How to answer: tell us about any relevant experience you have?

Former Member

Hi

this is a really short post but i would really appreciate any ideas - am trying for a temporary job with a company i am currently coming to the end of a contract with (and would like to be employed by them again for xmas!)

have applied online for other similar jobs with them several times already and have been rejected (poo). the qs are almost always similar but the first one is always 'please tell us about any relevant experience you have' - i believe that all my xp is relevant to the role i am applying for but i wondered if there is a particular or better way to answer this q that would make a difference to me getting an interview? as i can only think of so many ways of putting it!

thanks

Former Member

I have really limited experience of job applications... but in the past, for this question, I have looked up the person specification for the job and made sure that I linked my experience to that.

Olly_B

Hi,

As purplestarfish says, look at the person specification or job description, which will list essential and desirable skills/qualities. This is your guide to what they want they count as relevant, and you can be quite blatant with linking them with your answers, to the point of answering each one point-by-point.

Against each one, make sure you say how you gained that experience: over what length of time, the responsibilities you had, the skills you gained, any qualifications/training you received and anything that demonstrates your success (eg bonuses, recognition, promotion). So against something like "Good customer service" you could write "For the previous two Christmases I was a retail assistant at a high street electrical store, where my role included a floor rep, responsible for helping customers choose products, and operating the tills, for which I received training to use. After the first year, my manager was impressed with my performance and offered me a full-time position."

Hope this helps...


Olly