Page 36 - How To Answer Interview Questions (II)

Job Interview Question 12

Discuss your resume

This is a standard, open-ended interview question a lot like, “Tell me about yourself.” They just want
you to walk them through your resume. Your job is to be a tour guide, giving them the relevant facts
they will be most interested in as they consider you for this job.

Start from your education and go forward, rather than starting with the most recent job at the top
of your resume. So, say something like, “Well, my resume is in reverse chronological order, starting
with my most recent experience, but let me start from the beginning and go forward. I went to X
school and got a degree in Y. My first job was at ABC.”

From there, it’s important to have thought about this job that you are interviewing for and what
parts of your story will be most impressive to this interviewer.

“From there, I was promoted to X position, where I accomplished Y.”
“From there, I went to Acme Corporation as an X, where I was awarded ABC.”
“From there, I went to XYZ Company where I really honed my skills in A, B, and C so that I was
able to move up to [a promotion].”
What you choose to mention as your accomplishment, the award you won, and the skills you
honed should have as much to do with your ability to succeed at THIS job as humanly
possible.For instance, you wouldn’t bother mentioning a Customer Service Award if the job you’re
interviewing for will have you working alone, never speaking to a customer. As great as that may be,
mentioning it will throw the hiring manager off track, and start them thinking of you as a Customer
Service person who probably wouldn’t fit well into this role.
If you have a job in your history that seems oddly out of place, or a job that you were in a very
short time, or anything else that might cause questions, now is the time to explain your thinking
behind taking/leaving that position, or taking that time off, or whatever it is. Explain how it fit with
your overall career path, or how it was a one-time mistake that you learned from or circumstance that
won’t happen again.