What do you do?... I am a Banker!

Its the weekend again. I wonder how many people went for interviews this week? How did they go?

Today I would like to touch on a very common type of way of answering this question:

So what do you do?... A lot of people think they actually answer this question but they do not. This is because they give general answers. For example; Working in a bank does not make you 'A Banker'. There is no Banker job function in a Bank.

Whenever i ask candidates this question I am asking for what you DO. specifically your job role and in more detail what tasks you embark on when you get to work every day. Examples of an appropriate answer would be:

1. I work as a Relationship Officer with Bank XYZ. My duties or tasks involve visiting my clients, ensuring they are being serviced by answering their queries and delivering their request in record time.

2. I am currently a Junior Consultant with Firm O, I and my team audit two firms every week. To achieve this we make requests for all information we would need the previous week.

By being specific you are taking me through what you actually get done. Action is better than voice they say, and what better indirect way is there of demonstrating your skills and capabilities than telling the recruiter about what tasks you have to do, what challenges you face and how you over come them.

In closing, always be specific and detailed. Also mention the challenges you face in your current duty and how you overcome them.

My next post would be on Skill based CV's. Till then, Have a great weekend.