Interviewing tip

If you are asked a question in an interview about what you did in a job, give a full answer. Don't just say, "I worked in the office" or "I worked in maintenance."

For example, if you worked in the office at an RV park, explain what your duties were - answer the phone, take reservations, check people in, answer questions about the area, etc. - and what skills you used. Skills in this case could include using a certain reservation system, processing credit cards electronically, handling complaints, stocking products, opening and closing the cash register and office.

In maintenance, your duties might include things like cleaning restrooms and community areas, repairs to plumbing, mowing lawns and weedeating, filling propane. Your skills could include choosing proper cleaning supplies and methods, maintaining lawnmower and weedeater, certified to fill propane tanks, testing swimming pool and adding chemicals as needed, use a snake to unstop a sewage line.

Add numbers too: 300-site campground, four restrooms, often had ten check-ins lined up in the afternoon.

One employer may not call a position the same as another employer but if she hears specific skills and duties, she can relate that to her position and know you have experience.

Giving meaty answers is a way to sell yourself. Your confidence and knowledge will show and raise your value as a candidate for the job. Even if most of this information is on your resume, hearing you expand on what you did and use the vocabulary that goes with it during the interview goes a long way in reassuring the employer that you know what you are talking about and can actually do the job. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

For tips on interviewing and negotiating, see Jaimie's 2nd edition of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, see RVBookstore.com.