Work experience plays a crucial role in job employment. This is because employers usually select candidates with a clear idea about their job position. An employee’s experience also matters as it signifies the process of how well-versed a candidate is in his present job role. 

Why do Employers Ask About Work Experience?

Any job position comes with a specific set of duties that candidates are responsible for. Last job experiences help candidates perform their responsibilities in their new job efficiently. Employers need to delve deeper into the details even if a candidate’s work experience is visible on their resume. 

Employers from reputed organizations often ask, ‘tell me about your work experience,’ to test one’s ability to recap their experience. During this part of the interview, they want to validate whether you have updated the correct information on your resume. They also want to ensure that a candidate has met the expectations of their past employers. 

Planning Your Answer

The ‘tell me about your work experience’ prompt allows potential candidates to summarize their training and education qualifications. One can utilize this excellent chance to present one’s strengths related to the job role effectively. They can also tactfully explain their skills and why they would be valuable to the organization and its goals.   Here are a few steps to follow when planning your response.

• Read about the job role thoroughly
• Review the materials for the interview
• Connect your past experiences with current job roles
• Practice participating in interviews

How to Answer “What Work Experience do You Have?”

Before your interview, you must check the list of pointers you will talk about to your interviewer. This will help you talk fluently through your interview process. Here is a list of strategic tips that you can use to answer efficiently when your employer asks you ‘tell me about your work experience.’

Use Straightforward Statements

It is always best to use simple sentences with solid verbs. This will help you outline your practical and scholastic skills in an organized way. Simple and brief statements can make a candidate sound more conversational and polished. This type of statement will also help a candidate to avoid grammatical or punctuation errors. Apart from that, you can also sound more proactive and confident with straightforward sentences. 

Only Offer the Necessary Information

You will likely answer many other questions after this one. Only discuss the details needed to adequately describe what you can do, what you have accomplished and how you plan to succeed in this new role. This will help ensure you have further information to share throughout the interview without repeating yourself.

Elaborate Your Experiences with Valuable Data

When speaking about your experiences to your employers, it is always wise to mention your accomplishments. Counting on your past achievements and strengths during the interview will help you add value to your experience. You can specifically talk about a particular project you have contributed to or the excellence of your annual performance.  

What Does the Recruiter Want to Listen to?

A recruiter will always demand a comprehensive detail of your skills and experiences. Apart from that, a recruiter will always expect a new candidate to express the will to contribute beyond just job responsibilities. Today’s organizations look for employees willing to contribute valuable insights and volunteer to cater to the company’s long-term goals.

Things not to say for the question “Tell me about your work experience”

A lot has been spoken about what you need to state in a ‘tell me about your work experience.’ However, in order to give your hundred per cent, you must also know the things you must never mention during this part of the interview. Here are the following:

• My experience in my last company was not that great because of their haphazard management structure.
• I preferred working solo in my last project than in a team.
• I am still determining what your job responsibilities demand, but I have performed in similar roles.
• Can you explain what this job position is about?

Sample answers – “Tell Me about Your Work Experience”

If you want some relevant answers that you can refer to while preparing for your work experience interview, consider the following tell me about your work experience sample answers:

• Some of my last job responsibilities finely align with the job roles mentioned by your company.
• I paved my way up to the role of management in my last company. You are looking for an experienced candidate in a similar position.
• Your company is an excellent opportunity for me to hone my existing skills and enhance my horizons.

Conclusion

However, said and done, the response to tell me about your work experience’ can vary for every candidate. A candidate must prepare himself well to present their expertise to the employer strategically. However, at the same time, they must keep in mind that they must talk about their past work experience fluently and naturally. The details must not sound scripted or unnatural. Besides that, even if you have had a negative experience at your last organization, remember to present it diplomatically or positively. A goal-oriented statement is the best way to end your response. In your goal statement, you can focus on how dedicatedly you will contribute to the organization’s best interests.