How to Talk About Work Experience in the UAE

We love to share stories from our work, talk about our relationships with management and employees, about various incidents that happened to us, and about something good or bad. But basically, we can only share our thoughts in this way with our friends or loved ones. But when such a question comes up during an interview for your new job, you need to carefully think about what to answer in order to not only tell stories but also tell about yourself as an employee. And if you are now looking for a job, you can check out the Layboard website – https://layboard.in/vacancies/jobs-in-uae/jobs-in-dubai/speciality/cashier where you may find yourself a new dream job.

Why do they ask about your previous job at an interview?

During the interview, HR usually asks about previous work experience in order to better understand how the candidate meets the requirements of the vacancy and whether he can effectively perform his duties in the new role, as well as how well this person will fit into the existing team. Questions about previous experience help assess the applicant’s professional skills, relationships, teamwork, competencies, and achievements. In addition, discussing past experiences allows us to identify

How the candidate copes with various work situations, solves problems, and interacts in a team. This also provides an opportunity to determine how ready the candidate is for new challenges and whether he has the necessary motivation and desire for professional growth in this company. HR managers pay attention to specific examples of your achievements, approach to problem-solving, and ability to work in a team. Clear and detailed answers can help you stand out from other candidates because they demonstrate your ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and adapt to change. Therefore, what and how you answer questions about previous work experience can significantly affect the outcome of the interview and your chances of getting the position you want.

What should you not say when answering questions about your past work in the UAE?

The first impression is very important and very fragile, it is quite easy to spoil it, and in the case of an interview, it may never be possible to restore it. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in no case should you discuss or tell at your interview, or any other conversation with the new boss, as this may spoil their impression of you.

• Negative comments about employers or colleagues with whom you no longer work. It’s unprofessional, rude, and will push the person away from you. This can only be discussed with your closest friends or family, but not with the people with whom you will work.
• Confidential information. Not only can disclosing confidential data lead to legal proceedings, it will simply show the employer that you cannot be trusted with anything sensitive.
• Personal conflicts. This may indicate that you do not know how to resolve conflicts and work in society.
• Listing the company’s disadvantages. This will not give you any advantages, and it is better, on the contrary, to emphasize the good aspects of the place where you worked before.
• Personal problems and unnecessary information in general. You need to specifically answer a specific question, and if you cannot do this, it may seem that you are unable to separate the personal from the professional and cannot focus on specific answers to specific questions.

HR may conclude that you are not suitable for the position if your answers indicate a lack of professionalism, teamwork or conflict resolution skills, and you may end up without the job you wanted. Therefore, it is very important to choose your words.

What is important to say when discussing your past work experience?

To make a good impression at an interview when answering questions about your previous job, you should adhere to the following recommendations and avoid saying too much:

• Highlight your achievements.

Talk about what you love to do, what you do well, what you can do, and give examples of how you did it and how it positively impacted the company you work for. Even if these are insignificant things in your opinion, they have value.

• Explain your responsibilities.

In order for the person hiring you to understand how you will cope, it is worth telling what you did at your previous place of work, and, if necessary, how you did it. This will give you a clear understanding of what you are really good at and what may require additional practice in a new place.

• Showcase your skills.

It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to really demonstrate anything in practice during the hour-long interview, but you can give examples that highlight what you do really well. But also, depending on the situation, you may be asked to solve some problem so that you can prove yourself. Then, having thought everything through well, proceed to its implementation with wisdom.

• Talk about problem-solving.

Here you also need to give examples of how you dealt with certain problems, but at the same time do not forget that you cannot talk about confidential information, and also speak badly about past colleagues, even if you had to.

• Show a positive attitude.

Talk about experiences positively. Even if there were difficulties, talk about how you learned from them and what valuable skills you acquired, and perhaps even how you applied them or will be able to do so in the future. But even speaking about the positive aspects, you need not overdo it, and not to over-praise either yourself or your previous place of work, since people do not like flattery and lies.

• Relate your experience to your new position.

Explain how your previous experience and skills can be useful in your new position. Show that you understand what the new role requires, and how you can contribute, and how you can contribute to the growth and development of the company you join, using everything you already have.

This approach to answering questions will help you present yourself and your skills in a favorable light and show how your past actions today make you a really good and suitable candidate for the position.