Guest Post by Tammy Kabell, Founder and CEO of Career Resume Consulting, in Kansas City.
Today, I’d like to list for you some of the transitional phrases that can be used to increase your effectiveness in the interview process (both in phone and face to face interviewing).
Let me start by explaining what they are and why you need them. In answering a question from an interviewer, you’ll want to start your answer in general terms, like “Oh, I have six years of experience in that,” or, “I actually do that every day in my position currently.” Then you’ll want to use a transitional phrase to go into a specific story of how you have worked that experience or used that skill.
These specific, compelling stories are what really “sell” you, and make no mistake, you are selling yourself as you would any product or service. These specific stories are key to winning the job, and can make or break your interview performance. Transitional phrases connect the two elements.
These specific stories should spend a few sentences setting up the story, about 2-3 sentences about the action you took, and then if possible, explain the quantifiable result in one sentence. Anytime you can add numbers to what you’ve done, you’re way ahead of most candidates.
So to start with a general statement and transition into a specific story, you can use transitional phrases like:
“I actually have six years of experience in that field. For instance, …”
“It reminds me of a time when I…”
“For example, there was one time I…”
“There was this one time when I led my team to…”
“It’s a great question because I once…”
“…and I’m glad you asked because it reminds me of…”
“It takes me back to when I did xyz at abc company…”
“You know, I’ve got an interesting story about that…”
Or if it fits well, just to directly into the story after a very brief pause. “I remember when I…”
Now these may seem rudimentary, or things that you take for granted, but if you’re in an interview and you’re the least bit nervous, you may forget how to seamlessly transition the general to the specific, and it would be worthwhile to study these. They’re just good to have in your back pocket when the time arises.