Author: Michael Scaletti
To have the best chance to land a job, you need to be able to demonstrate, in concrete, tangible ways, how you bring value to the organization with which you are interviewing. We see it all the time. Someone we know will be a great fit interviews with a company, but they are rejected because they failed to provide enough relevant examples of ways they have gained experience that will be valuable to the company.
When you are interviewing, these examples are vital. You've listed skills you have on your resume, and that's great. It got you through the door. But you need to be able to back up that list of skills by mentioning specific accomplishments achieved by using them.
These tips can help get you ready to show off your accomplishments:
Confidence Isn't Arrogance
Sometimes a great candidate will be reluctant to openly discuss their accomplishments in an interview because they worry about sounding arrogant. The truth is, there's nothing arrogant about using facts and figures to show your accomplishments. You are taking justified pride in your achievements and telling a compelling story that displays your confidence that you will be an asset to the organization, and more importantly, this is exactly what your interviewer wants you to do!
Tell A Story
Remember, statements aren't memorable, but stories are. So be sure you're prepared to tell one! Ideally the story you tell will show, in a compelling manner, how you have overcome challenges in the past. One approach is to utilize the S.T.A.R. method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.
The S.T.A.R. method allows you to tell a compelling story that ideally demonstrates value, experience, and growth!
Let the Data Speak
Numbers don't lie. Are there metrics you can quantify for your previous job experience? Revenue that was increased, budgets that were reduced, time that was saved? Talk about them! As always though, remember to make a story out of it. Don't just tell the interviewer the result, make sure to talk about the steps and decision making it took to get to that point.
If you are ready to start interviewing for a new job, why not contact The Job Shop? We always have tons of great openings, and we can even help coach you on your interview technique to increase your odds of landing the job!
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