What experience do you have in this field?
One of the most commonly asked interview questions is “what is your experience in this field?”
This interview question is often asked at the structured interview start to review the applicant’s duration in the sector.
It also used as a generic interview introduction question, designed to get the applicant talking, with a view to reducing their nerves, prior to the forthcoming sector-related questions which are based on the job criteria.
Not only does the employer want to uncover how many years of experience you have, but they also want to know your experiences, skills, and achievements during this interview answer.
Interview Question: “What experience do you have in this field?”
To help candidates answer the ‘experience’ interveiw question, we will provide an explanation of the question and an example interview answer.
Explanation of the Question:
For this question, you first need to read and understand the job specification, as this will tell you what experience the interviewer is looking for.
Each employer requires a different set of criteria for the same role. In this sense, no two interview answers should be the same.
Your answer should relate your sector experience and achievements to that of the job role. Often interviewees will talk about experiences that are not relevant to the advertised job role; this will only lead to the employer becoming uninterested in you.
Example Interview Answer
“I have over 6 years of experience as a nursery nurse, in that time I have gained an NVQ Level 2 and 3 in child care. I have worked with children of all ages including groups of children with disabilities. I understand the importance of “health and safety” and “every child matters” and use my creative skills to organize games and activities to teach young children new skills while keeping them entertained. Recently I also won an award for employee of the year”
This interveiw question formula ‘duration of experience x qualification x duties’ can be adapted for any industry.
Good luck with your next job interview. Remember the key to passing job interviews is preparation, practice your interview questions and answers.
