Job Interview Masterclass: Module 4

Welcome to Module 4 of Job Interview Masterclass. Let's get you that dream job! Peter, could you tell me about your responsibilities in your previous position? Certainly. I answered emails, attended meetings, prepared reports, and helped customers. I see. And what would you say was your greatest achievement? Well, I answered a lot of emails. Right. Did you improve any processes or solve any particular problems? Oh, yes. We had problems all the time. And what did you do about them? Well, we had meetings. And what happened after the meetings? Usually, more emails. Emails, meetings, reports, more emails, more meetings. I'm beginning to wonder whether he actually worked for a company or simply lived inside an inbox. But here's the interesting thing. Peter may have been an excellent employee. He may have solved difficult problems, helped customers, improved procedures, and supported his colleagues. Unfortunately, we haven't heard about any of that. All we've heard is a list of activities, and that's the problem we're going to solve today. Welcome to Module 4 of the Job Interview Masterclass. Today, we're going to learn how to talk about your experience and achievements in a way that makes employers understand your value. Let's begin with a distinction that many candidates overlook. Your responsibilities are the things you were expected to do. Your achievements are the positive results of what you actually did. Imagine two candidates applying for the same customer service position. The first candidate says, I was responsible for answering customer requests. Perfectly acceptable. But now listen to the second candidate. I handled approximately 40 customer requests each day and I helped improve our response process so customers received answers more quickly. That's impressive. How did you achieve that? Both candidates performed similar work, but the second candidate has given us a much clearer picture of his contribution. Let's look at another example. I was responsible for training new employees. I trained six new colleagues and developed a simple guide that helped them become confident using our systems. Notice the difference. We've moved from what the person was supposed to do to what they actually accomplished. And that's exactly what interviewers want to understand. Now, don't misunderstand me. Not every achievement needs to involve increasing sales by 50% or saving a company a million euros. Helping a new colleague, solving a difficult customer problem, reducing mistakes, improving communication, or finding a more efficient way to complete a task can all be meaningful achievements. The important thing is to explain the value of what you did. Now, I'm going to teach you a very simple technique, and I promise you it's going to improve the way you describe your experience almost immediately. Every time you mention something you've done, ask yourself two little words. So what? Not because your experience is unimportant. Quite the opposite. Because I want you to discover why it matters. Let's try it. I organized the company's filing system. So what? It made documents easier to find. So what? My colleagues could respond to customer requests more quickly. Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Here's another. I helped train new employees. So what? They learned our procedures more quickly. So what? They were able to work independently sooner, which reduced the pressure on the rest of the team. Beautiful. Now we've demonstrated initiative, teamwork, and a positive result. Remember this. Don't stop at what you did. Explain why it mattered. In module three, we introduced a technique called STAR, Situation, Task, Action, Result. Now, let's see how powerful it becomes when we use it to describe a real achievement. And this time, we're going to give Daniel another opportunity to impress Ms. Carter. Daniel, can you tell me about an achievement you're particularly proud of? Certainly. In my previous position, we were experiencing a growing number of complaints because customers weren't receiving regular updates about their deliveries. I was asked to help find a way to improve communication. I suggested introducing a simple tracking spreadsheet and a daily update procedure so our customer service team could identify delayed deliveries before customers contacted us. That's a very proactive solution, Daniel. After we introduced the system, we were able to respond to requests more quickly, and the number of complaints about missing updates decreased substantially. I was particularly pleased because it was a relatively simple change that made life easier for both our customers and my colleagues. That's an excellent example, Daniel. Thank you. Now that's the Daniel we wanted to see. And notice something interesting. He hasn't claimed to have invented a revolutionary new technology. He hasn't saved the world. He hasn't even mentioned his dog, Buster. He simply described a genuine workplace problem and explained how he helped solve it. Let's break down his answer. Customers weren't receiving delivery updates. to improve communication and reduce complaints. suggested a tracking system and daily updates. faster responses and fewer complaints. That's why STAR works. It gives your answer a beginning, a middle, and an ending. And it prevents you from wandering off into unnecessary details. But here's something equally important. When you explain the action, make sure the interviewer understands what you contributed. Which brings us to our next point. Teamwork is extremely important. And employers love candidates who can collaborate effectively. But there's a little word that sometimes causes problems during interviews. We. Listen to this. Can you tell me about a successful project you worked on? Absolutely. We developed a new system, we improved our procedures, we increased productivity, and we achieved fantastic results. That sounds impressive. What was your personal contribution? Well, I was part of the we. Ah, the mysterious we. Now, there's nothing wrong with giving credit to your team. In fact, you absolutely should. But the interviewer also needs to understand your individual contribution. Here's a better way to express it. Our team developed a new customer management system, and I was responsible for training colleagues to use it. I also created a short reference guide that helped reduce common mistakes. That's impressive. How did the team respond? They found it very helpful. It streamlined our workflow. Notice the balance. We recognize the team's achievement, but we also explain exactly what the candidate contributed. Give credit to the team, but don't hide your own contribution. Now, I want to speak directly to anyone who's thinking, this is all very interesting, but I don't have any impressive achievements to talk about. Perhaps you're applying for your first job. Perhaps you've recently completed your studies. Perhaps you're changing careers or returning to work after a long break. Does that mean you have nothing valuable to offer? Absolutely not! Experience doesn't only come from paid employment. It can come from education, volunteering, personal projects, caring responsibilities, or activities where you've developed useful skills. Let's imagine a student applying for their first office position. Emma, do you have any experience organizing projects? I haven't worked in an office yet, but last year I helped organize a charity event at my university. I coordinated a group of 8 volunteers, contacted local businesses for donations, and helped manage the event schedule. We raised over 2,000 euros for a local charity, and I learned a great deal about planning, communication, and working with different people. That's very useful experience. Thank you. Excellent! Emma hasn't pretended to have professional experience she doesn't possess. Instead, she's demonstrated skills that could be valuable in the workplace. Organization, communication, teamwork, initiative, and responsibility. These are often called transferable skills. Skills developed in one situation that can be useful in another. And they're particularly important when you're entering the workforce or changing careers. So don't underestimate what you've learned outside a traditional job. The challenge is to recognize those experiences and explain why they're relevant. There's one final concern I want to address. Some people feel uncomfortable talking about their achievements. They worry that describing what they've done will make them sound arrogant. But there's a very important difference between confidence and boasting. Boasting means exaggerating your importance or making claims you can't support. Confidence means describing your abilities and achievement honestly. Compare these two statements. I'm absolutely brilliant at dealing with customers. Nobody, but absolutely nobody, does it better than me. And I've developed strong customer service skills. And in my previous role, I regularly received positive feedback for handling difficult requests in a professional way. There's no need to exaggerate. And there's certainly no need to invent impressive statistics. If you know that you reduced waiting times by 20%, wonderful, say so. But if you don't have exact figures, describe the improvement honestly. For example, We introduced a simpler procedure that helped customers receive answers more quickly. That's perfectly acceptable. Your goal is not to sound extraordinary. It's to make your genuine value clear. Now it's time for your fourth job interview masterclass challenge and this one could be incredibly useful for your next interview. I want you to identify three achievements from your own experience. They don't have to be enormous, they simply need to demonstrate something valuable about you. Perhaps you solved a problem, helped a colleague, improved a process, learned a difficult skill, or completed something you're particularly proud of. Choose three. Then, for each achievement, answer four questions. What was the situation? What needed to be done? What did you do? What was the result? That's right! You're using STAR! Now, practice describing each achievement in approximately one minute. And here's a little extra challenge. After each answer, ask yourself, so what? Have you explained why your contribution mattered? If not, improve your answer. By the end of this exercise, you'll have three useful stories ready for your next interview. And believe me, those stories can be adapted to answer a surprising number of different questions. So today we've learned how to turn responsibilities into achievements, how to explain the value of your work, how to use STAR to structure your answers, and how to speak confidently about your experience without exaggerating. But what happens when the interviewer asks something you weren't expecting? What if they challenge your answer? Ask about a gap in your employment? Or suddenly ask a question that leaves your mind completely blank? Well, that's where things get really interesting. In Module 5, we're going to explore handling difficult and unexpected questions. And I'll show you how to stay calm, think clearly, and respond professionally, even when the question takes you completely by surprise. Until then, remember... Your experience doesn't have to be extraordinary, but the way you explain its value can make an extraordinary difference. I'll see you in Module 5 of the Job Interview Masterclass.