“So, tell me about yourself…” Whether at a networking event or in an interview, we’ve all been asked this question. At first, it’s not daunting. You know you better than anyone, right? You might think: “There’s no way I can mess this up! Ask me something tough, like what’s my favorite food. After all, I like pizza AND crab rangoon so much. How could I decide?”
[Kristi Zimmerman was an agency recruiter at COUNTRY Financial]
Sound familiar…or your stream of conscious doesn’t correlate to mine? Regardless, this question is deceivingly simple. Being unprepared for the “tell me about yourself” question can make for a bad first impression. So, how do you prepare? Here are a few dos and don’ts to consider.
DO NOT:
- Summarize your résumé . In an interview, you’re telling the employer what they already know (doh!). At a networking event, this approach is long and will put new acquaintances to sleep. Keep your response to 30 seconds!
- Include personal information. In a professional setting, your response should be strictly professional. It’s nice you have an adorable cat that acts ironically like a dog or a vast Star Wars collection. But unless the job requires it, don’t mention it.
DO:
- Prepare. It’s important to prepare for the expected questions first. This question is one of them. With a little rehearsing, you’ll make a great first impression at any interview or networking event.
- Identify your tag line. This is a one-sentence summary of you. It includes your professional interests / passions and career objectives.
- Identify your highlights. Make a list of skills and accomplishments that support your tag line or personal brand.
For example, if I wrote mine, it’d be something like this:
Tag Line: I’m an Internet marketing consultant who focuses on employment branding for talent acquisition and specifically interested in utilizing social networks for employee recruitment and retention.
Highlights: I’ve worked at COUNTRY Financial for over six years and have experience in project planning, recruitment and Internet advertising. Recently I’ve focused on employment branding for the attraction and retention of financial representatives who sell our insurance and financial products. I assess the qualities of candidates and find ways to draw them to a career opportunity, whether through social networking, pay-per-click advertising, SEO/SEM or various referral programs.
So there you have it – a crash course in flaunting your professional-self!
I am helping a candidate this week who struggles with interviewing. He’s also asked about this “elevator speech” approach and taking the conversation further at the first interview. We are reviewing “behavioral based” questions and preparing him with responses that he doesn’t have to struggle for when caught off guard, rather he is prepared in advance with a basic format and he can answer any question he receives during an interview. My number one suggestion if you feel you’ve done poorly at past interviews is to reach out to that hiring manager and ask him/her for feedback. You’d be amazed at how eager we all are to help you improve your skills at presenting yourself!