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I been getting mixed answers to this question. Some say you are only supposed to sell your "personality and character" and then some say you are supposed to talk about your strengths and linked them to the job you are applying for. I struggled with this question last month because no one never asked me this question on a job interview and it showed because the interview went downhill from the beginning.
So what type of response is best for "Tell me about yourself?
The way you handle this question totally depends on the context/circumstances of the situation at hand ; because you are sitting before an Interviewer for a Job, you will want to tell the Interviewer only the things about yourself which will show the Interviewer that you are a good prospect for the job as well as the Company. You certainly dont want to launch off into where you grew up , what baseball buddies you had when you were 10 years old, how you got an award for being the best Bowler in junior high school, or what you like to do socially on the weekends ...lol... You want to tell of your hard-working abilities , what you have achieved for your previous Employers, your tenacity to get a task done properly and fully, character traits you have which WILL make you successful in the job youre applying for, complete devotion to whatever work you have done in the past and share achievements, awards, and how you benefitted your last Employer , your enthusiasm toward challenges and how you are optimisic in reaching goals , and your ability to work well with Others on the same task at hand .
Learn as much as you possibly can about the Company youre interviewing with, what the job entails, etc...before you sit down with the Interviewer and custom-make the presentation of yourself look extremely appealing as the best Candidate for the position.
When i used to go on interviews , I did the following besides what i said above :
1. Drink a caffinated beverage about 15 minutes before the interview starts . This will give you an edge as far as being more alert and able to express yourself hopefully a little bit better than normal. It always helped me think a tad quicker .
2. Dress appropriately for the job interview. No need to wear a 3 piece Suit if youre looking for a warehouse laborer job.
3. Make sure your appearance reflects neatness , good grooming, and an ambitiousness. Dress for success.
4. Get it in your mind real well what YOU can do for the Company as far as productivity goes and express it confidently and somewhat boldly. This will score big points with the Interviewer because he will remember YOU for asserting such .
5. Make sure you havent forgotton anything when leaving the house. Bring letters of recommendation, list of awards, certificates, history of merit raises from past Employers, samples of your work if applicable, etc.... and anything that will give YOU the edge over your job Competitors.
6. Practing interviewing with a friend or family member a few times. Go online and get a tip list .
7. WHen youre before the Interviewer, pay attention to your body language -- look assertive, interested, keep a smile on your face but dont overdo it , talk with authority , be more on the bold side than passive , and if you see a good match between the job/company and yourself toward the end of the interview...then politely ask for the job assuring the Interviewer that YOU are the best possible person for the position. Do it smoothly and assertively so you leave a good impression when you leave.
8. Shake hands, and inquire as to when YOU can phone them to follow up on their decision .
9. WHen you get back home, send out a letter thanking them for the Interview and again, express your ambition to have the job.
10 . Ask God to open doors so you can secure this job and if you get it, find some ways to give him the glory for it. Youll get blessed in return .
Everything's easier when you're the controlling the situation, that's a fact.
I've had several interviews where the person was so inept or inexperienced, I led the interview. One got me the job.
One manager actually said to me that he didn't know what to do... he had fired a good person and kept the bad, nasty one, who he turned over new candidates to her to screen. I was his 11th interviewee. I asked him why 10 other people, no one was hired??, and he said she didn't like any of them. I told him she won't like anyone. She was very hostile and did not want to deal with this issue. He said he didn't know what to do and was stuck with her. I couldn't believe it, really bad situation. She was controlling him.
Most of the time, the interviewer has no clue what I do in my profession. They neither ask or can answer questions about it.
The way you handle this question totally depends on the context/circumstances of the situation at hand ; because you are sitting before an Interviewer for a Job, you will want to tell the Interviewer only the things about yourself which will show the Interviewer that you are a good prospect for the job as well as the Company. You certainly dont want to launch off into where you grew up , what baseball buddies you had when you were 10 years old, how you got an award for being the best Bowler in junior high school, or what you like to do socially on the weekends ...lol... You want to tell of your hard-working abilities , what you have achieved for your previous Employers, your tenacity to get a task done properly and fully, character traits you have which WILL make you successful in the job youre applying for, complete devotion to whatever work you have done in the past and share achievements, awards, and how you benefitted your last Employer , your enthusiasm toward challenges and how you are optimisic in reaching goals , and your ability to work well with Others on the same task at hand .
Learn as much as you possibly can about the Company youre interviewing with, what the job entails, etc...before you sit down with the Interviewer and custom-make the presentation of yourself look extremely appealing as the best Candidate for the position.
When i used to go on interviews , I did the following besides what i said above :
1. Drink a caffinated beverage about 15 minutes before the interview starts . This will give you an edge as far as being more alert and able to express yourself hopefully a little bit better than normal. It always helped me think a tad quicker .
2. Dress appropriately for the job interview. No need to wear a 3 piece Suit if youre looking for a warehouse laborer job.
3. Make sure your appearance reflects neatness , good grooming, and an ambitiousness. Dress for success.
4. Get it in your mind real well what YOU can do for the Company as far as productivity goes and express it confidently and somewhat boldly. This will score big points with the Interviewer because he will remember YOU for asserting such .
5. Make sure you havent forgotton anything when leaving the house. Bring letters of recommendation, list of awards, certificates, history of merit raises from past Employers, samples of your work if applicable, etc.... and anything that will give YOU the edge over your job Competitors.
6. Practing interviewing with a friend or family member a few times. Go online and get a tip list .
7. WHen youre before the Interviewer, pay attention to your body language -- look assertive, interested, keep a smile on your face but dont overdo it , talk with authority , be more on the bold side than passive , and if you see a good match between the job/company and yourself toward the end of the interview...then politely ask for the job assuring the Interviewer that YOU are the best possible person for the position. Do it smoothly and assertively so you leave a good impression when you leave.
8. Shake hands, and inquire as to when YOU can phone them to follow up on their decision .
9. WHen you get back home, send out a letter thanking them for the Interview and again, express your ambition to have the job.
10 . Ask God to open doors so you can secure this job and if you get it, find some ways to give him the glory for it. Youll get blessed in return .
I wish you all the best my Friend !
It's still hard to believe that all the interviews I had from 1999-2009, I was never asked....."tell me about yourself" I only been asked that in the dating world
It's still hard to believe that all the interviews I had from 1999-2009, I was never asked....."tell me about yourself" I only been asked that in the dating world
I guess you were lucky then, cause i was asked that question in almost every interview i went on for sales positions. I always thought the Interviewer did that to see how quick on my feet i was .. but i had always anticipated that being one of the first questions that was going to be asked so i was well prepared to answer it. After a few interviews, it came off as a well rehearsed spiel to where i didnt need to think that hard about it.
One surprise i DID get on an Interview by a Branch Manager for a sales position, was him tossing me a paper clip and telling me to sell it to him. Good thing i drank two caffinated Pepsi's before the interview because it increased my sharpness.
I guess you were lucky then, cause i was asked that question in almost every interview i went on for sales positions. I always thought the Interviewer did that to see how quick on my feet i was .. but i had always anticipated that being one of the first questions that was going to be asked so i was well prepared to answer it. After a few interviews, it came off as a well rehearsed spiel to where i didnt need to think that hard about it.
One surprise i DID get on an Interview by a Branch Manager for a sales position, was him tossing me a paper clip and telling me to sell it to him. Good thing i drank two caffinated Pepsi's before the interview because it increased my sharpness.
Another question I got hit with that I never was asked before was...."what was the least thing you liked about your last job?
I know how to answer it now but 4 months ago i was like...HUH??
Another question I got hit with that I never was asked before was...."what was the least thing you liked about your last job?
I know how to answer it now but 4 months ago i was like...HUH??
I think i was asked this about twice during my interviews . It has to be answered with finesse because you dont want to bad-mouth your former Employer otherwise the Interviewer might think your a trouble making kind of guy who loves to spread dissent , plus, the Interviewer MAY tell your former Employer when he calls to get a reference on you. So, what i typically did to play it safe was Id respond with : 'It never seemed cool enough in the Office....I swear they had air conditioning problems which no one could properly address' (then do a little laugh...) or 'I had hoped for better promotion opportunities in light of the my performance which accounted for a ____ % increase in gross profit for each year I worked there' or ' The real long drive to and from the Office simply wore me out after 10 years of doing it ' .
Interviewing has become so menial its ridiculous. Honestly, if that question comes about, you're probably not getting the job like folks have said.
Firing back with "well didn't you read my resume?" might actually be your best bet because they can see you're on your toes and actually get the interviewer interested when they clearly werent to begin with.
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