Have you tried going above and beyond your job description just to get the job done? Why did you do it?

When you are being asked with this kind of open-ended question, the employer seeks to know how you can market yourself or showcase your skills by placing an edge against the rest of the candidates who are vying for the same position as you. Moreover, your resourcefulness and competitiveness are also being tested.

Go through the list of qualifications that the employer requires for the job and check if you possess most of it, if not all of it. Employers are impressed with competitive individuals who make an effort to prepare themselves in the physical, mental, and emotional aspects before applying for the job.

Know the Company Profile in Depth

It is obviously common sense to study and learn the overview or background of the company you wish to work for. Yet, companies do not expect much from jobseekers when it comes to deeply knowing their potential employers. It is normal for them to interview candidates who barely know a thing about the company profile when asked.

What you can do is to conduct a thorough study of the company background, its products and services, company culture and even its mission and vision. Once the question is thrown at you, your interest and motivation will initially surface in how deep your knowledge is of their profile.

Showcase Your Efforts to Improve Your Skills

If you want to outwit the rest of your jobseeker rivals, let the employer know what you have done to make yourself efficiently capable of the skills that they have listed on the job opening. For example, if they require individuals with good computer knowledge, let them know the trainings you went through to learn sufficient knowledge to perform your computer-based tasks.

If the company seeks for persons with high typing speed, let them be aware that you have practiced well enough in order to attain that particular requirement. Making them aware of your efforts to prepare before coming to the interview only goes to show that you are highly interested to get the job.

Highlight the Trainings and Seminars Attended

Normally, employers expect the jobseekers to come to their office and attend the interview just as they are. That is why in their search for the most potential candidate, they either choose the one who is already equipped with the necessary skills or they would opt for the one who is the most highly trainable.

As part of answering this question effectively, identify the trainings and seminars that you joined as preparation for the said job position. You will make the employer think that you are equipped with the needed job competencies. Share to them what you learned and how you can apply your learning to the job once you will be chosen for the position. Moreover, you can tell them that you enrolled in a continuing education program to help you become more qualified for the job.