What the interviewer is actually worried about
Every career transition interview has the same underlying question underneath it, even when it is not asked directly: does this make sense?
The interviewer is trying to answer two things. First, are you moving toward something or running away from something? Second, do you actually understand what this role requires and can you realistically do it?
Are you here because you genuinely want this direction, or because you had a bad experience somewhere and this seemed like an option?
Do you understand what this role actually requires day to day, and is there real evidence in your background that you can do it?
A strong transition narrative addresses both of these directly without being asked about them explicitly. Most people only address the motivation side and leave the capability side to chance.
How to build the narrative from your actual experience
The common mistake in career transition interviews is treating the explanation as a pitch for your future rather than an account of your past. Hiring managers cannot evaluate your future. They can evaluate your documented history.
The right approach is to trace a thread through what you have actually done that points toward the direction you are moving. Not a fabricated arc. An honest read of where your experience has actually been pointing.
For most people making a genuine transition, that thread exists. You just have to find it and make it explicit rather than leaving the interviewer to find it themselves -- or not find it.
Four steps to build your transition explanation
Look at your history for where you were already moving toward this. Not in the abstract -- in specific projects, responsibilities you sought out, skills you developed by choice. The parts of your work that energized you and the parts you kept gravitating toward, even when you did not have to.
Identify the transferable skills that actually map to the new role. Be specific about the transfer. Not "I have strong leadership skills." What did you lead, what was the context, and what happened? The same underlying capability described in a different context is a transfer. Claiming a general trait is not.
Acknowledge what is genuinely new. Do not pretend you have experience you do not have. If you are moving into a new industry, name it: "I have not worked in healthcare before, but here is what I have done that maps to what this role requires." Self-awareness about the gap is more reassuring to a hiring manager than trying to paper over it.
Prepare for the question you will definitely get. Some version of "walk me through why you are making this change" is coming. Practice the answer until it is two to three minutes of clear, grounded explanation -- not a ten-minute defense and not a thirty-second dodge.
What does not work
Leading with passion. "I have always been passionate about X" is a motivation claim that is very difficult to evaluate and easy to fake. Interviewers hear it constantly. It does not build trust. Your documented history of moving toward something builds trust.
Over-explaining. If you find yourself spending more than three minutes on the transition narrative before getting to the substance of your experience, you have lost the thread. The explanation is context, not the main event.
Criticizing what you are leaving. Even if the reason for the transition involves a genuine problem with your prior role or company, an interview is not the place to air it. Keep the narrative forward-facing.