What's your motivation?

Have you ever been in an interview situation and been asked ‘why do you want this job?’ Pretty typical, yes?

But what you may not realise is that many recruiters are asking that question when they first look at your application, and if they can’t see a link between where you have been and the role they are recruiting for, you just won’t get through the door to answer that question for yourself. There are plenty of reasons why you might be applying for a role other than the one that is the ‘obvious’ next step in your career. And you want the opportunity to explain that reason for yourself rather than have the recruiter make the decision for you.

So, what can you do to make sure you are sitting in that interview answering the question for yourself?

First things first, why DO you want the job? While many of us have been brought up with a traditional view that career is lineal and leads you from the bottom to the top of a ladder in your chosen career, there are many other steps you can take to make the journey more interesting and the destination worth your while. While forward progression is seen as a positive step – more money, more responsibility - sideways steps can be just as rewarding and can be more suitable for getting you where you want to be. You may take a lateral step to explore other facets of your industry or role, relocate to a different location, or to gain broader experience at your current level.

A step seen as backwards, may provide you with the opportunity to move into a different field or industry or take some time out for personal or professional development or to focus on something other than your career. And in these current turbulent employment times, you may just be looking for a foot in the door, a pay check and a way to continue to be employed.

While these options may make a lot of sense to you - and really, that’s all that matters – they can be confusing to a potential employer who might wonder ‘do they REALLY want this job?’

So, let’s look at some ways to address common concerns recruiters may have when reviewing your application…

‘You are over-qualified.’

Taking a step back down a career ladder rung or two is not a negative. It’s a great way to reassess and realign yourself and your career. Maybe you tried out a management position and found it wasn’t for you. You might have progressed down a specialist pathway and decided that you’d actually like to try something different. Maybe, you have other things going on in your life (i.e. family commitments, study, travel etc) and you don’t want the responsibility that a more senior role brings. Maybe, there aren’t other roles at the level you were at and you want to get back into employment.

You need to communicate this through your cover letter along with your reasons why this new role is attractive to you apart from the level i.e. it’s your preferred industry, it offers the flexibility you require, its location suits your needs. At the end of the day, it’s actually a win-win situation for you and the employer who gets more bang for their buck from someone who brings more to the role than is necessarily needed.

‘You have never worked in this industry.’

Sometimes employers can get hung up on the idea that industry or sector experience is essential to success. That nobody understands THEIR sector unless they’ve been a part of it. That their industry is somehow unique and will be too complex or different for someone coming in from another industry.

This is where you need to think a little creatively and look for similarities within your experience to the role you are applying for including common skills, attributes or activities i.e. events experience gives insight into delivering projects on time/budget, rules and regulations in an education environment can have parallels with those in government departments etc. Alternatively, you can talk about the differences that exist and how your experience with those aspects would assist you to bring new ideas and improvements to the role i.e. coming from a retail industry, you can bring a customer service focus into a front facing administrative role. You might also be able to demonstrate through aspects outside of your work experience your alignment to the new organisation, role and industry i.e. coaching a sports team gives you insight into coaching or mentoring a team in a supervisory position.

‘What would a teacher know about working in retail?’

Making a major change in your career direction can be the most difficult of all to communicate to a potential employer. And the bigger the change from your previous experience, the more challenging it becomes. This is where you really need to dissect your previous experience into transferable skills which you can map to the new role you are applying for. Break down your responsibilities in your previous roles and classify them using the language used by employers in the industry or area you are looking to enter. Do some research and get as much information as you can about the new industry and what is required so that you can align what you have done in the past to what will be expected of you in the roles you are looking for. Try taking a skill-based approach to your CV, focussing more on what your education, skills and attributes are rather than a chronological work history. This will allow recruiters to see more clearly without being deterred by position labels and levels.

Try to keep your spirits up and your confidence high during your job search even if you are not immediately gaining interviews or job offers. A positive attitude is extremely attractive to a potential employer. Where possible, seek feedback from recruiters if your application is not successful, and find out what reasons there were for not pursuing your application. Persevere and continue to look at a wide range of roles, to give you the greatest chance of success, as a foot in the door somewhere can lead to a whole new career.

bestfit HR Careers offers services to support your career and enhance your job search. For assistance with your CV, applications or interviews contact Anne-Marie on 022 428 1571 or email bestfithrnz@gmail.com for a free initial consultation and more information on services available.