4 Reasons To Emphasize Your Ability Rather Than Experience When Looking For A Job

By Kibet Tobias
When you graduated you probably were excited that you would immediately get a job, buy a car, build a home, raise a family and enjoy a good life.
You must admit that all of us had similar expectations. I had mine and having graduated I had my whole life planned out. Having graduated from one of the premier universities in Kenya also lifted my spirit. I knew I would stand tall from the crowd and things would work smoothly in the job market.
However, this was not the case. After making so many job applications, I only received six interview invitations which didn’t even give me a job at the end.
At this point, I didn’t know where and what I was doing wrong in my job search.
Was it the CV or how I conducted myself during the interviews that cost me job opportunities?
Are you in the same situation?
How many jobs have you applied for without getting any response?  I approached Esther Kamau, a professional interview coach to shed more light on the reasons why so many of us seem to miss out on opportunities that we even qualify for?

How do you showcase your abilities for the job you want?

1. Show your potential employer you’re a skillful Communicator
Have you ever noticed that every job advertised has a section of personal attributes and competencies?
Forget about the minimum qualifications for a minute. For instances, let’s look at this Business Analyst job advert posted on our website today. Among the requirements laid down by the employer are excellent communication skills including written, verbal, listening, and presentation.
Clearly, the ability to effectively communicate with other coworkers is emphasized.
If you are applying for this position; you should be able to promote your excellent communication skills. Is your CV professionally written? If it is full of grammatical errors, a CV conveys who you are and may hurt your chances of getting the job.
During the interview, you should also be confident when responding to questions. Be polite, professional and stay calm.
Why is communication ability important?
Communication skills are required in every field. As an employee, you may be needed to answer phones, reply to emails and responds to letters on behalf of your employer.
Even when dealing with irritating clients, you have to respond to them professionally in a respectful manner that builds the company’s image positively.
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2. Show them you’re Reliable and Trustworthy
Do you know why most employers do a background check on you?
One of the reasons is to find out from your previous employers if you are a reliable and trustworthy employee.
Will they count on you? Confidential company information may pass through your hands. Will you keep the sensitive information to yourself?
Will you be trusted to show up on time, meet deadlines and get your job done?
So during the interview, it is best to let the interviewer know that you’re extremely reliable. You can highlight the achievements you made consistently in your previous role. Think about the incidences where you stayed late to make sure the job was finished on time.
3. Ability to work well with others
In the professional world, you are expected to spend a lot of time at work, about 45 hours per week.
With this math in mind, you wake up on a daily basis to meet some coworkers in the workplace.
But the big question is; are you able to get along with others?
You may not be asked directly in an interview if you are able to work well with others but it should come out in your application.
Ms. Kamau, advises that you can mention a situations where you experienced a challenging situation at work that needed all hands on deck and you worked late hours to help the team meet the deadline.
If you just graduated from university, tell a story about how you helped comrades complete a class project on time.
4. Mention creative problem-solving skills
Every employer is aware that in business, problems are inevitable.
As such, they’re looking for an individual who can creatively solve a problem anytime it arises.
Are you able to tackle challenges effectively? Demonstrate this ability clearly in your CV or during the interview by showing how you were able to solve different issues in your past role.
Finally…
These are just but a few of the much-needed abilities that will set you apart from the other candidates in the competitive job market today. Be unique and invest your time in each valuable skill discussed.  In the end, you will be able to sell yourself to the employer and convince them that YOU’RE ABLE to make a great positive contribution to their company.