We Know You Have the Skills… Here’s How to Talk About Them in Your Next Interview!

Let’s face it: most of us don’t like talking about ourselves, much less bragging about our skills, qualifications, or accomplishments. But the truth is, that’s exactly what a job interview is for. If you have a job interview coming up, you’ll want to be ready to talk about your skills and qualifications in a compelling way.

Here are a few tips on talking about your skills in your next interview:

Be specific.

As much as you can, be specific about the skills you have and talk about real-world scenarios in which you’ve used them. Rather than saying you’re familiar with a computer system or database, for example, talk about specific ways you used the knowledge of that system in your previous jobs to benefit the team or your employer. Instead of simply saying you are a good communicator, tell the hiring manager about a specific time you used good communication to produce a positive result.

Put it in numbers if you can.

In addition to being specific, try to be quantitative when you can. This means putting it in numbers – instead of saying you helped the team become more efficient, tell the hiring manager how you helped reduce overhead costs by 10% last quarter. Being able to point to quantifiable results you’ve achieved is a powerful way to make an impression on the hiring manager.

Talk about what you’d like to get better at.

It’s also perfectly acceptable in interviews to talk about skills you would like to improve upon, but be sure to frame it in the right way. Say something like, “I feel that I’m already familiar with [skill or qualification], but I think I could really deepen my understanding with your company and help to teach or mentor less experienced team members, too.”

Don’t forget about transferrable skills.

Even if you don’t have direct experience in certain skill sets that the job you’re interviewing for requires, you probably have some transferrable skills. These are skills related to the job you’ll be doing if you’re hired, even if they’re not exactly the same. Transferrable skills can be “hard” skills – perhaps you’ve used a customer relationship management (CRM) system in the past, and it gave you knowledge of working in large databases – or “soft” skills, like communication, problem-solving ability, and teamwork.

Put Your Skills to the Test

Ready to impress a hiring manager in your next interview? Let us help. Contact the team here at Talent Corps to find your next opportunity.