All products and services featured are independently selected by WikiJob. When you register or purchase through links on this page, we may earn a commission.
Interviewers will often ask you questions to find out how good you are at thinking on your feet. They want to know how you will cope with unexpected situations and how well you act under pressure.
Questions such as ‘Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly’ or ‘Tell me about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?’ are often used for this purpose.
These types of questions are popular across all industries. No matter what your position, there will be situations when you need to think creatively or learn a new way of solving a problem unexpectedly.
It is always worth making sure that you have prepared an answer to this sort of question before you go for your interview.
Be Willing to Learn | 3 Key Tips on how to do this
Ask plenty of questions
Use the interview to ask plenty of questions about the company and the role. Research the organization beforehand to have thought-out questions prepared. You can also ask questions after learning more about the role during the interview.
Asking questions shows hiring managers you want to gain as much information as possible about the role to ensure its right for you. This also tells interviewers that you wont be hesitant to ask questions if youre having difficulties performing a workplace task or when you want to learn more about a certain skill or responsibility.
How to demonstrate your willingness to learn in an interview
The interview is a great chance to prove your dedication to learning new skills and growing in your career. Follow these steps to show your supervisor youre willing to learn and improve yourself:
Find industry events to attend
Show employers your willingness to enhance your knowledge by locating industry events, like conferences, webinars or workshops teaching about certain subjects within the industry. Tell employers about upcoming team-building events as well and ask if you and your team can attend. Employers will notice your initiative to teach yourself and other employees new skills to perform more effectively.
Demonstrate your capacity for growth by embracing challenges.
When hiring, employers analyze a job candidate’s current skills and assess their ability to learn new ones. Growth potential is an essential quality in an employee, and a willingness to learn demonstrates that capability. According to a 2021 Harris Poll survey, this invaluable soft skill tops the priority list for 81% of businesses.
Since executives place high importance on an employee’s willingness to learn new skills and grow with the company, it’s crucial for job seekers to demonstrate that they adapt easily to change and prioritize accepting increased responsibility.
We’ll explore best practices and tips from experts for professionals eager to convey their willingness to learn to help advance their careers.
The solution to the problem
If youre not employing the science of behavioral interviewing in your hiring process, youre truly risking disaster by bringing in the wrong people.
In essence, if you ask behavioral-interview questions, youre no longer asking questions that will lead to vague or hypothetical answers (i.e., “Why should we hire you?”), but are asking questions that must be answered based upon fact.
This gives hiring managers a clear edge; candidates may not get a chance to deliver any prepared stories or scripted answers when faced with behavioral interview questions.
Here are several questions youll want to ask as it pertains to what makes a high-performing employee for your team or company.
Skills the Interviewer Is Looking For
Every question asked during an interview will be there for a reason. Even though it seems obscure, the interviewer will be looking for particular skills or attitudes.
When asking, ‘Tell me about a time when you had to learn something quickly’, the interviewer is looking for:
FAQ
How do you say you are willing to learn in an interview?
How do you answer willingness to learn?
- Ask plenty of questions. …
- Demonstrate your passion for gaining new skills. …
- Earn certifications and take additional courses. …
- Request information about training and growth opportunities. …
- Pitch new ideas based on your research.
How would you describe willingness to learn?
How do you demonstrate willingness to learn on a resume?
- Highlight both hard and soft skills. …
- List additional certifications and credentials. …
- Describe the results of learning new skills. …
- Provide specific examples of your accomplishments. …
- Give examples of your professional development.
