CONFIDENT V O I C E How to Answer, Tell Me About Yourself At the start of almost every interview the person conducting the interview will say, Tell me about yourself. Here is what the interviewer wants The interviewer wants you lead by giving them a clear and succinct overview of who you are as a professional interested in the position. Here is what the interviewer does not want The interviewer does not want to hear your life story. Keep your personal life out of it for now. You may be asked more about that later. How to prepare for Tell me about yourself
In order to prepare for Tell me about yourself I always help my job seeking clients (in fact all my clients) to create an Elevator Speech. The Elevator Speech An "elevator speech" is a 30-45 second overview of your knowledge, skills, and accomplishments. The term "elevator speech" comes from the idea that you should be able to "sell yourself" in the time it takes to complete a ride in an elevator. This is an opportunity for you to describe: who you are what you've accomplished your goals for the immediate future You should be able to convey this information in a highly succinct manner. You must sound smooth and natural. The elevator speech must be memorized, but you can adapt it as per the situation. Sample 1~ from an IT professional* I have over 20 years experience reviewing, analyzing and negotiating contracts directly associated with information technology. I've developed the ability to research needs, develop strategies for meeting those needs and work with vendors to provide cost-effective services.
My ability to understand technical jargon and relate this information to non-technical people has really helped me assist others in solving technical problems. Sample 2~ from a business development professional* I'm a business development executive with experience in management, team leadership, and territory expansion. I have a proven ability to generate revenue and I'm a terrific talent manager. If you have the time, I'd be thrilled to share more about my background. Sample 3~ from a CPA * My name is and I'm a CPA. My background is in financial statement audits with one of the top international public accounting firms. Currently, at Hyatt International, I'm a part of a group overseeing accounting and audits for over 300 hotels worldwide. I am also pursuing an MBA from Darden to advance my career and become an area manager of hotels in the Eastern European region. Create your Elevator Speech In order to prepare for Tell me about yourself, I d like you to create an elevator speech for your professional profile. Your speech should describe: who you are what you've accomplished your goals for the immediate future It should only last for 30-45 seconds.
Be ready for Tell me about yourself Creating your elevator speech will take a bit of practice. It s best to work on it for a few minutes each day. The great thing is, once you have it memorized, you ll have an immediate response when someone says, Tell me about yourself. Do you want feedback on your elevator speech? If you d like detailed feedback on your elevator speech, I can do that for you. Here s how that works. 1. You create and practice your elevator speech. 2. You record your elevator speech and submit your recording to me for feedback. 3. I provide detailed audio feedback on: your pronunciation, intonation, word choice and grammar. 4. You incorporate my feedback. Then you record and submit a revised version of your speech. 5. I provide another detailed audio feedback. The cost is $30.00. Email me at susan@confidentvoice.com if you want to get clear, detailed and actionable feedback. We can get started right away.
*The elevator speeches presented here are from my clients. Reprinted with permission.