Why You're Struggling To Change Careers

Changing careers is not for the faint of heart. But there are certain things you can do to make that change a lot easier. Unfortunately, I see a lot of job seekers make this one mistake when trying to change careers.

Here's why you're struggling to change careers...

You're Not Conducting Informational Interviews

@j.t.odonnell Here's why you're STRUGGLING to change careers @uopx #UniversityofPhoenix #adsponsored #sponsoredad #jobtok #careertok #edutok #careerchange #careers #jobs #careeradvice #careermode #worklife #joblife #jobsearch #careertips #jobsearchtips '¬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

If you are struggling to make a career change, then you need to be doing something called informational interviewing. An informational interview is not a job interview. It's an interview with people who you respect and trust, who work at the companies on your interview bucket list. It's an interview where these people help you connect the dots and figure out how you're going to take yourself from where you are right now to that new career.

Conducting informational interviews is really important because most people think they can't make a career change, and they feel trapped. The truth is, in order to successfully change careers, you need to have a game plan, and informational interviewing is at the center of it.

The University of Phoenix actually has a free resource that walks you through all six steps of the informational interview process. First, they walk you through how to figure out who to interview. Then, they tell you what questions to ask so that you can get the correct information. And lastly, they even tell you how to follow up so that you can look professional and build your network.

So, if you're struggling to change careers, try conducting informational interviews in your job search. I promise it'll make your career change a million times easier.

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Published October 28, 2023

How To Handle Curveball Interview Questions

Whatâs the one piece of advice given over and over to interviewees? Prepare. Research the company, research the role, take time to analyze whatâs going to be required of you, and take time to assess your own abilities.

Thatâs the advice that Direct Line Group Careers gives to its applicants on their insurance jobs site. So, what do you do when you take this sound advice, but mid-way through a promising interview situation youâre thrown a question that you couldnât possibly have prepared for?

Tough interview questions are becoming more popular for interviewers to gauge how adept a candidate is at thinking on their feet. Without their prepared answers to fall back on, how an interviewee reacts to a question that seems utterly random can be revealing.

The good news? If youâre applying for a role that you have a lot of passion for, in an area where youâre naturally talented or well-practiced (without necessarily having direct working experience), these questions are a great way to show off your abilities. The bad news? Thereâs not much you can do to practice for a question thatâs deliberately obscure. But thatâs not to say itâs completely impossibleâafter all, the purpose of any interview is to see how good a fit you are for the role and the company.

So, however wacky the question is, the recruiter will probably be hoping for you to consider the context in which itâs being asked when it comes to your answer. That means if youâve researched the role youâre applying for and know what is going to be expected of you, chances are youâll have a good idea of the type of logic and thought process theyâre looking for when you make your reply.

Below are a few genuine curveball questions that have been asked in interview situations; while none of them have a necessarily right or wrong response, theyâll often fit into fields of purpose. One way to prepare for curveball interview questions is to get used to looking for what the intention is behind the weirdness!

Curveball Interview Questions

âName five uses of a stapler without staples.”
âWhat do you think of garden gnomes?â

What theyâre really asking: Are you creative? Can you see the bigger picture, or are you focused on the detail? Are you happy to improvise, and are you a good communicator?

âGiven 20 light bulbs (which break at a certain height), and a building with 100 floors, how do you determine the height at which the bulb breaks?â
“Out of 25 horses, pick the fastest three horses. In each race, only five horses can run at the same time. What is the minimum number of races required?”

What theyâre really asking: Are you logical? Do you have a good knowledge of probability and equations? Can you figure out an effective method for solving problems and assess its viability?

âHow would you weigh an elephant?â
“If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?â

What theyâre really asking: How creative are you when it comes to problem-solving? Do you have an eye for important details? How do you improvise under pressure?

What Are All The Questions Really Asking?

Job candidate interviews for an open position

Theyâre all challenges: challenges to normal interview structure, challenges to your ability to think on your feet, and logical challenges that reveal your thought process. Most importantly, donât see a curveball question as an attempt to trip you up: see it as an opportunity to show that you relish a challenge.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.