Tips to Better Showcase Your Skills During an Interview

Talking about various skills when you’re interviewing for a job is easy. It’s being able to convince your interviewer that you are actually proficient at the skills you claim to have.

Use the STAR Approach

The STAR approach is a classic framework that is regularly used to convey aptitude in an interview setting.

In a nutshell, the STAR approach involves the applicant talking to the hiring manager about a professional challenge past, the particular task that needed handling, the steps they took to deal with it, and how they fixed the situation.

Giving an answer to interview questions by making use of the STAR method is a good way to ensure you’re supplying all of the vital information an interviewer needs to get a handle on one or more of your abilities.

Go Big on Details

It’s one thing to list skills on a resume or offer up a quick anecdote using the STAR method; it’s another to go into detail on what you’ve achieved with them. For that reason, it is essential to give substantive, detailed answers.

When an applicant elaborates on their abilities, knowledge, and experience using in-the-know terminology, it’s easier for a hiring manager to sense that an applicant knows what they’re talking about. That being said, it’s best to be direct to the point while avoiding vague, unnecessary terms that sound like you’re overcompensating for a lack of in-depth knowledge.

Tout Strong References

After the interview, professional references can verify or refute what an applicant said regarding their abilities. Most hiring managers engage professional references and ask them detailed questions. Often, a reference can make the difference between a rejection and an offer.

Be sure to select professional contacts who truly know your work, can talk about it in detail, and likely have good things to say about you.

Prepare for a Test

Based on the job and the industry, an interview may include a test to validate your proficiency in one or more skills. The truth is testing has developed into a popular hiring tool. According to the Harvard Business Review, 76 percent of companies with over 100 staff members use tests in their external hiring process.

Nearly all employment tests belong to one of three categories: proficiency, work ethic, and other soft skills. Interviews for some jobs, particularly those that are technical in nature, will include tests that evaluate specific abilities. Along with providing details on each candidate’s degree of expertise, tests may be used to contrast candidates with each other.

If possible, discover what tests will be given ahead of time to help you with some preparation. It’s quite possible to boost your score on an interview test through preparation and practice. Tools to get ready for various kinds of assessments are available online.

We Can Make You a Better Interviewer

At Career Concepts, we regularly coach job seekers and give them insider tips on how to be a better interviewer. Please contact us today to find out how we can provide this assistance to you.