How to explain career change during interview? (aerospace engineering)
I studied aerospace engineering in college and did internships at NASA and in propulsion research. Ignore my username, I currently work at an MBB consulting firm.
I recently did my first superday, and I got the advice that: 1) my interest in PE wasn't clear, 2) there were reservations about my ability to ramp up given my consulting background (even though I did well on the modeling test), and 3) they weren't sure if I would stick around or use PE as a stepping stone
Does anyone have any advice about how to tweak my response to the "walk me through your resume" or "tell me about yourself" question? Obviously I can't tell the truth that I was considering a PhD but I hated the idea of being stuck in a lab for 10 years and I sold out for money...
Well why do you want to do PE? The best answers are the truth but more polished / structured.
You need to have a well-structured story - like poster above pointed out - based on truth.
Moreover, you need a well-reasoned argument about every move/transition away from your original destination. I have found and told by mentors (senior bankers/PE MDs), that the motivation and the "why" is more important than the modelling skills
I personally did aerospace engineering in college and my transition story is based on not being a citizen/PR which severely limited my opportunities, and getting exposed to business/finance for the first time in an econ course in undergrad, which got me into investing in the stock market. On top of that, graduated during start of covid which limited opportunities further as an international student, and was a great motivator in choosing to pursue a Master's degree in finance and - insert further chain of events - that led me to want to pursue banking/PE. (smoother and better structured when I say it in interviews/calls)
In your case, you need an even stronger case as you had NASA internships. So you need some strong motivator that made you want to transition into consulting (besides money)
Also very important, never outline the negative of why you left. Just tell the positive of the second field that attracted you.
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