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March 4, 2025 12 mins

This is a replay episode (S1. Ep. 10)- while I'm out sick. I'll be back with fresh content as soon as my voice returns! Thanks for tuning in, I hope you enjoy this throwback gem! 

Whether you’re pivoting careers, breaking into UX or just trying to stand out in this competitive job market, how you articulate your purpose and motivation can make all the difference. 

Today's episode dives into the significance of effectively communicating your ‘why’ in job interviews, specifically for teachers transitioning to new careers. We discuss how understanding and expressing your motivation can set you apart in a competitive job market.

• Importance of articulating your "why" during job interviews
• Steps to craft a compelling personal story
• Tips for demonstrating confidence and enthusiasm during the interview


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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Coach Zee (00:00):
Hey everyone, coach Z here.
I had a brand new episodeplanned for you this week, but
unfortunately I lost my voice.
So instead of leaving youwithout an episode, I'm bringing
back one of my favorites a deepdive into communicating your
why in job interviews.
So if you're pivoting careersor you're breaking into UX
research or just trying to standout in this competitive job
market, how you articulate yourpurpose and motivation can make

(00:23):
all the difference.
So in this episode, I walk youthrough how to craft a
compelling why that resonateswith hiring managers and helps
you land the role you want.
If you've heard this one before, it's a great refresher.
I'll be back next week withfresh content and, hopefully, my
voice back.
Let's get into it.
Hello teacher friends.
Coach Z here and I have aquestion why do you want to

(00:45):
leave teaching?
Can you answer this question in60 seconds or less?
What if you were in aninterview?
What would you say?
One of the biggest thingstransitioning teachers struggle
with is explaining why they'releaving the classroom.
Teachers are leaving for somany reasons good, bad or
indifferent.
So in today's episode we'regoing to talk about crafting

(01:05):
your why statement for yourcareer after teaching.
Stay tuned.

Narrator (01:10):
Welcome to the UX Teacher Prep Podcast, the
ultimate destination foreducators who aspire to break
into the field of userexperience and product design.
Your host, zee Arnold, a15-year teacher turned UX
researcher, is here to guide,coach and mentor you through
every twist and turn as you makeyour career transition into
tech.
If you're ready for a moresatisfying career and lifestyle

(01:33):
and you want the balance tounleash your creativity, this
podcast is for you.
Now for the show.

Coach Zee (01:48):
When you decided to become a teacher, you probably
did some work around craftingyour why.
Why do you want to teach?
What is your teachingphilosophy?
What drives you to theprofession?
Well, in the same way, whenyou're thinking about leaving
the classroom, you need to beable to explain why you're
changing careers.
It might feel obvious like youwant to change, you want more

(02:10):
money, you want to exploresomething new, but articulating
your why in a job interview issuper important, because it
helps the interviewer understandwho you really are and what
makes you tick, what you valueand how much you vibe with the
company culture and goals.
Tick what you value and howmuch you vibe with the company
culture and goals.
Your why is basically yourvalue proposition.
That tells the company whatyou're going to deliver as an

(02:30):
employee.
So today I want to talk abouthow you can effectively
communicate your why in jobinterviews, and this can also
work in your cover letter, ifyou choose to submit one.
Make sure you listen to the end, because I have some bonus
interview tips to share with youas well.
So let's get into it.
The first part is knowing whoyou are.
Before the interview, you'llneed to do some self-reflection,

(02:53):
review your career goals, yourvalues and what excites you.
You need to understand how youand your goals align to the role
or company you're interested in.
In order for you to do thiswork, you have to also research
the company you're interested in.
In order for you to do thiswork, you have to also research
the companies you're interestedin, learn about their mission,
their culture, their values andhow those align, or don't align,

(03:13):
with your own.
One way you can start to mapthis out is by writing down a
list of what you value in anemployer and what your
non-negotiables are.
For example, I value work-lifebalance and one of my
non-negotiables is being able towork remotely.
Think about the things you'rewilling to compromise on and the
things you aren't.
Next is my favorite partstorytelling.
When you're asked why you'releaving teaching.

(03:35):
This is where you tell yourstory about what is driving you
and motivating you in terms ofthe new position.
A lot of teachers get confusedabout this.
You have to craft your story.
This is the story you will tellinterviewers and hiring
managers over and over again.
It's your story and you'resticking to it here.
You want to explain why you'repassionate about the role you're

(03:57):
applying to, not why you wantto leave your current role?
Why are you interested in thiscompany, this role?
Want to leave your current role?
Why are you interested in thiscompany, this role, this
industry?
And, since you're storytelling,it's a good place to talk about
a specific experience that ledyou to this new career path.
Stories are memorable and theyhelp the interviewer understand
your motivations and how they'veshaped your career journey.

(04:19):
So here's an example of how youmight answer this question in a
UX researcher interview.
I recently attended a techconference where I discovered UX
design and learned about how UXresearchers study target users,
to collect and analyze data andto help improve products.
So I started doing someresearch, and the role of UX
researchers seemed like anatural fit for me.

(04:39):
I'm excited about theopportunity to combine my
teaching and data analysisexpertise to contribute to an
edtech company like yours thatfocuses on making education
equitable and universallyavailable.
Your company's mission isaligned to my educational
philosophy, because I believetechnology should be used to
create an inclusive environmentand it should be accessible for

(05:00):
all students and teacherseverywhere.
That's what really drew me tothis particular organization,
see, and of course, you can makethat your own.
So here you're showing thatyou're not just looking for any
job, but that you're genuinelyexcited about contributing to
this company's success.
And I get so excited when Italk about this topic because
this is your time to shine.

(05:21):
I'm literally stuttering whileI'm saying this.
Remember, this is a companythat you really, really, really
wanna work for, right?
So you have to show thatexcitement.
Okay, you want to show themthat your goal is to make a
meaningful impact and growwithin the company over the long
term.
It's not just I want to hop outof teaching and this is what I
want to do.
You got to be passionate aboutwhat you're doing.
You got to have a real visionand mission behind what you're

(05:44):
doing next.
So I provided an example from aprofessional learning
experience, but you can providean example from a challenge you
overcame, a project you workedon, or even a personal passion
you have.
Basically, you want to showyour passion and commitment to
this role in this organization.
The next thing is to beconfident.
Now is the time to be bold.

(06:04):
Don't be shy or afraid.
I know it's nerve-wracking, butyou need to speak confidently
and boldly about your desire andability to take on this new
role.
So it's going to take somepractice.
Draft it out and then read it,see how it sounds, let it sit
for a few days and go back to it, edit, revise and make it yours
.
Then I want you to practiceyour wise speech in the shower,

(06:29):
in the car, on the train, withyour spouse, with your children,
your friends.
Practice, practice, practiceuntil you have it memorized and
you can confidently say it andbelieve it.
The next part is the bodylanguage, and that's whether you
interview on Zoom or in person,any type of online interview,
or even in person.
This is one thing that Istruggled with a lot.
I literally had to practicesmiling in the mirror, because

(06:50):
I'm a likable person and I dohave a smile, but of course, I
get nervous in interviews, andwe all do, so it's going to take
a lot of practice for you to beable to deliver your value
proposition even with your eyesclosed.
Now this last part is tricky toknow when and how to present
your why.
One thing you want to be sureto do is to actively listen
during your interview so youhave a pulse on where the

(07:11):
conversation is and where it'sgoing.
You don't want to start off bysaying here's my why or by just
going into your why speech atany moment.
Make sure that you insert youranswer in the right place, based
on where the conversation isgoing to help the interviewer
understand how your why alignswith the company's needs At this

(07:33):
point.
You've practiced it so much thatyou can sprinkle bits and
pieces into an interviewconversation to make it all make
sense.
An interviewer probably won'task you so what's your why?
They'll be more likely to askyou something like so why do you
want to leave teaching?
Or why us Fill in the company'sname?
Or even why are you interestedin a UX researcher position.
So be prepared to sprinkle inyour why statement depending on

(07:56):
what the interviewer is askingyou at the time.
I want you to remember thateffectively communicating your
why is not just about leaving alasting impression on the
interviewer.
You definitely want to do that,but this is also about making
sure that the role and thecompany are a right fit for you.
You're interviewing them asmuch as they're interviewing you
, and I'm sure you've heard thatbefore.
So as you go through theprocess I outlined, you'll start

(08:18):
to weed out certain companiesbecause you'll find out that
their mission and values don'talign with yours.
So it's really a great exerciseto go through.
When I first discovered UX, itwas UX writing that got me
intrigued about the industry andI wrote an article on Medium to
share my story.
And I'll share that article inthe show notes and the
description, because I reallyfeel like simply writing about

(08:39):
what inspired you can help youto craft that.
Why statement?
Okay now, I know a lot ofteachers haven't been on
interviews in years Because onceyou start teaching, you
basically don't go on jobinterviews for a long time.
So I want to give you some bonusinterview tips based on
questions I get asked a lot, andthe first one is always have a
few questions prepared.
It shows that you're genuinelyinterested in the organization

(09:00):
and you've done your research.
So be genuinely curious andlook up answers to questions you
want to know, but don't askquestions you can find on their
website.
So here's some examples of goodquestions to ask, and only ask
if it's not listed on the jobdescription or you can't find it
online.
So the first question is whatwill the first 30, 60, and 90

(09:20):
days look like in this role?
This shows that you want toknow what the expectation of you
is in those first 30, 60, and90 days in the role, and it also
helps you understand how muchtraining you're going to get on
the job.
Another good one is can youtell me about a time when you
changed direction or strategy asa result of UX research?
Now, this is specificallyrelated to a UX researcher

(09:43):
position, but you can change thetitle depending on the job
you're looking for, and thisquestion is going to let you
know how committed they are toUX research as an organization.
Another great question is goingto let you know how committed
they are to UX research as anorganization.
Another great question isrelated to the problems the
company is currently trying tosolve.
Remember, you want them to hireyou to help them solve their
problems, right, so you can aska question like what's a goal
your team has recently beenworking on and one challenge

(10:05):
that has come up in that process?
Getting a better understandingof the company's pain points can
help you articulate how yourexpertise can help them.
Now the next tip is tailor youranswers to the person who is
asking you questions in theinterview.
When you're interviewing for aUX creative role, a lot of times
you'll be interviewed three tofive times, and sometimes by

(10:26):
more than one person at a time.
Different team members willhave different interests.
While a product manager mightwant to know your communication
style so they can understand howyou work, a product designer
might be more interested in aproject you recently worked on
and challenges you overcame.
In that situation, it'simportant to actively listen to
who's asking you what and answerthat person accordingly, and

(10:47):
don't be afraid to pause afteryou're asked a question just to
process it and think about howyou're going to answer it based
on who's asking, and you canalso jot down quick notes to
help you keep yourself focused.
If you want more interview tips,leave a comment or send a
message on Instagram and I'llshare a few more of my favorites
.
I hope you learned how toanswer the question about why
you're leaving the classroom andif you want me to take a look

(11:08):
at your why statement, feel freeto reach out on Instagram.
I'm happy to provide feedback.
If you're looking foradditional resources or support
on your transition journey,check out uxteacherprepcom.
And don't forget to join ouronline LinkedIn community.
All those links will be in theshow notes and description box.
Take care.

Narrator (11:29):
Hey, thanks so much for tuning in.
If you like this podcast, hit,follow and scroll down to leave
a five-star rating.
Then share it with a friend.
If you're looking for resourcesto help you on your tech
transition journey, head over touxteacherprepcom.
Follow us on LinkedIn andInstagram at uxteacherprep for
daily tips and motivation.
Have a topic you'd like to hearaddressed on the show?

(11:51):
Send us a DM on Instagram.
If you're listening on YouTube,like, subscribe and share.
Until next time, be well.
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