Ken was sitting in the interview when asked the question, “Tell me about yourself.” He said, “I have been married for 10 years, I have 2 dogs and a cat. I have been with my current company for 10 years and I have done a good job for them. I like working and my hobbies are....”
THAT IS THE WRONG THING TO SAY!
They are testing you in many ways when they asked that question. They want to know how you fit into their company and the particular job that you are applying for. They are in search of finding out if you are confident in yourself, can you do the job and how you fit into the company.
Be excited about the question when asked, “Tell me about yourself.” By preparing ahead of time you can ace that question easily.
It isn’t easy for some people to talk about themselves and that is ok. Use the opportunity to focus on skills instead of just you.
Tell a 60 second story about yourself. Include why you are successful at what you do by giving examples of when you were successful. Tell your experience in story form quickly. Keep it simple but give enough information about yourself. Don’t tell about your kids, grandparents, husband/wife etc… Keep it all business using keywords on what the actual job is.
Here is an example. “I have 15 years experience as an executive recruiter. I was the #2 person in the company for the decade and won all of their pacesetter trips that they had. I also am a 3 million dollar producer which I am very proud of. I am a great leader. As a matter of fact, I just finished a project that was very successful leading a team of 10.”
Tell a story, keep it short, use keywords and prepare for this question. Specific examples, quantifiable results and comfort in delivering your story will enable you to separate yourself from the crowd and actually help you look forward to this question instead of nervously worrying about how to respond.
2010- Cindy Cannon – All rights reserved. ©
Reprint Permission Granted* - See details below
*Permission is granted to reprint this article provided that the bio on the side and contact information are included in the publication and a copy of the reprinted article or a link to it is emailed to [email protected]
THAT IS THE WRONG THING TO SAY!
They are testing you in many ways when they asked that question. They want to know how you fit into their company and the particular job that you are applying for. They are in search of finding out if you are confident in yourself, can you do the job and how you fit into the company.
Be excited about the question when asked, “Tell me about yourself.” By preparing ahead of time you can ace that question easily.
It isn’t easy for some people to talk about themselves and that is ok. Use the opportunity to focus on skills instead of just you.
Tell a 60 second story about yourself. Include why you are successful at what you do by giving examples of when you were successful. Tell your experience in story form quickly. Keep it simple but give enough information about yourself. Don’t tell about your kids, grandparents, husband/wife etc… Keep it all business using keywords on what the actual job is.
Here is an example. “I have 15 years experience as an executive recruiter. I was the #2 person in the company for the decade and won all of their pacesetter trips that they had. I also am a 3 million dollar producer which I am very proud of. I am a great leader. As a matter of fact, I just finished a project that was very successful leading a team of 10.”
Tell a story, keep it short, use keywords and prepare for this question. Specific examples, quantifiable results and comfort in delivering your story will enable you to separate yourself from the crowd and actually help you look forward to this question instead of nervously worrying about how to respond.
2010- Cindy Cannon – All rights reserved. ©
Reprint Permission Granted* - See details below
*Permission is granted to reprint this article provided that the bio on the side and contact information are included in the publication and a copy of the reprinted article or a link to it is emailed to [email protected]
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