Episode 26
235: Should you “link it back” to the job in your interview answers?
Have you ever been told to “link it back” to the job at the end of your interview answers? You know the kind of thing: you finish your example and then tack on a little sentence explaining how you’d use those same skills in this role.
It sounds like decent advice. You’re trying to make a point about your transferable skills, and get your interviewers to imagine you in the job.
In this episode, Sarah and Emma break down why “linking it back” might not be achieving what you want it to, and give you an alternative. Our goal is to have your interviewers doing the linking for you, and ideally giving you some enthusiastic nods so you know it’s working.
🏀 Shoot Your Shot - Shoutout to Amanda who bought us 5 coffees!
“Thank you both so much! I just landed the job I’ve been wanting for years. In college I had a personal emergency and had to drop out of college for bit. This derailed me and my mental health and I was no longer able to get back into the curriculum with my old major without adding a semester to my graduation date which I couldn’t afford. So I switched to a similar major, but it wasn’t the same. Then I took a job at a start-up over a more stable offer, only for the start-up to move operations overseas and lay me off three months later. I started working at an office job just to pay my loans but I wasn’t learning anything or using my degree. I was so scared to go back into a job I cared about that I stayed there for almost two years. When I did look, I was asked why I would stay as a secretary when I said I wanted to be in an analytical role. Everything changed when I found your podcast. I was able to articulate my career story in a way that was both true and sounded professional and intentional. I could answer questions, work my best bits in, and even just hearing your wording and logic behind answers helped me emulate that in the interviews for curveballs (which there were a lot of). It helped me build my confidence and I listened to your podcast for support for everything from the interviews, my resume, and quitting. In the US the job market is tough right now, but I landed a role doing what I want to do at a fortune 100 company! I was told it was one of their most competitive seasons too! Now I feel like I’ve truly bounced back from the issues I had in college and am back on track. I know I have a lot to offer and am on my way to my first in person day at work! Thank you both so much!!
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