How did you get your last job? You don’t need to give a story-like description of the entire process with unnecessary dramatics.
You often hear people saying that job hunting is a job in itself. Answering this question is an opportunity for you to show your aggressiveness and confidence in chasing down a job.
If you went through a lengthy and difficult selection process, you may win a few extra points for explaining the steps that you had to go through to get the job.
“Last year our company announced that it was restructuring the company and creating six new regional manager positions. All the 300 or so existing area managers were invited to apply, which involved completing a ten-page application form and submitting various letters of reference. I believe that about 200 of us applied for the new positions.
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I put in my application and was invited to attend an assessment center in which we had to complete a battery of psychometric tests. We were also interviewed by a psychologist and had to give a presentation to one of the regional directors. The successful applicants were then invited to a second-round panel interview, which consisted of the three regional directors, a financial representative, and the director of human resources. At the end of a rather grueling two-hour interview, I was successful in securing the position.”
If applying for a position requiring a lot of networking on the job – such as in sales or business development – you may again win Brownie points by talking about how you networked your way into the job.
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Here’s another sample answer (don’t copy the same):
“I had been reading the appointments sections of the newspaper for a while to see if any opportunities existed in my field but hadn’t seen any for ages. So I started ringing people I knew and explained that I was looking to move out of the finance sector and into consumer goods. I didn’t ask them for a job but asked if they knew any people who could talk to me about the consumer goods industry. It took quite a while and a lot of phone calls and meetings, but eventually, I found my way to the managing director of my current employer who was willing to give someone like me a chance.”
The question may be paraphrased as “what you have learned from your previous jobs” or “how did you get your previous jobs”.
Are you aware of similar interview questions and answers? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
