“TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE?” [Learn How to Answer This Interview Question]

Tell me about your work experience is an interview question that needs to be answered in a specific way. If you answer this interview question incorrectly, you will not get hired. So if you have a job interview coming up for any role whatsoever, please make sure you go through this post article, because it will help you to pass it.

Now to achieve that goal, this is what this post article will cover:

• You will learn what the interviewer wants to hear from your answer to the interview question, “Tell me about your work experience”.
• You will learn the three (3) things you must include in your response.
• You will also learn example, scripted answers that you can use in your interview, to help you pass your job interview.

So what does the interviewer want to hear from your answer to the question, “Tell me about your work experience”.

Well, they want to hear that the skills and qualities you have are a match for the role you are being interviewed for. Here’s the three things you must include in your answer to the question, “Tell me about your work experience”.

1. Start off and tell them the name of the position you held, the name of the company and the date of your employment. So start off with your first job and then work towards your current or the latest job you had. Now, if you have had lots of jobs that span back many years, still list them, but only talk in detail about job roles where you gained relevant experience to the position you are being interviewed for.

For example: You can say, “My very first job was with Company X back in 2010 where i held the position of customer service advisor”.

2. When you are answering the question, tell me about your work experience, talk about the responsibilities you had in each job that are a close match to the role you are being interviewed for. So it is vital you cross-match the responsibilities you held in your previous jobs with the responsibilities you will have in your new position. That’s very important.

For example: You can say something like this,  “My very first job was with Company X back in 2010 where I held the position of customer service advisor. Now, within this position, I looked after all customer queries and complaints and I was required to follow strict customer service standards at all times”.

3. This is crucial to answering this question correctly. Talk about any significant highlights or accomplishments you achieved within each role you have held. This is important because it shows the interviewer you have a track record of success and you are a high achiever. If you have a history of achievement, you are more likely to replicate that success in your new job role.

So let’s take a look at an example answer to the interview question, “Tell me about your work experience?” To answer this question, we will put the answer into three different areas, i.e the job role, the company and the date; the responsibilities had and; the significant achievements.

1. a) JOB ROLE, COMPANY AND DATE

Example: You can say something like this, “My first job was as an office administrator for Company X back in 2015”.

1. b) RESPONSIBILITIES

Now, within this role, I was responsible for managing the diary, for taking care of incoming post and Parcels, answering customer emails and taking telephone calls and managing the office supplies inventory. Now, the skills and qualities I learned within this role made me a highly organized and proficient employee.

1. c) ACHIEVEMENTS

A key achievement of mine during this role was where I took on the additional duties of another office administrator work colleague who was off sick for three months.

So you will notice there in the answer to the question, tell me about your work experience. I have dropped in the fact that the skills and qualities I developed within that role made me a highly organized and proficient employee. And I then mentioned about an achievement where I went above and beyond what was normally required. And in this case it was doing two peoples work for a three month period.

So let me now give you an example answer based on someone who has held three different jobs.

So some people have had lots of jobs, which is absolutely fine. You need to talk about each of your work experiences when answering these. Here’s an example of how to structure your answer. If you’ve had three jobs, for example, tell me about your work experience. I started work back in 2014 as a pizza delivery person, and this was a great job where I learned the importance of being punctual, of providing great customer service and ensuring I was available to work at short notice to help the company meet customer demand.

I then moved on to my first office based job where I worked as part of a team providing administrative support to the company. Now, within this role, I was responsible for organizing the office diary, for arranging meetings, for managing office supplies, and for ensuring everything ran smoothly for the managers and the directors.

Now, a key achievement within this role was where the team I was a part of managed to help the company secure an important sales contract that was of considerable value over a three year period.

I then moved on to a new and exciting role in retail, where I was more hands on with the day to day running and managing of a store. My role was assistant manager with Company X, and this is where I really learned the majority of skills I have today. I was responsible for supporting the manager in her duties and for ensuring the store was safe and compliant each day. I was also responsible for managing customer expectations, for dealing with suppliers and contractors and being the first point of contact for the staff who worked on the shop floor.

Now, a key achievement whilst I worked in this position was helping the business to increase sales by 20 percent in my first year in the role.

Now, having studied the job description for this role, I believe my work experience puts me in a great position to come into the job and make a positive and long lasting impact.

That’s a brilliant answer. It’s very in detail. It’s very in depth, which I like. And you are talking about all the different experiences you had and how they are putting you in a great position for the job you are applying for. So don’t be afraid to sell yourself when you are talking about your previous work experience. And you’ll notice there that I’ve added on to the end of that answer about the fact that I’ve studied the job description and I believe my work experience puts me in a great position. So that’s a brilliant thing to say at the end of your answer.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Let now cover some frequently asked questions. So let look at the answers to some questions that you might have about responding to the interview question, “Tell me about your work experience”.

Question #1: I’ve had lots of different jobs that go back many years. Do I need to talk about all of them? So if you’re like me, who’s had lots of different jobs, you know, I’m fifty this year and some people will have had lots of jobs. Do you really need to go back and talk about all of them?

Well, my advice is to only focus on the job roles you have had that are applicable in some way to the role you are applying for. So let me give you an example of what to say when you have had lots and lots of different jobs.

JOB ROLE, COMPANY AND DATE

So I would start off and say I’ve held numerous positions over the years that have helped transform me into the experienced, high achieving person I am today. Now, more notably, back in 2011, I held the position of sales manager for Company X.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Within this role, I was responsible for managing key clients accounts, for attracting new business to the company, and for seeking new and innovative ways to keep a constant flow of leads coming into the business. Within this role, I learned the importance of always being ahead of the curve within sales. I had to be two steps ahead of our competitors to ensure we always had quality leads coming into the business.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Now, I was particularly proud of my achievements in this role because I managed to utilize the power of LinkedIn to attract new business. Now, LinkedIn was relatively new at the time, so the work I did around this was seen as highly innovative and creative.

So you’ll notice that I started off and I said I’ve held numerous positions over the years that have helped transform me into the experienced, high achieving person I am today. And I then say more notably, and I would then refer to the job roles are applicable to the one I am applying for.

Question #2: What if I’ve only ever had one job? Well, that is absolutely fine. Don’t worry. Just make sure you talk more about what you learned within that role and the skills you gained while she was whilst you were there.

So here’s another great example answer to the interview question, “Tell me about your work experience.

JOB ROLE, COMPANY AND DATE

So this is if you’ve had one job, the only job I have held so far was as a customer service representative with Company X last year.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Within this position, I was responsible for being the first point of contact for customers complaints as and when they came up. Because it was my first job, I learnt the importance of working at pace, working as part of a team and making sure I compelled all the duties in line with the company’s customer services standards.

ACHIEVEMENTS

One thing I was particularly proud of whilst working in this role was the fact that we managed, as a team, to improve customers service satisfaction levels by 30%.

So even though you are only talking about one job there, you have got loads of experience to offer in this new position.

Question #3: What if I left a job soon after starting, or what if I was fired or made redundant? Should I refer to them? When answering the question, “Tell me about your work experience”.

Answer: Don’t talk about these jobs in any detail and don’t mention the reason(s) why you left. Just brush over these positions and focus on the more notable jobs that you have held.

Question #4: What if this is my first job? How do I answer this question?

Answer: The interviewer will be aware that this is your first job, so thet shouldn’t ask the question. However, if they do, just say this,

“Because this is my first job, I have little work experience. However, over the years I have observed how businesses operate and I have learnt a tremendous amount from other people how to be a productive and supportive employee.

I understand, that for your business to succeed I will need to learn the role quickly, do everything to the necessary standard and support my work colleagues in the competition of their tasks.

Without the customer, there would be no business, so I would always treat your customers well and act as a positive role model whenever I come into contact with them.

Whilst at work, I will always seek to improve and develop by undertaking the relevant training courses and I will always ask for help if even I am unsure. I believe my ambition, loyalty and my willingness to do a great job for you will be more than make up for my lack of work experience.”

That’s nice answer to the question; tell me about your work experience, if you don’t have any.

Some Keywords & Phrases you can use when answering the interview question, “Tell Me About Your Work Experience?”

You can use any of these keywords and use them within your answer to the interview question

1. “Within each job I have held I learned the importance of being a productive, supportive and loyal employee”
2. “In my last job, I always focused on helping my employer achieve their commercial and financial objectives”
3. “In all job positions I have held, I always focused on adding value to the organization. This was achieved by exploring ways to help the business grow, by helping my terminates complete their tasks on time and to the right standard, and by looking at ways I could learn and develop new skills to stay at the top of my work”
4. “I have read the job description for this role carefully, and the skills, qualities and experience I have built up over the years are at strong match for the requirements of the job”
5. “The experience I gained in my last job is going to be helpful within this position. I have experience of dealing with customers and clients; I have experience of working under pressure to solve difficult problems, and I can be relied upon to carry out all tasks and projects on time and to the necessary specifications”

So these are five keywords and phrases you can use there.