How to Answer That Sticky "Tell Me About Yourself" Question

How can such a seemingly simple question cause such confusion in a job seeker's mind? Some people can get so befuddled by it that they find themselves discussing their elementary school education, stint as president of the high school student board, first day of college, favorite flavor of ice cream, and how they bought the car they drive now. Twenty minutes later, they are desperate for a glass of water, and the interviewer just wants to show them the door.

"Tell me about yourself" is typically the first question an interviewer will ask a candidate when they are ready to begin the interview. In the interviewer's mind, they are just trying to give you a simple question to answer. Think of it this way, the interviewer has just dug your resume out of a pile and left their desk to meet you in the reception area. Their mind, however, is still on the last problem that just appeared in their email. They don't want to look unprepared by re-reading your resume in front of you, so their intent is to ask you a basic question that reminds them about your credentials and experience.

So give 'em what they want! You know that there is a high probability that this question will be asked, so there is no excuse for not having an appropriate answer prepared. Before the interview, scrutinize the job description and your experience. What experiences have you had that are most relevant to the position you are applying for? It's OK to even reuse the material on your cover letter as a springboard for the discussion (though don't be obnoxious by impatiently saying "as I stated on my cover letter," be respectful of the interviewer's heavy workload and memory). At this time in the interview, you don't need to go into your experiences in-depth, but think of your answer to this question as the trailer to a feature film about your career.

Your intent is to remind the interviewer about your experiences that brought you to be qualified for the job you are applying for. Give them the highlights with enough detail that ideally the interviewer will be able to ask several follow-up questions about what you have discussed so far. You probably want to talk for no longer than three minutes. The intent is to turn the interview into a conversation instead of an interrogation, and the easiest way to have a conversation with someone is to give them information that they are interested in hearing more about.

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Tell Me About Yourself - 7 Key Strategies to Sell Yourself in an Interview and Land That Job!

So you have landed an interview for a job and want to sell yourself well. When attending an interview be aware of these 7 key strategies so as to deliver a great interview and land that job. Preparing for an interview can be hard, however it is advisable that you put in the time and effort if you want to stand out.

1: Do not digress from the question asked. Keep it brief and relevant
When asked a 'Tell me about yourself' question, the tendency is to oversell ourselves however be aware of not talking too long or digressing from the question. What the employer wants to know is how useful and suitable are you for the role not the ins and outs of your daily life or personal history from way back, so keep your answer 'short and sweet' or else the interviewee will lose interest and become bored.

2: Good eye contact
If faced with one interviewer or a panel remember to give eye contact to all members it demonstrates confidence and creates a good impression.

3: Over gesticulation
During an interview gesticulation is sometimes needed but be aware of not using it to cover up nerves or over emphasizing a point. It can be annoying to the interviewer when an interviewee is constantly over gesticulating.

4: Prepare for the interview
What do I mean by 'Prepare for the interview?' Re-read the job description and specification and ask yourself what sort of person is required for this role. If it is a customer facing role sell all the skills you have which show that you are a people person, that you can build a rapport with customers, and that the customer is valued and important. This requires you to read in between the lines of the job description and have your answer tailored to it.

5: Show keenness and motivation
When asking interview questions show keenness to learn new skills and where you may be inexperienced in a particular area demonstrate how your transferable skills fit in with the role. Demonstrate that you are willing to learn, can adapt quickly and complete what's asked of you. Do not forget, you will be one in a number of people being interviewed for that role so show spark.

6: Self belief, all round skills and experience
Self belief is so important as well as all round skills. What do I mean by this? An individual who has a Degree may not be hired over a person who has none. This is because experience is sometimes placed higher than qualifications as employers want someone who can demonstrate a 'Can do' practical attitude. So when asked 'Tell me about yourself' sell your experiences whether paid or unpaid, as well as relevant work experiences carried out at home/personal life.

7: Reach out
So you have applied for a job and were fortunate to have secured an interview. Great! Now you are concerned about your lack of relevant experience of that role and believe you won't get it. Yes, it is annoying to get selected for an interview then later find out that your transferable skills will not work for that particular interview so what you should do is to speak to someone working in that firm who can tell you not only about the role you're going for but can answer the questions that are on the personal specification. Their time may be limited however, so let them know you appreciate their time and help. Also, read up about the firm for which you have applied for and make sure you get an all round grasp of what the role entails on a day to day basis. Yes, it is a lot of research but it'll pay off.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Top HR Interview Question - "Tell Me About Yourself" Answered

Do you know why this question is asked so often in most job interviews? This question is actually an ice-breaker. Asking this question starts the conversion. So you should better be ready with an answer. This question gives the interviewer a chance to know about the interviewee. Once you start talking about yourself, interviewer starts preparing his/her next question. So there are high chances that the next question that would be fired on you will be based on the answer of this question. As the answer for this will be based on you, you think and prepare it before the interview.

While preparing for the answer consider including following points.

1. You:

Tell them your name and which place you are from. Suppose you are "Mike Creamer", then do not start with "Myself Mike Creamer"; start with "I am Mike Creamer". This is a very common mistake. Not acceptable in interviews especially in call center jobs.

You may talk about your family (cover up in short); you may talk about your how you came to the city, etc.

2. Your education:

Tell them about your education i.e. graduation/post-graduation. If you are a fresher then tell them the grades you got. If you have done something different than others then tell them. It surely adds a value!

3. Your experience:

Talk about your whole experience. Start from early years and gradually come to recent years. If you have a long experience then you must not be doing same thing all years. Then exactly what you were doing? This is what your interviewer wants to listen. If you are a fresher then talk about your projects.

4. Your experience regarding to the post you has applied for:

This is of most interest to your interviewer. You may be having lot of experience but how much experience you have regarding current job post is very important. If you do not have it then you can talk about some related experience. Or if you do not have related experience too then say it clearly. Buy along with it give them confidence that you can do it and you have genuine interest to do it.

Fresh candidates who do not have any kind of experience, you should show some positive attitude and exhibit willingness to learn and do new things. Be ready to do new things. Don't worry that you will make mistakes. Fresher candidates are expected to do mistakes and your employers are well aware of it so you don't have any reason to be afraid. Believe me no one will give you more work than you can handle.

5. Do not describe your salary or pay scale at this point of time (unless explicitly asked).

6. Avoid giving unnecessary details. Value your interviewer's time.

7. The idle answer should not last more than 1 minute.

Good luck.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Interview Tips: Tell Me About Yourself v2.- the GOOD answer