How is Your Previous Experience Relevant to This Role? (With 10 Sample Interview Answers)

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In an interview, the employer asks this question to the candidate to check whether a candidate’s past experiences can add up any profit to their company. Though each company that hires new employees, train them for the work before they actually start working in the organization. But what if there is no top manager to supervise you? Then will you be able to take care of the work alone? To check these parameters, the interviewer asks about previous work in the same field for which you applied for. When you answer this question to the employer, he gets the picture of how your background matches with the needs of the position that you have applied for.

You add your work experience to the resume and the curriculum vitae for a reason. And that is because your previous work matters to the new employer to check whether you are a perfect fit for the job and how you would prove yourself to be an asset to the company.

How is Your Previous Experience Relevant to This Role

Key to Answer “How is your previous experience relevant to this role?”

Do not mention what is already on your resume

Instead of restating what you have already mentioned on your resume, describe your key experiences that are relevant to this job. You can even practice giving this answer before the interview.

List your skills

Make employers aware of the skills you have that are the perfect match for the job. Mention all the professionally learned skills in your previous job and mention the skills you developed through internships, volunteer ship, and other extracurricular activities.

Back your answer with an example

Talk about some experiences that will back up the skills that you have mentioned. Give some examples of the projects that you have been a part of, mention the job-related campaigns and your role to make those campaigns a success. This way the employer will get impressed by your answers. Give a creative answer. It is always beneficial to quantify your answer to have an impact on the interviewer.

Your main focus should be relating your previous job experience to the new job requirements so that the employer could see you as a perfect fit for the position by looking at your qualifications. This is what will make you stand out from the crowd and bring you a step closer to being hired.  

Sample Interview Answers

Sample Answer 1

“As I mentioned in my resume, I worked as a marketing manager for the previous company. By looking at my years of experience of being in that position, I could confidently say that I am a perfect fit for this position of being a Marketing Head. In my previous job, I have led several marketing campaigns and all of those campaigns were a huge success for the organization as they increased the sales by 40%, I used digital marketing as well to promote those campaigns. I have good communication skills and I am a great democratic leader and this is what makes me a perfect fit for this job”.

Sample Answer 2

“It is the first actual job that I have applied for. Before this, I have been part of internships and also learned some courses. You mentioned that to be a good fit for this position, a candidate needs to have high-level technical skills and groomed my technical skills during my internships. Google analytics and Ethical Hacking have helped me gain great technical knowledge about so many languages like java basics and HTML. I really think I would be perfect for this position as I am passionate about working at this position”.

Sample Answer 3

“To be very honest, I do not have any previous work experience relevant to this job, and I will have started everything from scratch in this job. Before this, I have volunteered for a fundraiser program but that was just it. But I am a fast learner and I will give my best to learn all the things related to this job effectively by putting the best of my efforts to be the perfect fit for this job. And I am confident enough that I will do so, which is why I hope that I will get a chance to prove my skills and capabilities.

Sample Answer 4

“In my last job, I took care of all the financial records regarding the product supplies for the business. I am good with calculations and as a part of this job, I think I good at bookkeeping and recording finances. I have basic knowledge of using computer applications. I believe that my experience is highly relevant for my position as a general manager for this job as I have had similar work experience in the past.”

Sample Answer 5

“I did the job of a salesman in my previous job. I would spend my days advertising the products to the customers, trying to deliver them with the best products as per their use. I know this job calls for great communication skills and I think I have developed a skill set in communication by doing the past job. I know that this job will require solving and handling customer queries, and I think I have relevant work experience as I know how to deal with my customers.”

Sample Answer 6

“I excelled in doing the managerial roles in my previous job. I am been a part of several projects and I also did various administrative duties. I know how to work in tight schedules and fixed deadlines. I have knowledge of allocating resources and making the best use of them. I can also make the work done by others. And I know this job requires a similar kind of work. That is how my previous work experience is relevant to this job.”

Sample Answer 7

“I understand the customers’ needs and I always keep myself aware of the trends that are currently going on in the market. As a product manager, I think these two are the key things that one should have a focus on. In my previous job, I used to come up with ideas to increase product sales while focusing on customer satisfaction and I think the position of a Product Designer is quite similar to the previous role and hence I think my experience is relevant to the requirements of this job.”

Sample Answer 8

“I have spent 3 years as an executive assistant in my previous job. I handled all the administrative roles of the company well. My administrative duties included sending and replying to bulk emails, handling receipts and payments records, schedule and calendar management, taking care of international records, and preparing necessary reports. I also got a new software designed for the company last year for better management. Looking at my years of experience in this field, I feel I am the best fit for the job of administrative assistant.”

Sample Answer 9

“I have been learning about personal finance for over 4 years now. I have assisted 50+ clients and consulted them regarding their investment strategies and helped them in increasing their capital by a great amount. My experience is 100% relevant for this job. After so many years of experience, now I am all set to work as a senior personal finance consultant for your company. I look forward to helping each and every client associated with this company. I would love to share all my knowledge related to finance with them.”

Sample Answer 10

“I have been a part of the retail industry for more than 2 years now. In my previous job position as a Cashier, from greeting customers to resolving their queries, I have my hands on all the parts of the retail job. I have relevant communication skills, I am fast with calculations and I am great at operating payroll management software, I have been looking for a bigger opportunity for my level of experience now, that’s why I think I will be the best fit for the job as a Customer Service Manager”.

Conclusion

Yes, interviews can be extremely stressful, but no worries as we have got it all sorted for your preparation. Recruiter by asking this question will be looking for specific details, so do not start mono-loguing as soon as the employer drops this question in front of you. Remember the key to answer such questions and be confident and ace your interview. Comment below what you liked about this article and share.

All the best for your future interviews!

Reference

  1. https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/256748
  2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0044118X90022002008
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