| |
| |
|
Careers & Employment Information |
|
|
|
So, Why Dont You Tell Me About Yourself?
"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" is the most frequently asked interview question. It's a question that most interviewees expect and the one they have the most difficulty answering. Though one could answer this open-ended question in a myriad of ways, the key to answering this question or any other interview question is to offer a response that supports your career objective. This means that you shouldn't respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers aren't interested. Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals. If answered with care, your response to the question, "So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" could compliment the interviewers needs as well as support your agenda. This is a question you should be prepared to answer as opposed to attempting to "wing it". Follow the four easy steps outlined below to ensure your response will grab the interviewers attention. 1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position. Sample introduction: During my 10 years' of experience as a sales manager, I have mastered the ability to coach, train, and motivate sales teams into reaching corporate goals. 2. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don't go back more than 10 years. Sample career summary: Most recently, at The Widget Corporation, I was challenged with turning around a stagnant territory that ranked last in sales in the Northeastern region. Using strategies that have worked in the past, I developed an aggressive sales campaign that focused on cultivating new accounts and nurturing the existing client base. The results were tremendous. Within six months my sales team and I were able to revitalize the territory and boost sales by 65%. 3. Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Don't assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill. Sample tie-in: Because of my proven experience in leading sales teams, Craig Brown suggested I contact you regarding your need for a sales manager. Craig filled me in on the challenges your sales department is facing. 4. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don't ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform. Sample question: What strategies are currently underway to increase sales and morale within the sales department? There you have it - a response that meets the needs of the interviewer AND supports your agenda. When broken down into manageable pieces, the question, "So, tell me about yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it! About The Author Linda Matias is an Internationally Certified Job and Career Transition Coach and a Certified Employment Interview Professional. She specializes in career coaching, resume development, interview and job search training. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at careerstrides@bigfoot.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
For Effective Decisions, Look Beyond Career Stereotypes You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex. But when you make a career or business decision, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?"Insurance sales reps must be gregarious. Cracking the Connection Code: Networking for the Introverted We've all heard it before: "Just get out there and network!" If it was that easy, we would already be doing it. So why is it so hard? Well, you're an introvert, aren't you? Enough said. Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as much as the trends actually favor it, just contemplating a shift is a glittering invitation to four emotional stalkers who love nothing better than to play a nasty game of team-tag at your personal expense. When you unmask these bandits -- even a little -- they begin to lose their emotional charge - leaving you free to more fully explore the opportunities to re-invent yourself. Your Job Search -- a Marketing Campaign? The successful job search is really just a personal marketing campaign. And the same techniques used in infomercials and junk mail can help you get hired, too. Resume Objectives ... The Hidden Pitfalls Why Use Resume ObjectivesBefore we can discuss the pitfalls you first need to understand the reasons for including your resume objectives and how they relate to your resume and interview selection process.Including an objectives section at the beginning of your resume provides a brief introduction to the purpose of the resume, highlighting your career objectives and the type of job you are seeking. So You Want A Promotion - What Do You Need To Do To Get the Champagne Corks Popping? The champagne corks have been popping to celebrate your promotion. You have a well paid job you love - its really interesting. Working Abroad - Employment Advice In Spain Jobs and employment on the Costa BlancaThe Council of Europe regulations forced Spain to end all restrictions on the free circulation of European Union workers as of January 1st, 1992 - which means that all EU citizens can work in Spain under the same conditions as Spaniards complete with employment contracts and employers contributions into the Spanish Social Security system on your behalf, giving both yourself and your dependants, access to the Spanish National Health Service. These rights extend even to family members who are non EU nationals. Career Strategy When Your Boss is a Bully Q. Right after I accepted my new position, the manager who hired me quit. Before You Begin, Know What To Expect - How You Can Make a Living Proof Reading From Home Proof reading from home is an excellent way to make money, right? How hard and challenging can it be to do some editing after all?In fact it can be quite challenging to find a good quality proofreader that works from their house. This is due in part to the heavy demands it places on the individual and on their family. Dynamic Interviewing Practices The pre-hiring process can be a challenge. If you're reading this article, you are finished with the pre-hiring process and are looking for tips that will guide you through the interview. Are You Suited for Self-employment? A recent poll conducted by Yahoo! Small Business showed that nearly 3 out of 4 Americans have considered starting their own business. In fact, of more than 2,200 adults surveyed, over half (51 percent) said they would like to launch their small business within the next 5 years. Hello Work World, Im Un-Retiring For many years, you looked forward to that day when you would bid the world of work a fond farewell and ride off into the sunset of your golden years.Initially, it felt wonderful not to have to go somewhere each morning. What Did You Say? My table-mates introduced themselves as the reciprocal protocol began. We chatted about what we did, where we did it and what we thought of the conference. Career Planning for Gifted Adults "James is so restless and energetic. I wonder if he's hyperactive. Hiring Managers: Preventing "Fall-Off's" and Counter Offers "Bill, thanks so much for your assistance with this search. We're very happy that Robert has accepted the position. What Every Employee Should Know About How to Overcome Boredom Do you find yourself easily becoming bored or tired at work for no apparent reason? If that's the case, then pay close attention. Research has shown that fatigue and a worn-out feeling are often caused by unproductive mental attitudes. Resume Writing - Importance of a Professional Summary The Summary is the preview of your entire resume. This may be be the only part that an interviewer or employer might read for shortlisting your resume. Q & A How to Find a Great Search Firm Q & AQ: Are people sometimes cautious of 'headhunters'?A. Yes. Working as a Knowledge Worker in the Information Age The old adages: "It's not what you know, but who you know" and "High Tech, High Touch" could be the mottos of knowledge workers in the 21st Century.Never before in the history of the world has both networking and interpersonal communication been potentially easier, broader, more wide-spread and paradoxically, more difficult. Yesterdays Project Manager is Todays Project Engineer The rapid growth of technology, greater exposure to knowledge, higher levels of awareness are making the young project engineer act more and more like a project manager.What I mean is, todays project engineers are actively supervising new graduates, setting and monitoring schedules & budgets, interacting with clients and so on.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
