Here's how you can navigate your career change conversation with potential employers.

Once you identify a new career direction, ask yourself what skills, strengths, and experience transfer. Look at job postings and make a list of skills/experience you lack. Seek courses and certifications to make yourself a more viable candidate. This also shows you're serious about doing what it takes to move in a new direction. A career change may involve stepping back in level and salary. Do your research on jobs that interest you. Decide if this is something you're willing to do in order to build a new career path. Update/retarget your resume/LinkedIn to highlight the skills and experience relevant to your new career direction. Inform your network and make new connections with people/companies relevant to where you're going next.

"Uncover Your "Why" and Bridge ?? the Gap" Before diving into interviews, prioritize introspection. Unearth the motivations fueling your career shift and the aspirations driving your new path. This self-discovery becomes the bedrock of your discussions. With a clear understanding of your "why," you can effectively showcase how your past experiences equip you for this exciting chapter. It's about weaving a compelling narrative that bridges the gap between your past roles and your desired future, demonstrating how your unique skillset transcends specific industries.

Navigating a career change conversation with potential employers requires careful preparation and effective communication. Here are two key points to consider: Highlight Transferable Skills and Relevant Experience: When discussing your career change with potential employers, focus on highlighting transferable skills and relevant experiences that align with the new role. Demonstrate Passion and Commitment: Communicate your genuine interest and enthusiasm for the new career path. By focusing on your transferable skills, relevant experiences, passion, and commitment during the career change conversation, you can effectively convey your readiness and suitability for the new role to potential employers.

Research and prepare.Thoroughly research the company and position to craft a compelling narrative that highlights your reasons for the change and enthusiasm. Emphasize relevant transferable skills from your previous roles and align your value proposition to the position and company goals. Express your eagerness to contribute meaningfully to the company's success. By approaching confidently and authentically while showcasing your skills, adaptability, and potential, you can position yourself as a strong candidate for the new role. Go for it!

When discussing a career change with potential employers, focus on transferable skills and relevant experiences. Highlight your enthusiasm for the new field and your commitment to learning. Tailor your narrative to show how your past roles have prepared you for this transition. Be honest about your reasons for changing careers and what you're looking to achieve. Research the company and industry thoroughly to ask informed questions and make meaningful connections. Finally, project confidence and positivity, demonstrating your readiness and eagerness to contribute from day one.

When planning a career move, it's important to prepare two messages. First, a very short message of one or two sentences explaining why you want to make the move. Second, a longer message providing more context to your decision. Why do you need two versions? Candidates tend to come up with long justifications for wanting to change jobs. Hiring managers and recruiters hear stories like this all the time, and they prefer a very short explanation. Therefore, it's a good idea to prepare both versions just in case. TIP: Write both versions down and rehearse them in front of a mirror or with a friend until you feel comfortable. It will be a great help during the stress of an interview.

Specifically for industry research and job networking, I recently attended a field-specific networking event as I am entering a completely new field of work—data analytics—from sales and entrepreneurship. It ended up being a small group of 7 or so people. Attendees included a few veterans and varying levels of aspiring and newbie experience among the others. By talking to the veterans, one hiring manager in particular, I DISCOVERED there are people eager to hire people like me, with my work experience, and my transferable skill sets! How refreshing and reaffirming. He also followed up with me to recommend certifications to acquire. What’s more helpful than that type of research! Targeted, personal, and actionable! Seek out your tribe.

What you lead with is what you’ll be recognized for. I recommend leading with your diverse background's benefits. Frame it as a problem and the conversation focuses on that; you may also likely communicate that YOU truly see it as concerning. Is the chat a high-risk danger or new venture to explore with mutual interests? Discuss the reasons for your career change with a collection of “what I learned” or “what I gained” experiences woven in. Your history is also an employer's test. Do they describe your background as a concern or can they perceive a multi-skilled professional's value? Relevance here doesn't mean "the same" but transferable. If you receive specific questions, that’s the time to address those curiosities head on.

Be prepared to share your "leave story" - why you are considering leaving your current employer and job. It's an opportunity to share that, at this stage in your career, you've developed greater awareness of the work that gives you energy, and you want to align your career path with this work. Prepare a response that includes these 3 parts: a) brief capture of the facts - why you are looking at a career change at this time and how this relates to your desire to do work that gives you energy, b) one thing you loved about your last job/result you obtained and c) how this thing you loved connects to your new path. Prepare this response in advance - and practice. This way, you will sound confident when you need to deliver.

Be honest and genuine. Career changes, relocation and resume gaps are more common than many people think. Career changes are courageous and says a lot about how a person approaches their career. As an HR professional, I loved hearing candidate's career stories and what led them to make such a brave shift.