So you prepared your Resume and Applied for a job. Luckily you were selected and were asked to come for an interview. You jumped up happily, got dressed, and then headed straight for the interview.
On reaching the company, you met the secretary, who spoke really nicely to you and smiled at you often. She asked you to sit and wait for a call to let you in
Enthusiastically, you sat down, full of energy waiting for your call to come in. A few minutes later you were called in and after a few questions which you answered confidently, you felt relaxed.
The manager kept on going through your Resume and then popped up with a question “What Have You Been Doing Since Your Last Job”? Hmm, pretty weird right? But sincerely this kind of question can throw anyone off balance especially when you’ve been unemployed for a while and you’d want to impress him or say the right words.
If you’re really looking forward to Killing those interview questions just keep reading. I’d tell you how.
Now most times, interview questions are quite tricky because you never know what to expect. I’d say most people just get lucky that even when they do not answer too accurately they still get the job but the key to getting that job is how well you answer their questions.
I really feel before Answering Any interview question when you’re on the hot seat you should learn to Analyze the question quickly in your head and rephrase it in a simple form.
So instead of you hearing “what have you been doing since your last job?” I think you should understand it from the point of “How productive Have you been since your last job?” Or “what has your last job taught you that you could use in making this company better? funny, right?, Yea but sometimes in interviews, you need to Answer questions strategically instead of casually.
Take for instance they have over 200 persons vying for that same position as you, you definitely wouldn’t want to start giving them a casual answer.
Now, From the Question, “What have you been doing Since your last job” we could see that your employer wants more details on how productive you are.
If you’re a person that just sits down and waits for the daily bread to find you, or you take the bull by the horn and keep learning, keep adding value to yourself and you’ve become much better than when you were at your previous job or you’ve gathered so many experiences from your past job and now you’ve worked on yourself and you’re really an important asset as you have various important skills that could help the company rank up in no time.
So I’d be sharing a list of Actions to take when you’re being asked the question “what have you been doing since your last job?”
Article Road Map
Speak with Confidence:
One of the reasons why most questions are asked in interviews might be just to know your confidence level. So you need to learn to speak confidently. You might be asked a very simple question, but if you lack confidence in speaking you might not impress your employer. So Even if you know what to say or not, I’d advise you to speak confidently.
Rephrase the question:
So, as I said earlier, when asked a question in an interview, try to rephrase it In your head from another perspective related to it. This will help you give answers uniquely from others. You could rephrase the question “what have you been doing since your last job?”
To Another question like “How productive have you been since your previous job” or “what has your last job taught you that you could use to the benefit of this company” Now if I were to Answer the first question (How productive have you been since your previous job?).
I’d simply start by saying that over time, I have been able to build strength in working productively and efficiently and I am very eager to participate in activities and improve myself daily, so while I was unemployed,
I have been doing so much that I didn’t really feel the impact of not having a job because I’ve never been lazy instead I’ve been able to put in enough effort in whatever I find my hands to do be it big or very little. (This question is related to people who were previously unemployed)
Now If I were to Answer the second question (What have your past job taught you that you could use to the benefit of this company) I’d tell them a list of work experience and skills I’ve gathered from my previous job that is very rare and is of high demand, and I’ve also been increasing my knowledge on each of them and increasing my value so I can be able to function even much better than my previous job.
Proffer value:
Make them see reasons that you’re not just here for monetary reasons but you have some values that are very rare and in high demand. And also let them know that productivity is part of you and you are attracted to making things happen and getting things done. Don’t be scared to list the skills that you have that make you unique.
Evaluate your problem-solving skill
Most interviewers know the job search can be quite challenging and want you to evaluate how you overcome obstacles. In your answer, you can demonstrate your problem-solving skills by explaining how you analyzed your progress and revised your strategy accordingly.
NOTE: you don’t romanticize interview questions, you should make sure you go straight to the point and ensure that whatever you’re saying is what you can do and that you’re being honest throughout your response.
Employers most times tend to favor an application that has a consistent work history because it shows reliability and commitment to one’s field.
But nevertheless, If you have an employment gap on your resume, answering questions strategically will definitely help out and increase your chances of getting the job. I hope this helps.