Students often stress more about the Resume, Cover Letter, and Interviewing aspects when trying to secure a job…what about the short-answer questions in the application?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most times, you will be selected for an interview or role based on how you answer the questions in your application. Examples may include: how can your skills apply to the role you are applying for, why should we hire you, or what sets you apart from the rest of the candidates applying. Do you have capability to integrate your values in your answers while matching what the company is seeking from an applicant?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider these tips below from Parker Dewey’s article called How to Ace a Short-Answer Application<\/a> written by Mary K. Wendel!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are they really asking? What information are they trying to gather by posing a particular question? I recently saw a short-answer question that was something to the effect of: \u201cwhat makes you unique, weird or quirky?\u201d Why in the world would an employer want to know that? In this case, the organization had a rather witty brand voice, and all of the content they produce is heavy on humor. I\u2019d imagine they don\u2019t really care if you know how to yodel or if you hold the world record for one-footed jumping, but telling them as much could help them gauge your writing style, how you tell stories, and how well you may be a fit for the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To a certain degree, you know the demands of the position and what the hiring manager is looking for. Ask yourself where you\u2019ve acquired those skills, and be sure to highlight them in your responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider ways to demonstrate skills through mini stories or examples, rather than simply making statements. If someone tells you \u201cI\u2019m a strong communicator\u201d that\u2019s one thing. If you get to see their communication in action, that\u2019s another. Demonstrate your skills by describing how they\u2019ve shown up and worked well for you in the past. Use stories to illustrate your skills. The STAR interview technique<\/a> could be helpful in crafting short-answer stories, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the organization\u2019s Twitter feed, LinkedIn content, blog, and any other places they\u2019re publishing content. If they are serious and formal, match that in your short-answer responses. If they are lighthearted, sarcastic, or punchy, bring that into your writing. They\u2019ve got to see that you \u201cget\u201d their organization, and one of the best ways to do that is by speaking (or in this case writing) their language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of each component of the application process as a chance to show them a bit more of who you are. You can certainly highlight specific experiences that answer the question, but I\u2019d caution against broad summaries like \u201cI have experience in x, x, and x\u201d as they could deduce that readily from your resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if the question is worded as a close-ended question (meaning that a \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d technically fully answers the question), it\u2019s important to add more. For instance, an employer might ask a question like, \u201cdo you have experience with non-profit capital campaigns?\u201d If you have had direct experience, draw their attention to it and share what made it successful, interesting, or how you contributed. If you haven\u2019t had direct experience, tell them what skills or experiences have equipped you for this opportunity, even if it\u2019s new territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Consider these tips from Parker Dewey’s article called How to Ace a Short-Answer Application written by Mary K. Wendel!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28782,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[546],"tags":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28782"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4145"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7521,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145\/revisions\/7521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4145"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=4145"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=4145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Look for the question under the question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use the job description (and other research) to your advantage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Show, don\u2019t tell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mirror the brand tone in your writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t regurgitate your resume or cover letter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Go beyond \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n