Interviewers can’t come and watch you doing your job, so you need some other
way of convincing them you know what to do. You need examples of times you
have successfully displayed your skills and qualities, and which demonstrate
your areas of experience. Reread the advertisement, the job description and any
other information you have. Make sure you know the responsibilities and duties
the job entails, and what skills, qualities, experience and qualifications are
required.
Work through the information, underlining key points such as:
● specific skills;
● areas of experience;
● responsibilities;
● qualifications and training;
● knowledge areas;
● qualities and characteristics;
● abilities.
List everything, then write down how, when and where you have demonstrated
each requirement. If, for example, the ad asks for someone calm under pres-
sure, you might recall a time an order had to be completed ahead of schedule
and how you kept calm, organized yourself and prioritized the workload so you
could meet the deadline and save the company a large penalty charge. Make
sure you have at least one good example for each requirement. If your current
job can’t supply an example, think of one from:
● previous jobs;
● unpaid positions: voluntary work, community associations, organizations
● and sports teams;
● your personal life.
Turn these notes into interesting, concise anecdotes. If the interviewer asks,
‘How would you cope with an aggressive customer?’, rather than saying,
‘I would do x, y and z,’ tell him or her about an occasion when you dealt tactfully
and successfully with a belligerent customer in real life. Commit these examples
to memory and practise delivering them until you feel confident. At the interview,
nerves could make you forgetful, so rehearse your key answers until they flow
easily. If possible, role play with a friend so you get used to doing it beforehand,
listening out for opportunities to present your evidence even when the questions
are differently phrased.
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