How To Describe Your Current Job Duties (With Examples)

Summary. When answering “describe your current job duties” you should match your qualifications to the new job’s duties, focus on how you create value for the company, and provide examples in your answer. Avoid giving too much detail about your current responsibilities and mentioning anything you don’t do.

How to describe your current job duties with examples.

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How to Answer “Describe Your Current Job Duties”

This is a common interview question that interviewers ask to see if you are qualified for the position or not.

In general, don’t worry about convincing the interviewer that you were truthful on your resume. If you can address the other two main concerns with details and examples, it won’t be an issue.

As with many things in life, preparation is crucial. Consider the following principles when preparing an answer, and you’ll likely impress:

  1. Match your qualifications to the new job’s duties. Before you walk into the interview room, make sure you remember the key responsibilities from the job posting. When asked to describe your current duties, don’t simply list them off. Identify which are relevant to their needs and prioritize explaining those. Understanding how companies create job listings can give you insight into the major qualities they’re seeking. If the role lists excellent management skills as a requirement, then mention events you’ve planned or teams you’ve managed. If the job description mentions key technology skills, then focus on projects you’ve completed using them.
  2. Focus on how you create value for the company. When mentioning your skills or job responsibilities, always include how they’ve brought actual value to the company. For example, if you’re a software engineer, don’t say, “at my job, I write programs in Java and Python. Instead, say, “I leverage my extensive Java experience to develop solutions that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and fulfill business requirements for my company. Remember, don’t use your skills as a talking point by themselves, but rather a segue towards how they’ve created beneficial results.
  3. Be conversational rather than giving a list. The interviewer doesn’t want to hear a list of bullet points; they could review your resume for that. This doesn’t mean you should tell a winding story that wastes time, just to be conversational. You can do this by giving a quick example of challenges your company has faced and how you use your skills to bring them over the hurdle on a daily basis.
  4. Don’t be too granular in detail. Depending on the company, the interviewer may be a human-resources manager with only a basic understanding of the job title. Giving off a long list of your skills and duties will likely just confuse and distract from what they’re looking to hear. For example, suppose the job requires knowledge of specific software tools. Only list those tools specifically or ones you think may be related. Otherwise, your words pass as jargon through the interviewer’s ears.

Note: It’s essential to understand if the company culture is a fit for you, but ask that question later. Don’t try to explain how you match their culture in your answer here.

Example Answers to “Describe Your Current Job Duties”

When reading through these examples, take note of how the main principles are used: