| James Innes
What does your current job involve on a day-to-day basis?
Alternative and related questions:
Can you describe an average day in your job?
The meaning behind the question:
They’ve read your CV; they know what your job involves. Now they want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. There’s nothing more to their question than that – but giving the best answer is a little more complicated…
Your answer:
As I say, the interviewer has read your CV (or application form) so they know more or less what your job entails. It would definitely be a mistake to answer this question by simply reeling off in detail everything you’ve already stated on your CV. The last thing you want to do is bore the interviewer.
While the description you give on your CV will (and rightly so) be comprehensive, when it comes to answering this question you’d do better to skip a lot of the detail and focus on what’s really important – what your job is really about. In particular, you want to focus on areas of your current job which most closely match the job for which you are now applying.
Rather than phrasing your work in terms of duties, try to portray what you do in terms of responsibilities.
Example:
My most important responsibility is to achieve sales. I spend most of my day on the shop floor, talking directly to potential customers and trying to establish their needs. I have a very thorough knowledge of our product range so, if they’re unsure of their decision, I can give them appropriate advice. I can also steer them towards other – perhaps more expensive – product lines that they haven’t already considered. By building rapport with the customer – and addressing any concerns they may have – I have a good chance of closing the sale. I also aim to up-sell on the till where possible, so as to maximise the value of each new customer. Among other responsibilities I help to control stock levels and liaise with head office accordingly so as to make sure we are neither over-stocked nor under-stocked. I am also involved in the financial management of the branch, working alongside the Branch Manager to put together monthly reports, etc. Given my level of experience, I am also tasked with helping to bring on board new members of staff, training them in our systems and helping them to maximise their sales potential.
The Interview Question & Answer Book
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