Careers blog: Stop Rehearsing, Start Thinking. How to Approach Your Next Career Move

A career pivot doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. It starts with giving yourself space to think. Alumni Careers Manager Konstantina Dee explains why that pause can be the most powerful step you can take:

Have you been in a situation where you were preparing for a career pivot? What did you do? Like many I guess you researched everything, practised answers to possible interview questions and prepared mentally. But did you feel that there was something still missing?  

I believe that this unease usually isn't a knowledge gap but more it is a missed opportunity to pause and think.

I was reminded of this recently when working with an alum who was interviewing for a senior strategic role, which represented a significant step up that required them to bridge their existing experience with a much broader scope of work. They had done the preparation but still felt uncertain. So instead of running a mock interview, we tried something different: created space for them to think.

What gets in the way?

When you're preparing for a pivot, whether it's a step up in seniority, a sector change, or a completely new kind of role, the instinct is to go wider. More research. More practise. More coverage.

But what tends to happen is that you feel overwhelmed and less confident. You end up trying to prepare for everything rather than being clear about what matters in that context.

Underneath all that effort, there's often something more specific going on: a set of quiet assumptions that are quietly running the show.

"They'll see I haven't done this exact role before." "I'm not sure I can deliver at this level." "What if I'm not ready?"

These aren't facts. They're your stories and until you have the time and space to bring them to the surface, they are hard to deal with.

The shift that changes preparation

Once my client named those assumptions out loud, we could work with them. One question shifted their perspective:

"If you assumed this company invited you because they genuinely see potential, what would that change about how you approach this?"

Their answer was immediate and detailed. They described how they'd structure the first project, how they’d engage stakeholders, how their existing experience already gave them a solid platform.  This was not a person who was not ready for the role. This was not a person who was starting from scratch, but they were building on something real and something they could support with evidence. 

So, the shift is from “What if I fail?” to “Here’s how I would lead/deliver".  

How to prepare

Whether you're pivoting industries, stepping into a more senior role, or simply going for something that feels like a stretch, try building this into your process:

Think before you rehearse

Before practising answers, spend 20–30 minutes with a blank page. Ask yourself:

What does this role involve?
Where does it stretch me?
How can I bridge it from where I am now?

Name what's underneath

Check in with how you feel about the opportunity. If there's unease, get specific.

What are you assuming?
Are those assumptions facts, or just fears?

Reframe the story

Ask yourself:  

If I believed I could grow into this role, how would I talk about my experience?
The answer will give you the strength and confidence you need in these moments.   

Focus your preparation

Rather than researching everything, identify the two or three areas that genuinely feel “stretchy” and prepare stories that show how you've handled complexity, ambiguity, or scale before.

Career pivots are rarely about having the perfect background. They're about being able to show, clearly and confidently, what you bring, and how you'd approach what's ahead. That kind of clarity doesn't come from more rehearsal. It comes from thinking well before you rehearse at all.

Read more about alumni careers support at WBS.