Somehow I felt it didn't go well with the interviewer because it highlights that I am not willing to learn
This is subjective and depends on how other person is taking your response. They may like your honesty or they may find you less interested in learning new things even though you are interested in data and analytics.
From my (HR) perspective, it is good to be honest however during an interview you can always avoid sentences that show “You are trying to avoid any new learning”. This could indicate that you may again switch to a new company if you find something uninteresting or if you are in similar situation.
Is there any better way to put it like diplomatically or should I give them true reason?
Yes, of course and here is what you can try next time:
- Show them you are building your career intentionally.
Align your experience and interest with the current role. Show them you are excited about this particular role/field and how it aligns with your long-term career goal. This is time when you can show them why exactly you are interested in this role and also a right fit. You can pitch some key points that align with the role to show them how you can add value with your experience plus some desired points from job description that you wish to learn. This would show them that it is a win-win situation for both as you have something to offer and something to learn.
For example: “I have been looking for a change as I believe I should now move to a position where I can work on my desired skills and progress my career. The reason I decided to get interviewed for this position is that I have been interested in working for an analytics firm and in this particular role, I can combine the experience I gained from my current/previous role/roles and sharp my skills around data and analytics which I have been interested in for a while. I have been spending personal time learning data and analytics as well.
- Spend some time and research about company and select a few factors to incorporate into your pitch.
Move your focus from current company to potential company. It's really impressive when candidates have some knowledge about company or their product. To do this, you can just visit company’s website/ LinkedIn page (home section and posts) or speak to their employee if you know any.
This response will show that you are sincerely putting efforts to be a part of them, you are looking for career progression and eager to learn while emphasizing, you have skills and attitude of learning to be successful in role.
Keep it short, use these components together, prepare your pitch in advance and you have a response ready.