{"id":13414,"date":"2017-10-17T21:02:14","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T21:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keblog.demoapp.xyz\/?p=13414"},"modified":"2022-10-19T03:57:08","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T03:57:08","slug":"an-interviewers-3-step-guide-to-interviewing-career-changers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/an-interviewers-3-step-guide-to-interviewing-career-changers","title":{"rendered":"An Interviewer&#8217;s 3-Step Guide to Interviewing Career Changers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At some point in their life, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalibrr.com\/employers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a lot of people change careers<\/a><\/strong> or industries (not just jobs) during their working years. Sometimes the change is perfectly planned, other times it&#8217;s abrupt. It happens when they want to change jobs but their industries are not hiring; or when they want to pursue their true passion.<\/p>\n<p>As interviewers, you often get to interview career changers. It is a risky move to employ someone in an uncharted area, however,\u00a0these career\u00a0changers may surprise you with their guts and confidence, knowledge in your industry, and what they could bring to the company.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you approach a candidate&#8217;s career change during the interview?<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a 3-step guide for you to successfully interview career changers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_26 counter-hierarchy\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TOPICS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/an-interviewers-3-step-guide-to-interviewing-career-changers\/#Step_1_Tell_them_your_concern\" title=\"Step 1: Tell them your concern.\">Step 1: Tell them your concern.<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/an-interviewers-3-step-guide-to-interviewing-career-changers\/#Step_2_Ask_them_about_their_strengths_and_soft_skills\" title=\"Step 2: Ask them about their strengths and soft skills.\">Step 2: Ask them about their strengths and soft skills.<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/an-interviewers-3-step-guide-to-interviewing-career-changers\/#Step_3_Ask_them_for_specific_examples_where_theyve_demonstrated_these_talents\" title=\"Step 3: Ask them for specific examples where they&#8217;ve demonstrated these talents.\">Step 3: Ask them for specific examples where they&#8217;ve demonstrated these talents.<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/an-interviewers-3-step-guide-to-interviewing-career-changers\/#Sign_up_on_Kalibrr_and_start_hiring_better_today_You_can_also_follow_us_on_Facebook_for_more_business_and_recruiter_advice\" title=\"Sign up on Kalibrr\u00a0and start hiring better today! You can also follow us on\u00a0Facebook\u00a0for more business and recruiter advice.\">Sign up on Kalibrr\u00a0and start hiring better today! You can also follow us on\u00a0Facebook\u00a0for more business and recruiter advice.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_1_Tell_them_your_concern\"><\/span><strong>Step 1: Tell them your concern.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are only a few job candidates who fit\u00a0<i>every<\/i>\u00a0requirement for a job. Everyone has their weaknesses or missing skills they have to work around in the interview, and it\u2019s really no different when they&#8217;re changing careers or industries. The strategy is to focus on the skills they\u00a0<i>do<\/i>\u00a0have rather than the ones they\u00a0<i>don&#8217;t<\/i>\u00a0have.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.giphy.com\/media\/ffJiLLtCk5Am4\/giphy.webp\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Be blunt and ask them that you&#8217;re concerned with their lack of direct experience in your industry, or the job they&#8217;re entering in. Ask them about the massive career shift. Most career changers are likely prepared for such a question, and it&#8217;ll be really interesting to know what their reasons are.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sample question:\u00a0<\/strong><b>What\u2019s driving you to make this big change?<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_2_Ask_them_about_their_strengths_and_soft_skills\"><\/span><strong>Step 2: Ask them about their strengths and soft skills.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While they might not be experienced in a particular skill for the job, you&#8217;ll be surprised to see that their strength lies in other aspects that would definitely help them succeed on the job.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/ab806d4775b0c897f54808f0d0a3523b\/tumblr_oab0rcpQZI1s8ja92o1_500.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a list of the strengths you want to look for that will likely relate to the job you&#8217;re hiring for:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u2022\u00a0 A high level of attention to detail<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0 Persistence and unwavering focus on results<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0 Staying current on industry dynamics and professional<br \/>\ncertifications<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0 Diplomacy and team-building<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0 Thorough knowledge of a process that befits the job<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0 Project management and follow-through<br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0 The flexibility and intellectual agility to respond to\u00a0changing<br \/>\npriorities<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_3_Ask_them_for_specific_examples_where_theyve_demonstrated_these_talents\"><\/span><strong>Step 3: Ask them for specific examples where they&#8217;ve demonstrated these talents.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ask them to come up with a brief real-world story to back up the strengths they&#8217;ve mentioned. This could be anything from facilitating a sales conference for 100 participants that went off without a hitch despite major challenges prior to the event. This demonstrates\u00a0attention to detail, diplomacy, project management, follow-through, and flexibility.<span style=\"font-size: 1rem\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images.gr-assets.com\/hostedimages\/1466693006ra\/19509103.gif\" \/><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"ccDetailsResumesReadyToJump\">\n<p>The great thing about this three-step strategy is that you\u2019ll be able to see ways in which their previous experience is relevant and transferable which, in turn, will help you determine how well they are qualified.<\/p>\n<p>A candidate with the right basic skills, along with the desire and confidence to learn and contribute in the new arena, will make a strong impression on any interviewer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sign_up_on_Kalibrr_and_start_hiring_better_today_You_can_also_follow_us_on_Facebook_for_more_business_and_recruiter_advice\"><\/span><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalibrr.com\/employers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sign up on Kalibrr<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>and start hiring better today! You can also follow us on\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kalibrrforbusiness\/?fref=ts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for more business and recruiter advice.<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At some point in their life, a lot of people change careers or industries (not just jobs) during their working years. Sometimes the change is perfectly planned, other times it&#8217;s abrupt. It happens when they want to change jobs but their industries are not hiring; or when they want to pursue their true passion. As [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":13415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13414"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}