How to Sell Your Work Experience in an Interview
A job interview is your shot at selling yourself to a potential employer—and part of this is showing how your previous work experience is an asset. Whether you are applying to a job similar to one you have held before or starting out in a new field, showing off your experience is crucial.
1. Communicate how your skills will transfer
The most significant way you can advertise your work experience is by highlighting skills that will transfer to your next position. Applying for a job in the apartment industry? Talk up any people, sales, or quick-thinking abilities you have. Apartment jobs are dynamic, but the skills they require can be gained in other industries as well. Even if you do not have previous apartment job experience, an employer will recognize how previous experience could signal future success.
2. Focus on your achievements
While professional achievements may be touched on in your resume, if they come up in your interview you should indicate how they qualify you for the job you are applying for. The best way to sell previous successes is to quantify them. This means putting a number to your achievements so that your interviewer can easily grasp them. For example, rather than stating that you ‘helped boost sales’ at your last job, specify that under your management ‘sales grew by over %110 percent.’
3. Discuss relevant experience
An interview takes up precious time of both interviewer and interviewee, and wasting that time discussing irrelevant experience could leave a poor first impression. Be careful not to diverge on a tangent explaining a previous job that is not relevant to the one you are applying for. By sticking to relevant experience you will build your case as the perfect candidate. If you are applying for an apartment job but have no apartment experience it is not irrelevant to discuss previous positions where you had to exercise similar skills. Focus on your most relevant experience, even if you are diving into a job search in a new field.
