One tip for when you don’t have a lot of work experience
You have found a job that interests you. Succeeded to get the attention of those reviewing resumes and made it to the interview panel. And there you sit, in front of the group of individuals who will pass judgment on your interview. All sorts of thoughts are running through your head. Can I answer this question? What if they ask me about that? You breeze past the “tell us a little bit about yourself” question and then comes the question. “Please tell us a little about your experience and how it relates to this position.”
You suddenly feel a little stress and fear. You have never done this exact type of job. So how can you answer the question to satisfy those on the panel? We will assume your education and some part of your experience got you to the interview, so here is one tip on how to handle this situation.
-Relate what you have done to what you are being asked to do-
I know that sounds like an obvious and simple answer but I have seen more than a couple interviews go sideways over this question. Here is an example of what I mean.
A Real World Example
I once served on an interview panel to fill an engineering position, which the desired candidate would have a minimum of 1 to 5 years experience. Experienced forest engineers can be a challenge to find, but we had selected a range of interviewees who each in their own way met the minimum requirements for the job. Then came interview day and the question; “Please tell us a little about your experience and how it relates to this position.” A couple of candidates did not have the specific field experience we were looking for, though they did have work experience that could apply to the job. One candidate did have have something to set himself apart from the others. That something was related and very similar field experience.
The trouble was he did not recognize that and despite the interview panels attempts to get him to make the connection, it never happened. The connection to past work experience, while different used many if not most of the same skills and knowledge we were looking for in the successful candidate. Unfortunately for the interviewee, in the end we selected another applicant for the job.
So my challenge to you as you prepare for your next interview is to dig deep within yourself and look for those related experiences. Perhaps you are or have been a volunteer fire fighter. If so you might look within your training for experience in leadership, how to handle difficult and stressful situations, critical thinking, or situational awareness. Or maybe you had a job in some outdoor recreation field. Can you tie trail design and maintenance work to your degree and in turn to forest roads work as part of an engineering position. Perhaps it was a summer job as a survey crew member where you gained GIS and mapping experience. Look hard for those related skills, it might just that bump you need to get hired.