Activity 

This activity will help you find resources that support you in find examples of your skills and experiences and how you can then share these in a job application or interview to effectively communicate why you would be a good fit for a role.

Identifying Your Experiences

There are lots of useful activities on this site that can help you explore your skills and experiences. These activities can be a great starting point in helping you find the examples that you want to share:

• Yourself as an Asset

• Skills Evaluation 

• Finding Examples of Skills

• Your Degree and Job Applications

• Transferring Academic Skills 

Once you have completed these activities, write yourself a list of experiences you have had (as part of your degree or from experiences outside of your degree). 

Summarising Your Experiences

Write down 3 of these experiences using the STAR technique - this will help you create a summary of this experience that could be useful for applications/interviews. You can use the STAR Guide to help you with this.

Once you have your 3 STAR paragraphs, write a list of skills that you have used during this experience. You can use the Sheffield Graduate Attributes or write your own list. 

You can then add these paragraphs and skills to your mySkills profile to record them. 

Practicing Sharing Your Experiences

Below are some examples of questions you might come across during a job application or interview. Answer these questions as a way to practice how you might share your experiences. You can practice doing this both verbally and in a written format - this will help you feel confident in sharing your answers through a written application and a verbal interview. 

Chat GPT-generated questions 

• Can you provide a detailed overview of your background and highlight a project or assignment that best demonstrates your abilities and skills relevant to this role?

• What motivated you to apply for this specific role, and how do your academic achievements and extracurricular activities support your application?

• What do you know about our company/organisation, and can you share an example of how one of our projects or values resonates with you?

• Describe a situation where you had to quickly learn a new skill or piece of information. How did you approach this, and what was the outcome?

• Can you discuss a time when you took the lead on a project or initiative? What were the challenges, and how did you ensure its success?

• Tell me about a time when you had to handle multiple deadlines or priorities simultaneously. How did you manage your time, and what was the result?

• Where do you see yourself in five years, and what steps are you taking now to achieve those career goals?

• Why did you choose your field of study, and can you describe a particular module or course that you found most impactful and why?

• Can you provide examples of how you have developed key skills such as communication, problem-solving, or leadership through your academic work or other experiences?

• Describe a time when you had to work with someone whose working style was very different from yours. How did you handle this, and what was the outcome?

Useful Links

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers 

https://careerconnect.sheffield.ac.uk/student/home.html 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/academic-skills/study-skills-online/reflective-practice

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/skills 

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/academic-skills/study-skills-online/reflective-practice

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/apply/interviews/questions-types

https://students.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/apply/applications/skills-questions