Interview Strategies 1.1 Pre-interview: Choosing the right job

Man at computer, diversity

Job selection

Image Credit
https://www.glassdoor.com/

In this lesson, you will look at how to match your skills and competencies with job requirements.

Introduction

One of the most important things you need to do before applying for a job is to match your own skills, competencies and experience to the requirements of the position.

Warm Up

What job are you currently applying for? How do your competencies and experience match the job requirements?

Language

Evaluating your skills

It's often necessary to give a personal evaluation of your skills and competencies. Here are some ways you can do this:

A. Positive evaluation

  • My qualifications are directly relevant to the job.
  • I have a lot of experience of… so...
  • I'm very familiar with…
  • My experience of… is exactly what the position requires.
  • I'm a … kind of person, which is what the job demands.
  • I'd say I’m quite good at…
  • Overall, I think I'm well-suited for the position.

B. Weak evaluation

  • My knowledge of… might be useful.
  • I know a bit about…
  • I have some experience of…
  • My skill set is only indirectly relevant to what the job requires.

C. Negative evaluation

  • I have no experience whatsoever at…
  • I don't think my skills are particularly relevant to the job.
  • I don't really have much knowledge of…
  • I'm not really familiar with…
  • All in all, I'm not sure I'm the person for the job.
  • I don't really think this job is for me.

Justifying your decision

It's normally not enough simply to evaluate. It's important to justify your decision.

  • … because…
  • … since…
  • … due to the fact that…
  • … in view of the fact that…
  • … by reason of...
  • This is mainly because...
  • In this way...
  • I say this because...
  • ... so...
  • ... as a result...
Practice

1. Look at the job listing that you are applying for.

Evaluate your own competencies and experience in relation to the requirements of the position. Use the evaluating and justifying language presented above.

OR

2. Look at the job advertisement below.

Evaluate your own competencies and experience in relation to the requirements of the position. Use the evaluating and justifying language presented above.