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In a recent interview I was asked "Why do you want to switch/change your job, when you haven't even completed 2 years?". Current role is Consultant at a fintech firm and role applied for is also a Consultant but at an Analytics firm.

I told them that at current role if I have to advance my career I have to gain core accounting knowledge which I lack currently and I have interest towards working with data and analytics therefore I applied for this role and I want to switch.

Somehow I felt it didn't go well with the interviewer because it highlights that I am not willing to learn, is there any better way to put it like diplomatically or should I give them true reason?

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    focus on not wanting to become an accountant because you aren't interested in that, not on "having to learn" accounting.
    – Tiger Guy
    Nov 25, 2021 at 19:57

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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:

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

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Well, you were truthful, but that does not necessarily make the right impact. When you say

"I told them that at current role if I have to advance my career I have to gain core accounting knowledge which I lack currently and I have interest towards working with data and analytics therefore I applied for this role and I want to switch."

this sounds like you are trying to bag an easier role and you want to only learn something at company expense. This does not portray how that will be beneficial to the company.

As an alternate wording, I see nothing wrong with the template phase, something along the lines of

"I'm looking for a new challenge to grow both professionally and personally. I believe the current position at your organization and my career goals are aligned and it will be a good match from both the sides."

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  • aligned, not aliened, I think
    – matt freake
    Nov 25, 2021 at 5:50
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    @mattfreake :) you got it.
    – Sourav Ghosh
    Nov 25, 2021 at 5:51
  • @JoeStrazzere maybe I do not express it well. basically it tells that there is not enough challenge (and motivation) for work in current role/org, so looking for the change. and whether 2 years is long enough or not, that varies widely, based on industry/domain.
    – Sourav Ghosh
    Nov 25, 2021 at 14:03

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