Why do hiring managers ask this question? Do they really want to get to know you better? Unless you are an acclaimed author or a Nobel Prize winner, the answer is “no.” What they want to is to get a feel for what you think is important relative to the job you are interviewing for. There are five essential elements to the answer: 1. Your personality: convey who you are professionally, let your personality shine and showcase your unique characteristics. 2. Your primary selling points for the position: highlight experience, education/special training and the technical skills. 3. Your interest in the role: why is this role the best next step for you? 4. Delivery: it’s not about the answer but rather the confidence, enthusiasm and passion with which you answer. 5. Pace: reasonable – not too fast as to seem rushed or rehearsed and not too slow. Rumbling with a lot of pauses might be interpreted as lacking confidence. Confidence is the magic word. And keep it short- 60-90 seconds at most. This is not easy to do gracefully on the fly. Practice makes perfect. Make sure it comes naturally (not sounding rehearsed.) Four exercises to help you articulate your authentic response: Exercise I: 5 Words – Use five words to describe yourself. Recommended: ask 5 people (boss/colleagues/friends/family) what words they would choose to describe you. Exercise II: What object are you? If you could represent yourself with a single object, what would that object be? Why? Exercise III: Find an inspirational quote you live your life by http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/28/inspirational-quotes/#52da84b46697 Exercise IV: 5 Questions – Answer each question briefly in one sentence. 1. Who are you? 2. What do you do? [love to do/qualified to do/offer] 3. Who do you do it for? 4. What do those people want/need? [1-3 words] 5. How do they change/transform as a result of what you give them? [your gift/s] Even if you are not preparing for a job interview, the above exercises will help you focus on what you have to offer in your chosen career. The more you can talk about yourself – your brand, your “product” - the better you will become at “selling” it. I invite you to record and share your “Tell Me about Yourself” answer with me via Google Drive, Dropbox, or your favorite collaboration platform. I will respond to everyone within 3 business days but can commit to providing detailed feedback only to the first 5 who contact me. More about interviewing skills in my next blog posts. Be sure to follow the savvy professional series for job search and interviewing tips and offers for free feedback and critique. Email me at info@choicefulpath.com.
