I can’t stress the importance of interview preparation enough. It’s important that you can answer competency based questions, knowledge-based questions, outline what you have achieved, your goals etc.
Same goes for your CV talk through. It’s essential that you can talk through your experience and skills with confidence. Think of it as a sales pitch; this is the opportunity where you get to sell yourself as the right person for the job. It’s the first opportunity to create a real impression of yourself with the interviewer.
Don’t leave this question to chance. Here are a few key things you can do to nail this question in every interview.
1 – Prepare!
Candidates who think that they can improvise an answer to this question come across flustered. And a flustered candidate doesn’t get the job. Prepare your talk through your CV as you would a formal speech. You want to come across confident, poised and personable and this will set the tone for the rest of the interview.
Taking through your CV should take no more than 5 minutes, and it should be all about you. Keep it relevant to the job you are interviewing for, focus on what will sell you for this job.
2 – Script it
Script the order of your CV so that it makes sense and is easy to follow. Let’s start at the beginning – your education. Give a quick synopsis of your formal qualifications and any courses that show that you have the knowledge to do the job.
Move on to your employment history where you can highlight relevant roles, daily tasks and anything that you have achieved that is relevant to this job. Tell them what you enjoyed about each position and why you left that job, make it personal sot hat you are more memorable as a candidate.
3 – Relevant
Stick to what is relevant for this role. Go back through the job description and match your CV walk through to it. Remember the interviewer is going to be meeting many candidates so emphasise your most relevant skills.
Focus your talk through on your most recent or current role and one or two previous roles. Don’t go all the way back in time to the job you had while you were still in school if it’s not relevant.
4 – Conclusion
Like all good stories, you need a conclusion. Tie your CV all back to the job with one or two final points. Remind the interviewer of your qualifications, experience and emphasise your interest in this role. Outline your reason as to why you are interviewing for this particular role.
5 – Practice it!
Don’t leave it to chance that you will remember everything that you need to say. Practice your CV talk through.
We all have smartphones, record your CV talk through and listen back. Take note of where you stumble and improve on these sections. The more you practice it, the more confident you will be.
