How to Answer: How did you get started in a benefits-related career?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Benefits Specialist job interview.
11. How did you get started in a benefits-related career?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
The interviewer wants to know about your interest in benefits and why you chose this career. There are many paths that lead to the Benefits department and they want to know what yours looked like.
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 16th, 2022
How to Answer
Whatever your path was, be excited about it! Discuss any related education and training you have completed along the way. For example:
- A family member worked in Benefits and you found yourself interested in what they did each day
- A teacher or professor encouraged you to pursue a career in HR or benefits because of your fascination with the healthcare system
- You were a junior member of SHRM in college and really enjoyed the seminar topics focused on Benefits
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 16th, 2022
Answer Example
"I was an undeclared business major in college when a friend of mine suggested I join her at a lunch with the local SHRM chapter. The table we sat at was filled with HR professionals and when they went around the table to introduce themselves, I was amazed at the variety of careers within HR! The woman sitting next to me was a Benefits Director and a self-proclaimed 'Benefits nerd.' I could see how much she loved her job and it sounded like she was some sort of superhero who helped people navigate health insurance and beat the 'bad guys' or the insurance networks. I signed up to join the SHRM chapter as a student member that day, enrolled in an SHRM-CP prep course just a couple of months later, and just passed the exam last Fall. The Benefits Director from that first meeting has become a personal mentor to me, and it is her passion for her job that made me want to pursue a career in Benefits."
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 16th, 2022