Ask Me Anything (AMA) about interviewing for Change Management roles

Change Management interviews can seem super scary but seriously - they are just like any other interview. With a few tips and tools you can shine in them in no time. Here’s the common advice I give my LSC members in our Monthly Coaching Calls when I’m helping them prepare for Change Management interviews. 

1. Prepare STARL answers to behavioural questions

Behavioural questions are designed to understand how you work and cultural fit (not just what you know and what your skills and experience are - they can read that in your CV). This is super critical for Change Management so taking time to prepare STARL answers is essential. A behavioural question could be: When have you worked with a tricky stakeholder? Write out your answer in the STARL format (a build on the STAR method credited to consulting firm DDI):

S - This was the situation/issue/problem/challenge. 

T - This is what I thought I could do, the different options that I had. 

A - This is the action that I ended up taking. 

R - This is the result that we ended up getting. 

L - And this is the learning that I got. 

The website Zippia has 75 examples of behavioural questions. You don’t need to prepare 75 answers, just look at the 10-12 themes, prepare 4-5 answers with a strong Change focus that could each be relevant for a few themes, practice it and you'll have a ready treasure trove of behavioural question answers with a strong Change focus. 

2. Focus on transferable skills for Change Management

If you’re changing careers to Change, you’ve probably optimised your CV with transferable skills for Change Management. Be sure to carry this through to the interview! It doesn’t matter if you’ve come to Change from Marketing, Operations, HR, Sales, Project Management, Learning & Development, Communications or any other field. Focus your conversation on the Change-related and Change-relevant transferable skills from your background so you can truly shine.

3. Frame your experience so it’s relevant for Change

Let’s say you work at a group-wide, enterprise or portfolio level but you don’t have any experience directly working on the ground in projects themselves. That’s ok! You’ve been probably worked with and been a partner of projects so talk about that partnership and support you’ve provided. You can say something like, “I’m usually supporting on the back end of the change and I'd really like to come forward upfront in the change, and work earlier on in the change and bring my skills in that way.” Often, you'll have been working in such close vicinity to projects that you have the experience and the exposure of working in and with projects.

4. Don’t stay at the high level

Don’t spend your entire interview spouting Change Management theories and methodologies and not describing what you’ve actually done to lead and deliver change (and providing real stories and examples). This will only be a problem if you’ve only done Change Management accreditations and certifications, and not a practical industry course like my Leading Successful Change program which actually teaches you how to deliver and complete Change Management for projects and team and encourages you to practice on real-world tools and templates. 

5. Learn the Project, IT and Change Management delivery jargon

Change Management is a transferable skill which means it’s industry-agnostic. You don’t need to be an expert in the industry or company you’re interviewing for, but you do need to understand and be across Change Management and its related fields. Most change is done within the context of projects and still a lot of Change Managers are hired specifically for IT, digital, or technology changes. If you don’t know what a SteerCo is, you’ve never heard of UAT, or you can’t explain or give examples of benefits realisation, TNAs, or embedding, it could trip you up in the interview. Do some research or ask for definitions in your Change community so you can hold your own in conversation (this is why our LSC Monthly Coaching Calls are gold - we can explain all the basic concepts, templates and terms!). 

If you’d like to ask your own questions about interviewing for Change Management roles, come along to my free Live Workshop + Q&A on Wednesday 19 March at 6.00pm AEDT (Sydney time). I’ll be sharing how to build your confidence to change to Change and lead change successfully.

It’s part of my free Change Tools Masterclass and we’ll be going deeper AND answering all your curly questions on the live session held via Zoom.

CLICK HERE to join the Live Workshop + Q&A of my free Change Tools Masterclass

Lata xx

P.S. I've just opened up the invitation period of the March Group Cohort for my Leading Successful Change program... check it out here.