Tell me about yourself

Transcription

1 THE BIG INTERVIEW Answer builder guide to Tell me about yourself Tell me about yourself! BY PAMELA SKILLINGS biginterview

2 Table of Contents Introduction Step 1. Remember the meaning behind the question Step 2. Your goals for your answer Step 3. Big Interview s 3-Step Formula for Tell Me About Yourself Step 4. Review, Revise, and Practice

3 Introduction The lessons, formulas, and sample answers you re about to get in this guide are all excerpted from the full Big Interview training system. Our system s proven combination of expert lessons and an interactive practice tool can get you ready to ace even the toughest interviews even if you only have a day or two to prepare. You can click here if you d like to learn more about the full Big Interview system. Otherwise, ready to craft your perfect answer to Tell Me About Yourself? Then read on This guide and all contents Copyright 2018 Big Interview

4 Step 1 Remember the meaning behind the question As with any interview question, one of the first things we should look at with the Tell me about yourself prompt is why the interviewer is asking it in the first place. We should always craft our answers with the interviewer s motivations in mind. Remember that Tell me about yourself is a big-picture question. The interviewer is using an easy and open-ended conversation starter, and in doing so is also giving you the floor to make a great first impression. His ultimate goal for this interview is to find out enough about you to decide if you re a good fit for the job opening that he is being paid to fill. In most cases, he wants to like you. His life will be easier if he can find a great candidate quickly. However, he is also on guard because a bad hire will reflect poorly on his judgment and possibly be a mark against him when it comes time to ask for a raise or promotion or bonus. He is hoping that this question will get you talking. This question is almost always asked first, perhaps right after some chit chat about traffic and the weather. Your answer to this question will dictate the interviewer's first impression of you, and will set the tone for the entire interview, letting you lead with your strongest selling points.

5 Step 2 Your goals for your answer So what are the criteria you re looking to hit in such an open-ended introduction? Think of it as your elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a product, service, or business and its value proposition. It answers the question: Why should I buy/invest? It should be concise enough to be delivered during a short elevator ride (to the 5th floor, not to the 105th floor). You need an elevator pitch for yourself as a job candidate and it should be customized for different opportunities. You must keep it focused and short, ideally less than a minute, and no more than 2 minutes. You won t be able to fit all of your great qualities and resume high points into 2 minutes, so you ll have to spend some time thinking about how to present yourself in a way that starts the interview on the right note.

6 A great answer will address the following: What are your primary selling points for this job? This could be number of years of experience in a particular industry or area of specialization. You might also highlight special training and technical skills here. Focus on the qualifications in the job description and how you meet and exceed the requirements. Why are you interested in this position right now? You can wrap up your answer by indicating why you are looking for a new challenge and why you feel this role is the best next step. On the next page, we ll break this down into 3 easy steps and get you rolling with drafting your actual answer.

7 Step 3 Big Interview s 3-Step Formula for Tell Me About Yourself Okay, ready to dive in? Get out a notebook or open a new document in the app of your choice. It s time to get writing. This is our 3-Step Formula that we teach inside Big Interview to craft your perfect answer. 1. Who you are Your first sentence should be an introduction to who you are professionally, an overview statement that shows off your strengths and gives a little sense of your personality too. This is not easy to do gracefully on the fly. It pays to prepare a bit in advance. Try writing one now. It s okay if it s not perfect off the bat, but you ll need to start somewhere. Here are some examples that might help: Good: I m an innovative HR manager with 8 years of experience managing all aspects of the HR function from recruiting to training to benefits for Fortune 500 companies. Concisely summarizes diverse background.

8 Bad: Well, I grew up in Cincinnati. As a child, I originally wanted to be a fireman, then later became interested in dinosaurs. I excelled in the sciences from early on, placing first in my fourth-grade science fair. Funny story about that Way too much information. If you need more examples like this to guide you, consider checking out the full Big Interview training curriculum. CHECK IT OUT 2. Expertise Highlights Don t assume that the interviewer has closely read your resume and knows your qualifications. Use your elevator pitch to briefly highlight 2-4 points that you think make you stand out. Go ahead and add another few bullet points to your draft answer highlighting the most compelling details of your expertise. If you have trouble thinking of these, take a quick glance at your resume and see which bullet points are most impressive or define you best.

9 Here are some examples that might help: Good: I have spent the last six years developing my skills as a customer service manager for Megacompany Inc., where I have won several performance awards and been promoted twice. I love managing teams and solving customer problems. The emphasis here is on experience, enthusiasm, and proof of performance. Bad: My first job was as an administrative assistant for Macy s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I learned a great deal in that role that served me well over the next 12 years. At the time, I wasn t sure about my career path, so I next took a position selling real estate. It only lasted for six months, but I sure enjoyed it. Zzzzzzz. Nobody cares about your first job 12 years ago. You are starting with the least impressive part of your career and the interviewer is likely to tune out before you get to the good stuff. 3. Why you re here Add a concluding sentence to your answer draft where you end by telling them that you want the position (and why).

10 For example: Good: Although I love my current role, I feel I m now ready for a more challenging assignment and this position really excites me. Concise and positive. Bad: Because of the company s financial problems and my boss s issues, I m worried about my job s stability and decided to start looking for new opportunities. Don t be too candid or you risk coming across as negative. This answer also makes it seem like you re interested in a job, any job not this job in particular. Remember You will have time later to walk through your resume in more detail and fill in any gaps. Don t try to squeeze in too much information or your interviewer WILL start to tune out. A good interview is a dialogue, not a monologue. Keep it concise and give your interviewer the chance to dive in and ask questions.

11 Step 4 Review, Revise, and Practice Great! So now you should have a draft answer to Tell me about yourself that was as simple as filling in three short parts, one at a time. We re not quite done yet thought. Let s make sure we take the time to refine that answer until it s truly interview-ready. First, REVIEW this list of common pitfalls and make sure your draft answer doesn t fall into any of them. If it does - go ahead and REVISE until it feels right. 1. The Resume Rehash Many candidates respond by launching into a recitation of their resume from the very beginning. That can turn into a very long monologue that starts with one s oldest and probably least relevant and impressive experience. By the time you get to the good stuff, your interviewer has zoned out and is thinking about lunch. Don t get me wrong. It s important to prepare a brief summary of the high points of each of your past positions. It is likely that you will be asked about your accomplishments and day-to-day responsibilities in previous roles. Ideally, this should come out in an engaging conversation, though, not a long monologue at the beginning of the interview. You ll only confuse your interviewer with information overload. Even if the interviewer specifically asks you to walk him through your resume, don t take the suggestion too literally. You can still lead with your elevator pitch and then segue into an overview of your most recent position, leaving plenty of opportunities for the interviewer to jump in and engage with you.

12 2. Mr./Ms. Modesty Many of my interview coaching clients make the mistake of being too modest. They reply with a humble or vague introduction that fails to clearly communicate their strongest qualifications for the gig. Some of these clients are just humble people who aren t comfortable with selling themselves. Others have never really had to worry about a strong pitch they were always courted for new opportunities when the job market was less competitive. Today, the competition for any good job is fierce. Don t rely on the interviewer to see past your humble exterior and figure out how great you are. For modest types, I recommend focusing on factual statements. You don t have to brag, I m the best salesperson in the world. Instead, you can state, I led my division in sales for the last three years and brought in more than $18 million worth of new business. 3. The First Date Approach This is not a first date. Your interviewer does not want to hear that you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. Many recent grads misconstrue the question and talk too much about their personal lives and hobbies. Focus on who you are as a professional unless asked about hobbies or outside pursuits.

13 4. The Clueless Ramble I have watched a surprising number of smart candidates flub this question because of overthinking. Their answers sounds something like this: You mean about my job experience or about my schooling or what kind of information are you looking for? I know that these candidates are aiming to please and that Tell me about yourself can be interpreted in many different ways. However, asking for too much clarification only makes you look hesitant and confused. Dive right in with the approach that we outlined for you above. If they are looking for something else, they will ask you for it. As long as you re avoiding these common mistakes, you re ready to refine your answer with plenty of PRACTICE. Every answer you prepare for an interview will naturally go through revisions and changes once you start regularly and repeatedly practicing it out loud. It s important for your answer to sound natural, even though you ve prepared it. That s where the Big Interview interactive practice tool comes in. Until we developed this tool, your best options for interview practice were to just look into a mirror, or to beg friends to help you out and conduct a mock interview. Instead, our interview practice software connects with your webcam or phone camera and lets you practice with our library of thousands of mock interviews tailored to your specific job, industry, and experience level. Then you can refine your responses until they re ready to win you a new job.

14 You ll even get more of my video lessons and expert advice (in a full 10 module training course covering everything from what to wear, to how to send follow-up s and negotiate your salary), and carefullycrafted sample answers inside. Don t walk into your next interview without trying the full (proven and step-by-step) training system inside Big Interview. It s been tested with tens of thousands of job seekers (and we ll even give you your money back if it doesn t work for you ) Learn more about the full Big Interview system and sign up today. Next time you re asked to tell me about yourself, you won t waste the opportunity. SIGN UP TODAY

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