How can my past experience in business qualify me as a teacher?

A recent job application asked how my past personal and professional experience makes me a quality candidate for the position. This is a touchy question, for two reasons: I have no teaching experience, and there is a gap in my employment history. I addressed the first by emphasizing skills acquired in business: communication with non-specialists, knowledge of technology, and practical applications of math. I addressed the second by pointing out that I've spent much of my "downtime" in education, and thus can serve as a role model for lifelong learning.

here's my full answer. In future applications I might also say something about raising four kids, including one who went through special ed. in public schools.

Please explain how your past personal and professional experience make you a quality candidate for the position for which you are applying.

Teaching is a second career for me. I spent over 20 years in the Information Technology field. My experience in the business world is transferable to teaching in a variety of ways:

As a business systems analyst, I became adept at - and publicly recognized for - asking the right sorts of questions and listening to users as they struggled to understand new technology and how it might be used in their business. I believe these communication skills will transfer readily to the classroom.

As a technology manager for web analytics and search products, part of my job was to collect and digest large amounts of numerical data and prepare summaries for senior management. This practical experience with statistics, whose goal is to gain understanding through data, can be used in the classroom in response to "What good is math?" questions.

After leaving the business world, I had the chance to go back and complete my undergraduate education online, which led to other opportunities to engage in formal and informal learning, including the Traders-to-Teachers program at Montclair State. I expect these experiences will help me to serve as a role model in the classroom for life-long, independent learning.