How to Discuss Your Skills and Experience With Recruiters

I’ve interviewed hundreds of people for top positions. And in 90% of cases — it’s not your resume that makes the strongest impression. It’s how you speak about yourself. If you’re preparing for your next opportunity, here’s how to upgrade your interview communication: 🔻 Don’t say: “I’m willing to do anything.” ✅ Say: “I’m excited about roles where I can contribute in [specific way].” 🔻 Don’t say: “Sorry, I’m really nervous.” ✅ Say: “I’m so excited about this opportunity and our conversation.” 🔻 Don’t say: “I don’t have experience in that.” ✅ Say: “I haven’t done that yet, but I’m eager to learn…” 🔻 Don’t say: “My last boss was terrible.” ✅ Say: “I learned a lot from my previous roles, even the challenging ones.” 🔻 Don’t say: “I’m a perfectionist.” ✅ Say: “I take pride in delivering high-quality work while staying efficient.” 🔻 Don’t say: “I’m good at everything.” ✅ Say: “My strengths are in [skills], and I’m always improving in [growth area].” 🔻 Don’t say: “I did everything in my last project.” ✅ Say: “One key project I led was [specific example]. Here’s the impact it had…” 🔻 Don’t say: “In five years, I’ll be a manager.” ✅ Say: “I see myself growing into [role] and developing [specific skill].” 🔻 Don’t say: “I just want to work here.” ✅ Say: “I’m excited to bring [skills] to your team and help achieve [goal].” 🔻 Don’t say: “I don’t have any questions.” ✅ Say: “What does success look like in this role after six months?” 🔻 Don’t say: “What salary do you offer?” ✅ Say: “Based on my experience and market rates, I’m looking for [range].” 🔻 Don’t say: “Okay, bye!” ✅ Say: “Thank you for your time! I’m excited about this opportunity.” Here’s one key point I’m sure about: Interviews are a two-way street. You’re not just proving your worth — You’re also learning if this is the right fit for you. ↳ Speak with clarity. ↳ Communicate with value. ↳ Leave them remembering you. Which of these tips would’ve helped you in your last interview? Or better — which one will you use in your next? ♻️ Share this with your network. ✅ For more valuable insights, follow me, Victoria Repa.

Had a client come to me last week: 12 interviews. 4 final rounds. Zero offers. The problem? She was treating interviews like a history lesson. Here's the exact framework we used to land her 2 offers in 10 days 👇 1. The Brutal Truth Most candidates think interviews are about sharing experience. Dead wrong. Companies care about ONE thing: future value. Your past? Just proof you can deliver it. 2. The Fatal Flaw When I reviewed her interview prep, it hit me: She was summarizing her career like a Wikipedia page. Hoping interviewers would connect the dots. They weren't. 3. The Simple Shift We flipped the script. Stop summarizing past achievements. Start selling future impact. Here's exactly how: 4. Deep Research First • Read recent earnings calls • Study leadership interviews • Talk to current employees • Analyze competitor moves Focus: Find their burning challenges. 5. The Power Opening Lead every answer with: "In preparing for today, I noticed [specific challenge/goal]. Here's how I can help..." 6. The Evidence Bridge THEN drop your experience - but always tie it to their needs. 7. The Closer End strong: "I've been thinking about how to solve [their challenge]. Want to hear my ideas?" 8. Real Example ❌ Old approach: "At Tesla, I led a team of 5 engineers and improved production efficiency by 23%..." ✅ New approach: "In preparing for today, I noticed your CEO mentioned supply chain optimization as your top priority. At Tesla, I led initiatives that cut production bottlenecks by 23%. I've been thinking about how those same principles could help you reduce your current 6-week component delays..." 9. The Results Her next 3 interviews? 2 offers. Why? She stopped giving history lessons. Started selling solutions instead. 🔄 Share this if it helps - let's get more people hired this month! 🗯️ What is your best interview tip? Drop it below! Resume Assassin Resume Sidekick #jobsearch #interviews #resume #gethired #jobopening #recruiter

"So, tell us about yourself..." Are you squirming just reading that? I've coached 1000s of people through interview preparation. This question makes everyone nervous. The answer will make or break your interview. And even people with great experience get it wrong. What you need is a formula that will: ↳ Boost your confidence 💪 ↳ Make a great first impression ✨ Here's the exact formula that has helped my clients land great jobs: 1️⃣ Context: Start with an attention grabbing statement. ↳ It should tie directly to the role ↳ It should be about who you are Examples: ✅ For as long as I can remember I have loved puzzles. That led to a passion for math and how things are built. Engineering was an obvious choice for me... ✅ When I noticed that people turn to me when something needs organizing, it inspired me to look into project management. It's been a great fit... 🚨Common trap: Starting with where you went to school, your major, a job chronology. 2️⃣ Background: Transition to reference your experience. ↳ Include one or two recent roles emphasizing top skills ↳ Summarize similiar experiences Examples (You will say more based on your background): ✅ Currently, I'm working on the plant floor overseeing production and quality assurance, and prior to that I was on the design team. ✅ Since getting my PMP, I've advanced to a senior project manager for a commercial real estate company. 🚨Common trap: Giving too much detail, leaving out measurable achievements. 3️⃣ Connection: Draw the connection between your skills and this role. ↳ Focus on the key skills the role requires ↳ Share research and insights to highlight why you are a good fit. Examples: (You will say more based on your experience) ✅ My favorite part of my current job is the robotics. In fact, that's what attracted me to this role. I've been interested in applying my skills in that direction. ✅ While I have loved my work in commerical real estate, I've always had a personal interest in health and wellness. Your products align with my values and I would love to apply my skills to your work. 🚨Common trap: Not tying your skills directly to their top priority needs. Not showing you understand the demands of the role. 4️⃣ Pivot: Clearly hand the conversation back to the interviewer with enthusiasm. ↳ Express gratitude ↳ Invite them to ask you questions Examples: ✅ I'm very glad to be here today. I'm excited to learn more about the opportunity and answer your questions. 🚨Common trap: "So, yeah," as an ending that lands with a thud. Context > Background > Connection > Pivot That's the winning formula! 💡Pro-tip: The key to a great answer is practicing! Record yourself on video, and WATCH it Lather, rinse, repeat, until you can say this in your sleep! ➤ For a detailed guide to crafting a great Tell Me About Yourself answer Send me a DM with "TMAY" in the subject. ♻️Repost to share this with others who are in the interview process! 🔔Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more interview tips

Do you struggle to tell your career story? Do you find yourself flopping in interviews, because you don't know what to say and/or talk too long? I have two formulas that will help. Before we begin, let me repeat my job search mantra: 👏 THE JOB SEARCH IS NOT ABOUT YOU. IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM.👏 This means that your interview answers and career story must be tailored to the person you are speaking to, highlighting the SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE they are looking for. Now here are my two formulas for sharing your career story in a short, compelling way in job interviews: 1) PRESENT-PAST-FUTURE FORMULA My favorite way to answer, "So, Emily, tell me about yourself" or "So, Emily, walk me through your resume." ✅ PRESENT: 1-3 sentences about what you're currently doing. ✅ PAST: 1-3 sentences about what you did before that. ✅ FUTURE: 1-3 sentences about what you want to do in the future. This should be said in 30-45 seconds. Keep your answer succinct, they'll ask follow-up questions if they want more information. And remember, you're highlighting the skills and experience that your target employer is looking for. So when you describe your "PRESENT" and "PAST" experience, do it through the lens of the job you're interviewing for. Use the keywords that are important to them. As for the "FUTURE" - well, wouldn't you know it, what you want do to in the future happens to sound a lot like the job you're interviewing for. 😉 2) RSAR STORIES' This is my spin on STAR stories. Most of you know about the STAR format - Situation, Task, Action, Result. ✅ I flip that - remove the "Task" - it makes answers too long. ✅ Then start with the punchline - the "Result" - to grab their attention. ✅ Then go into the Situation, then the Action, and bookend it with the Result. Here's an example: Q: "So, Emily, tell me about a time when you made a mistake a work and how did you fix it?" A: "Let me tell you about the time our company almost spent an extra $5,000 in printer fees. Don't worry, I caught it. Here's what happened..." You lead with the RESULT (you caught a $5,000 error), then outline the SITUATION and ACTION you took to solve the situation. Then bookend it with the RESULT: "... And that's how I caught a $5,000 mistake." And remember, use your answer to highlight the skills / experience / results they are looking for. I encourage my clients to keep their interview answers to less than three minutes. (Unless it's a technical interview, then you can go into more detail.) The RSAR format helps you do that. I'm rooting for you. 👊 ♻ Please repost if you think this advice will help others. ***** Hi, have we met? I'm Emily and I'm on a mission to get the #greenbannergang back to work, one actionable step at a time. #jobsearch #jobhunt #jobseekers