How To Give Examples During Your Interview
It’s not easy to impress a hiring manager – not only do you have to get a hold of your nerves, but you also have to figure out what to say in a job interview that will make you stand out from the crowd.
One of the best ways to differentiate yourself from other candidates is by providing tangible evidence of your skills and talent. This means you have to be good at storytelling; broad declarations won’t help you stand out from the competition. Offering specific examples of your accomplishments from your past jobs is the best way to back up your skills. These examples help the interviewer visualize what you could actually do for their company. Below are some examples of how you can back up your skills:
OK: “I have great time management skills”
BETTER: “I am exceptional at time management. My job requires multiple moving aspects, so I routinely plan on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I keep a running task list on my desktop so I can see what needs to be accomplished and when. I spend 10 minutes each morning going through what needs to be completed for the day and then add in tasks when projects unexpectedly come up.”
This response shows the interviewer how your brain works when planning how you are going to accomplish all your tasks in a timely manner.
OK: “I’m great at communication”
BETTER: I have extremely strong communication skills. In my current role, the department was lacking communication between one another so to help solve this issue I held weekly team meetings where everyone would voice what they are working on and also voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas. This helped improve best practices and team morale and made it a more enjoyable department to work for.
By responding like this, it gives the interviewer a look at how you communicate with others and how your communication skills can help their company.
OK: “I pay really close attention to detail”
BETTER: One of my best skills is paying close attention to detail. My current position is very detail-oriented, it is important that all numbers and reports match up so that there are no discrepancies. I thoroughly read through my work to make sure it is correct and this way I can spot any errors. If need be I even ask a colleague to read through my work for the second pair of eyes in case I did miss a mistake. This helps make sure everything is done efficiently and is the best it can be.
Giving an example of how you pay attention to detail helps the interviewer know how you will be producing the best quality work for their company.
These are just a few examples of how to back up your ability when an interviewer asks you about what skills you have. It is very important to provide examples when you are interviewing that way you will stand out and show what type of employee you will be!
