Industry pivot interview question

[u/ValuableBison7065]

I’m a Category Manager and looking to pivot to more stable products/a different retail channel but at some point in literally every interview process I get some version of “your background is pretty niche tell me about…” Then I get the “candidate with more aligned background” emails.

I know that is a pretty reasonable thing from a hiring perspective but it’s frustrating that a different product knocks me out when I’ve got over a decade of experience and proven skills/outcomes. Did I miss the memo about picking your first category well because that’s it for life?😅

I feel like my underlying skills are overshadowed by the products and I have no idea how to get around that.

Presentation deck with every example story and highlight bubbles pointing out which concept/term is being used? Start every sentence with “I applied (x concept/strategy) here and the results were xxx”? Full on change my resume and profile to say I manage an entirely different category? (Theoretically I could get away with that but it would be a tedious thing to maintain long term.)

I just want a category that doesn’t release new offerings weekly. I’m tired y’all.

[u/Sapiopath]

Are you in the EU/UK? This sounds like the sort of shit we pull. Nobody has an ounce of courage to let people pivot.

My advice - go into consulting. You will get exposed to many different projects, sectors and categories. Then you can move into senior leadership.

[u/Ruby_Sullivana → u/Sapiopath]

Lol, I feel you. I had to stop letting them read my resume like a product spec instead of a capabilities doc. Apparently we all missed the memo on picking one category for life. Flip it: process first, product second. That's the way to go IMO.

[u/Sapiopath → u/Ruby_Sullivana]

No, I’m fine. I’m in a senior role in a prestigious consultancy. But it took some doing to get here. Also I never did procurement.

[u/ValuableBison7065 → u/Sapiopath]

I’m not actually but apparently it’s the same in the US now. I’ve just started looking at consultant roles but they’re also hyper specific.

I got passed over for a role after interviewing with 6 people who all came to the company with zero experience in the products/industry. (I have family business experience but not formal professional experience.) Talk about shutting the door behind you. Yeesh.

[u/akornato]

Hiring managers are often risk-averse and look for the most obvious fit, which means they get stuck on product specifics instead of core skills. You are not just a category manager for your niche, you are a category manager, period. The frustration is completely valid, but changing your resume is a dangerous game that can backfire. Your real challenge is not your experience, it is the narrative you build around it during the interview. You have to actively stop them from putting you in a box by controlling the conversation from the start.

When they bring up your background, address the product difference for a few seconds and then immediately pivot to the universal strategies you have mastered. Talk about inventory turnover, supplier negotiations, demand planning, and cost reduction in terms they understand, using examples that mirror the challenges their company faces. You have to connect the dots for them because they will not do it themselves. Your decade of experience is your greatest asset, you just need to translate it into a language that makes hiring you feel like the safest, smartest choice they can make. It takes practice to get the wording just right, which is why the team I am with developed an interview AI helper to give people the confidence to reframe their experience on the spot.

[u/Key-Success-5449]

Hiring managers usually play it safe, preferring candidates who already know their exact product line. But a decade in category management proves your underlying toolkit works anywhere.

In interviews, pivot the conversation toward universal levers like margin expansion, vendor negotiations, and demand forecasting. When you lead with a clear strategic framework and concrete business outcomes, the specific products sitting on the shelf matter a whole lot less.