The unspoken question in a job interview is “why?”. The story you’re telling, the example you’re illustrating, should not just be a run through what you did – ideally, it should explain why you did it, writes Liam Horan, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers.

So that new technology system you implemented in your company is all the more powerful when you explain why you did it. It’s not just about the gizmos and the flash new look: it’s about the motivation for implementing change and the results it achieved in terms of, say, faster work, lower costs and a better service for the customer.

A new technology is a new technology. So what. Been there, done that. But what if the technology was introduced to say 40% on running costs? Or if it was designed to track and control expenditure much more effectively than heretofore? Or, in a school, if it allowed for a higher standard of information exchange between student and teacher or school and parent?

Don’t just get sucked into the story. Explain why it was important and valuable that you did what you did. Addressing ‘why’, even if you’re not asked to do so, will add a whole new level of significance to your stories.

Liam Horan is a Career Coach with Sli Nua Careers in Ballinrobe.

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