Even with limited experience in a field or using a particular skill set, there are ways to present ... [+]
One of the most daunting parts of making a career change is discussing your limited experience in a new field and/or using a particular skillset. This shouldn’t be the reason to avoid making a change, however; plenty of people have done it successfully before you.
Whether it’s within formal interviews or during informational interviews and chats with influential folks in your network, preparation is key to successfully making a case for a career pivot. Using the tips below, you’ll never be caught flat-footed when the glare inevitably shines on your lack of experience when you’re changing paths.
Gather Relevant Details
Perhaps you actually do have some experience within an area but have lost track of that knowledge. We often overlook relevant tasks because we've simply forgotten they occurred or have devalued their importance (e.g., “it was only a small part of my role,” or “I was just volunteering.”)
For instance, one of my coaching clients was looking to pivot from marketing into fundraising/development for nonprofits. She claimed that she had “no experience” relevant to the fundraising roles, but when I glanced through her list of experiences, I noticed that many years earlier she’d helped a social service agency organize two annual events on a volunteer basis.
“Did you solicit donors for these events?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, taking a long pause. “But does that count? It was so long ago, and I was just a volunteer.”
“Absolutely it counts!” I said, before encouraging her to dig through her digital files to find the phone scripts and email templates she’d created for the donor solicitations.
She went into her first interview in development armed with these details and wowed the panel, moving through the interview process all the way to the final round before an internal candidate received the offer. Not bad for a first time out.
So before claiming you have NO experience, consider these questions:
- When have I ever done unpaid work related to this skillset and/or field? Scour your undergraduate activities (even if long ago), family involvements (e.g., supporting a child’s school), and hobbies for evidence.
- In any of my paid roles, did I ever do anything using the key skill, in even a small capacity? Look through your jobs, one-by-one, and consider them season-by-season. Did anything relevant ever occur? Are you forgetting a minor experience or “add on” element of your role that might be valuable to the career change?
- Did I ever explore this interest or skill set in my choice time, even if in a minimal way? Sometimes we forget that “one course” we took “years ago, just for fun,” or the highly relevant workshop we sat in on at a conference “on a lark.” In my coaching practice I find that career change desires rarely come from completely out of the blue; reconnecting with the tiny steps you took in the past toward an interest area, even if long ago, may be ripe for discussion within interviews and career conversations.
After inventorying any relevant experiences you have, make time to think through the details of that limited experience. Find the materials you created and/or emails you exchanged on the topic, if you still have access to them, to refresh your memory with specifics.
Such details are invaluable for providing evidence that you can do the work - even if it was “only” volunteer or in a very small portion of one paid role.
Prepare For Questions About Your Lack of Experience
Of course limited experience is “limited.” Chances are that within interviews or networking conversations, you’ll get asked direct questions about a skillset or situation you've never gotten to experience at all.
Typically what's best in this case is to be honest and direct back (e.g., "I haven't yet had the opportunity to be involved with a full campaign") and then to immediately pivot into discussing tangential or transferable skills (e.g., "but I did conduct outreach calls in my volunteer work with Y Org, which is a skillset that would be invaluable for this role/field since proactive outreach and follow-up are key to successfully raising funds. My efforts resulted in [tell specific outcomes, using numbers].”)
An alternative approach - especially useful when you have no tangential evidence to provide - is to instead demonstrate how you're a fast and eager learner who has successfully taken on new challenges in the recent past. Just saying that you “love to learn” isn’t valuable here; you have to provide evidence. For instance, tell about the learning curve you were on at the beginning of your most recent role and what resulted from your process, or the ways you recently took on new tasks, including how you learned and the tangible outcomes of your efforts.
Note that “I’m an eager learner” evidence can be drawn from personal experiences; for instance, talking about athletics, hobbies or other endeavors that show a desire to learn and persevere through the challenges of being new to something can be highly compelling. I’ve had a number of coaching clients hook interviewers because of their experiences in rock climbing, distance running, and improv comedy, in particular; while making the offer, hiring managers mentioned these experiences as unique and notable in comparison to other applicants.
Online learning - even in small measure - can go a long way in your ability to discuss a new field ... [+]
Learn About The Field
It’s also never too late to learn the lingo and strategy of a field and incorporate it into an interview or career conversation. You shouldn’t try to sell yourself as having done these things, of course, but demonstrating knowledge of what needs to be done and why can also be impressive within an interview.
Try a LinkedIn Learning course (even just portions of it!), or courses on Udemy or Coursera or EdX, among the many low-cost learning platforms available.
Similarly, look back on notes from informational interviews with folks in the field to see what phrases and buzzwords they used or brought to your attention. The more people you can talk to in the field, the better. Don’t be shy about explicitly asking them for tips on what to be ready to discuss within interviews - and then study up!
Come Well Prepared In General
While preparing to discuss your lack of experience while pivoting, don’t forget to do the good ol’ work of general interview and career conversation prep. Think far and wide for experiences in every area or skill set mentioned within a job description, and come prepared with anecdotes to show evidence of key general skills (e.g., conflict resolution, having difficult conversations, collaboration).
By working through these tips intentionally and with sustained effort, you’ll be ready to successfully make a case for your career change desire, and then let the interviewer decide from there.
