When a recruiter asks you to “come back to your journey”, know that it is neither a trivial question nor a simple formality. Behind this invitation, there is a specific expectation that many candidates ignore.
To tell your journey is not just to repeat what is on your CV. Especially when it has already been read. Despite everything, this is one of the first things you will hear face-to-face. So why does this question come back systematically? And how to answer it without leaving in a linear chronicle, too long and off topic? Answers with Rob Cancilla, recruitment expert.
Very often, it is the same scenario: the interview begins in a posed tone, almost informal. The recruiter asks you to talk about you, to “come back to your journey”, to “tell him a little” who you are. Most candidates then unroll their CV, point by point, diploma per diploma, Job by Job. Some recite. Other digress. In both cases, this is rarely what the recruiter expects.
In reality, what he seeks to know at this precise moment is if you are able to make the link between your past experiences and the position you apply. It is not a repetition, it is a test: that of your ability to give meaning to your journey. Rob Cancilla insists: “What employers really want to say by ‘browse me your CV’ is to show them how your experiences and your past successes can be relevant today and what their values are added.“In other words: sort it out. Put forward what really matters for the position. And above all, do not let the recruiter do the work of interpretation for you.
To do this, the expert advises to use what he calls “connector statements”. These short sentences make it possible to articulate your journey strategically. They serve as bridges between what you have done and what you can bring today. Rather than listing the missions of your old posts, you will directly seek the usefulness, the impact, the added value. This can, for example, translate into “You are looking for someone organized, in such a company I applied such an organization“,”During my experience at X, I was promoted to this quality that you are looking for“, etc.
Thus, during your next job interview, be clever and responsive, the connections between your application file and the desired position are now more than crucial. What is more, in a context of tension on the labor market, it is the kind of detail that can clearly tip the scale.
