Your story
This example is for someone moving from software development into planning. Swap in your own roles, exact titles and degree, and build every answer from those. The table shows how each part of your background connects to what this team needs.
| What the JD wants | What you really have | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Find trends, variances, risks | SQL data validation, root-cause analysis of production issues | "I'm used to tracing a wrong number back to its source. That's what PSI checks and reconciliation are." |
| Advanced Excel | Strong SQL. Excel (PivotTables, XLOOKUP) is on your draft resume: only claim what you can do live | Explain each Excel tool as its SQL twin. Mention the practice exercises only once you've actually done them, and name which ones |
| Reports and dashboards | Built reports and dashboards for project stakeholders | A real STAR story with what you built and who used it |
| Presenting to senior people | Sprint demos and status updates to client stakeholders | Use the headline → drivers → risks → decision structure |
| Multi-cultural teams | Onshore/offshore teams across time zones | A real STAR story |
| Forecasting | Python forecasting project, if it's built and yours | Only mention it if you can walk through it for 5 minutes |
| Demand planning job experience | None yet | Say so plainly, then show the training and practice. Interviewers trust this more than a vague claim |
60–90 second pitch (fill it with your real details)
- "I'm a software developer by background. At [your company] I built [what you built] and spent a lot of my time in the data: validating it with SQL and finding root causes."
- "I'm moving into demand planning because that's where data quality turns directly into business decisions."
- "I'm in a mentored training program covering forecasting, PSI, S&OP and inventory planning." Add "and I've practised [name the exercises] in Excel" only once you've actually done them.
- "I'd bring accuracy, speed with data tools and clear communication to your weekly PSI and forecast cycle."
About the resume: check which version the recruiter sent. If any line on it isn't true, tell the recruiter before Monday. In the interview, answer only from real experience: if you're asked about a line you can't back up with real detail, don't improvise a story; say plainly what your actual experience is. Invented details fall apart under the second follow-up question, and employment history gets checked.