How to Describe Your Job Responsibilities in an Interview

Updated September 12, 2022577

If you’re asked to describe your current job responsibilities, you must be ready to answer this interview question. Here’s how to answer it.

Describe Your Current Job Responsibilities

There are many common interview questions that you should prepare for when you’re getting ready to go to an interview. One of the most common interview questions you’ll almost certainly experience in most of your job interviews is, “Can you describe your current job responsibilities?” Here are some tips for answering this question when it comes up.

What You Need To Know About Resume Margins

What Are Job Responsibilities?

To answer this question, it’s first important to know what job responsibilities are. For the most part, job responsibilities are the day-to-day duties that you handle as part of your job title. For example, an administrative assistant may schedule appointments, take calls as they come in, and manage their client’s calendar. These would be the assistant’s job duties.

For some people, skills are also part of the job responsibility. If you’re working as a project manager, problem-solving skills are something you use every day to ensure the project stays on task. Your skills will be part of your work experience, and you can use them to discuss your past roles.

If you’re having a hard time discovering your job responsibilities, phrase the things you do every day with action verbs. Don’t talk about what other people assign you to do. Talk about the actions you take every day. These are your job responsibilities, and that’s what a potential employer is looking to understand from job seekers.

Tips for Talking About Your Job Duties

So, you know your job responsibilities, but you’re still unsure how to respond when a hiring manager asks you about them. These three tips can make it easier for you to discuss your duties during a job interview.

Include your job duties in your resume.

Talking about your job responsibilities starts long before you’re in the interview. You want the hiring manager to understand your current job responsibilities as soon as they look at your resume. Include your job duties in your experience section, your existing skill set, and your resume summary or resume objective. This helps you create a professional resume indicating your competencies from the beginning.
Match your answer to whatever the employer is looking for.

The job search requires a certain amount of give and take on both sides. Recruiters are looking for something specific and you’re looking for a new job that suits your competencies. Remember to read through the job description before you write your resume, then read through it again before you go in for your interview. You want to use all the same words and phrases the recruiter used in the job posting to describe the job requirements.
Use the STAR method.

Finally, remember that the STAR method can be an effective way to create sample answers for most questions a hiring manager could ask in the job interview. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. With this method, when a hiring manager asks you a question, you first state a situation you were in, describe the Task you had to perform, lay out the Actions you took, then describe the final Result. When it comes to job duties, you can use this template to explain how you’ve fulfilled your current role and used critical skills you’ll also be able to use in your new role.

FAQs: Describe Your Current Job Responsibilities

How can I make sure I get an interview in the first place?

Before answering this question, you must first catch a hiring manager’s eye. The best way to do that is with the ResumeNerd cover letter builder and resume builder. These tools allow you to discover resume and cover letter templates, get resume writing help and find general career advice. They’re a great way to ensure the hiring manager notices your resume.

Why will an interviewer ask about my current position?

When an interviewer asks questions like, “Tell me about your current job” or “Describe your current position,” it’s because they’re trying to understand your competencies and see what you do on a mundane, day-to-day basis. They want basic bullet points that summarize what you might have been doing over years of experience. It’s a helpful way for interviewers to get a quick picture of their interviewees.

What should I avoid saying about my current job responsibilities?

For the most part, as long as you stay polite and professional, you won’t have any problems. Avoid negatively talking about your current company, as this can make a hiring manager worried that you might also speak negatively about them when you’re leaving. Outside of that, you should avoid just reading a list of skills. Instead, show how you’ve used those skills in your job.

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About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.