new field iscrucial.
So being able to say exact no.
Being able to say that, exactlywhat you need makes a really big
difference.
You've jumped into this.
You aren't expecting the companyto do all the footwork to figure
this stuff out.
On top of that, what stood outthe most to me is people that
(08:21):
are willing to change and learn.
So if you come in and you say, Iknow how to do these things
because of my past, I've seenthe other side of the coin, or,
the skills I have as an educatorwill make me really good at
that.
That's maybe part of theequation how.
Communicating, saying out loudthat you are ready, willing, and
eager to learn the company'sbest.
(08:42):
Practice their system for doingsomething.
Any certifications you need, anylong online courses, whatever it
is, say I want to learn yourpattern for success.
I wanna learn your system that'smade so many.
Others successful.
I want to master that and leadthe way for your company as
opposed to saying, yeah, I thinkthere's probably a couple things
(09:03):
that I need to be good at.
If you guys have anything likethat'd be cool.
I'll take a look.
More than anything, it's fiteven more so for pivots.
Employers want to see a passionfor the new field.
For specifically that companyand what they're doing, and of
course, cultural alignment.
You can have all the skills andalign with the job description
(09:26):
perfectly, but if you don't fitwith their culture, what they
do, if you don't seem likeyou're gonna get along naturally
with the people there, that'snot gonna work.
So they want to know why thispivot makes sense for you and
why you are excited about theircompany.
What are some red flags?
Negative language about previousemployers or careers is a big
(09:48):
one.
Something I heard a lot issomeone would talk about their
industry, right?
And it's oh, you can't make anymoney there.
It's just a waste of time.
This is a dead end industry.
This is, industry isn't goinganywhere, no one's succeeding in
it.
Things like that.
Those were always big red flagsbecause I knew on the other
hand.
People were very successful inthose industries.
So maybe it's just that person,a lack of clarity about career
(10:11):
goals is another one.
And a failure to demonstrate howpast experience would connect to
the new role.
That would raise some really bigdoubts from the employer side.
Interview techniques areadapting, so instead of just
saying, tell me about yourexperience, a smart hiring
manager might ask, why?
Why are you pivoting?
(10:32):
Or How does your previousexperience apply to this job?
They're listening forenthusiasm, preparation and a
well.
Articulated narrative, if you,another thing I've heard a lot,
it never went well for them,Mrs.
Kind.
I don't know.
It just didn't seem to beworking.
I didn't seem to be gettinganywhere.
I don't know.
I thought I'd try this.
That is not enough.
(10:53):
The company is taking a certainlevel of risk on you.
They are taking on someuncertainty, so don't bring even
more with you.
Speaking of project managers, Iremember we interviewed someone
who had been a high schoolteacher for 10 years.
Another teacher story on paper.
It seemed like a stretch, butduring the interview, I don't
(11:16):
remember exactly why I called,but she blew it away on her
interview.
So she talked about managingclassrooms, planning curriculum,
and dealing with stakeholders,the parents, the students, the
administrators.
This is probably making a ton ofsense to any teachers out there.
And she made it click for me.
And those are all projectmanagement skills, which I knew
very well, and she was really,really good.
(11:38):
I don't know what she's doingnow.
This was.
Probably nine years ago, 10years ago.
But she brought on a really wellorganized and collaborative
approach to the team, and sheimproved the team dynamic.
She was hungry.
That was a big part of it too.
She was hungry.
She wanted to succeed like shewas, I.
Dead set on succeeding and itworked determined.
So it's a great example.
(11:59):
She just connected the dots forme.
And it's not just anecdotalcompanies with diverse teams,
including those with careerpivots, are seeing the financial
benefits I looked up.
And Boston Consulting Groupfound that companies with more
diverse management teams have a20% higher revenue, have 20%
higher revenue compared to lessdiverse companies.
(12:22):
One of the things I constantlycoach on is being able to say
out loud, my exposure to thisarea we can leverage my exposure
to this area to bring more ofthis, right?
This is, you don't wanna saythat their team has blind spots,
but you wanna show that withoutyour perspective.
The team does have a blind spot.
(12:44):
So for anyone here that hires,whether you act as a hiring
manager or you're in hr.
Do you wanna tap into, into thispool of talent?
Because it, if you don't, you'relosing out.
So first off, create a, make itclear what you're willing to do
and not do in your hiringprocess.
Because whether, no matter howlong you're at the company, no
(13:07):
matter how long you're at thecompany.
That will you want this to carryon on the long run, right?
You don't want this to just beyour attitude.
That means training recruitersto look beyond traditional
experience, evaluatetransferable skills, use
behavioral interview questionsto explore problem solving,
adaptability, learning agility.
(13:30):
Second would be supportingcareer pivots.
Once you hire them, it's notgonna be exactly the same.
So offer targeted training andmentorship to help them ramp up,
get up to speed on new roles.
It, the way some people mightcalculate this is, yes, there
might be a little more cost todoing things this way.
Why the recruiters might.
(13:50):
Interview more people,'causethey're open to talking to more
people.
They, that will take more time,more hours that you pay them or
a longer time to hire for theseroles.
So for the, for the listenerswho are the pivoters, you can
see how this is a little morework, a little bit harder to do
it this way.
However I think that addingdiverse perspective to the team,
(14:13):
the payoff there can be muchhigher once.
One company that I wasresearching a couple weeks ago,
they implemented a pivotfriendly onboarding program.
So they paired career changerswith mentors with different
backgrounds in the company, andthey saw a improvement in
(14:35):
retention rates for theseemployees.
So they investing in pivots paidoff for them.
So for those of you that arelistening that are career
pivots, let's get to it.
The, those of you that arelooking to move up, maybe within
your company, make a move to adifferent department or section,
or you're looking for adifferent job, what's your
takeaway from all of this?
(14:56):
I.
The key of everything I've saidis present yourself as a strong
candidate, specifically becauseyou're pivoting.
Don't try and hide from it.
Don't apologize for your pastframe, your pivot as a strategic
and well thought out long-termplan, something that's been a
long time coming, something thatyou've seen your success in one
area or one.
(15:17):
Thing that connects the dots tothis industry or this company.
This is, this area is where I'vehad the most success.
This area is where I broughtextraordinary, unbelievable
results, and I want to get 100.
I wanna put 100% of my bestskills and abilities into this
for you and your company.
Emphasize the proactive stepsyou've taken, networking,
(15:41):
certifications, volunteering inyour new field to maybe get your
feet wet.
When navigating jobapplications, it takes more
time, but make sure that yourresume is tailored and your
cover letter is tailored tohighlight the skills and
experiences that align with thespecific needs of the company
and the role.
Do your research if you want acompany to be willing to invest
(16:05):
extra time or unplanned time toyou and your unknowns.
Do the research on your side.
Connect the dots for them, andmost importantly, of course,
prepare for the interview.
Anticipate employer concernsabout your lack of direct
experience.
Be ready to address them.
Head on emphasize.
The value you bring, freshperspective, adaptability, and a
(16:28):
diverse skillset.
I think it's important to saytoo, is make sure that you're
not defensive.
The company might start offseeming a little aggressive or
on the offensive when they askyou questions.
My guess is they're just, theyjust wanna get to the bottom of
why you're there.
Why do this?
What's your motivation?
So don't go in expecting orready for a fight.
(16:50):
I would, I think the perfectattitude and response would be
that of.
Like agreeing with them, yeah.
On paper.
I know this doesn't make sense,but that's why I'm glad that
we're talking today because hereare three aspects of my
performance that stood out inthis company, and here's how
this directly aligns with whatyour goals are for this role.
(17:14):
It's clear that embracing careerpivots is a win-win.
Pivoters bring fresh insights,adaptability, and a wealth of
transferable skills.
In my opinion, employers whoopen their minds to these
candidates gain innovation,diverse perspectives, and a more
resilient workforce.
(17:35):
So employers, I encourage youto.
Reevaluate your hiring processand consider the incredible
talent pool of career pivotsavailable to you.
And for candidates out therenavigating this change.
I know it's not easy.
Remember to confidentlycommunicate your value and the
unique strengths you bring.
Re-listen to this episode forthose talking points, but also
(17:57):
just don't take it too seriouslywhen you get the interview.
Have some fun for the companiesthat ignore you.
Ask yourself or the companiesthat you interview with, and
this seems to be a big stumblingblock, maybe you're not the
right fit, and that's perfectlyfine.
But also ask yourself if it'sthe type of company you want to
work for that is this narrowminded that doesn't see the
(18:21):
potential in someone like you.
And consider that carefully, anddon't be discouraged when you
talk to those companies that didtake the time and had the
interest in talking to you.
But in the long run, in the bigpicture, it didn't work out.
Thank you for listening to thejob interview experience.
Thank you for tuning in.
I hope this makes a big impacton your pivot.
And if you're not planning onpivoting right now, this, see,
(18:42):
these are great things to havein mind so that you'll have even
more runway to do so when thetime comes.
Thanks for listening to the jobinterview.
Thanks for listening to the Jobinterview experience.
I'll talk to you again soon.
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