I worked as a recruiter for 7 years, helping medical professionals find careers in public and private healthcare institutions around the world. Employers expect recruiters to screen candidates and vet them prior to arranging interviews for them. In the tens of thousands of interviews that I have sent candidates to, the same questions appear time and again. Over the years, I was able to classify questions into more manageable concepts, which was very important for training overseas workers who may not have had much experience in intensive interviewing.
The Job Interview Question Series is a blog that I hope will help career-seekers understand the rationale behind some of the most difficult interview questions. The first question I will cover is usually the first one asked in an interview -- often times, you do not even know it is an official interview question because it seems so harmless.
"Tell me about yourself?"
Everyone reading this who has been on a job interview can recognize this question. Although it seems innocent -- and that the interviewer is just trying to start with some pleasantries or small talk -- it may be by far the most important question in the interview. How you answer and what you answer will tell the interviewer more than enough about you to make a decision on whether or not to hire you. Oftentimes, a hiring decision is made within the first few minutes of an interview, and it is no coincidence that this question is asked in those first few minutes.
How not to answer this question
I'll first start with how not to answer "Tell me about yourself?" I remember in one of my interviews early in my career that I spoke a bit about where I lived and why I loved Los Angeles. I remember telling my interviewer about some of my hobbies, and how large my family was. I used the question as a soapbox or mic to talk about the stuff that I liked.
These are not of great interest to the interviewer. Although these types of subjects -- hobbies, family, living arrangements -- might make you an interesting person, it doesn't speak much about the experience you bring to the position you are applying for.
The best answers
The best way to think of this question is to re-phrase it as "Tell me about what qualifies you for this position?" What the interviewer wants to hear is how your experience allows you to work competently in the role you applied for, and if you have no experience, what education and associations you have had that might help you.
If you have great experience, your best answer is to focus on your last position, and give some excellent achievements that you accomplished in that role. Describe any professional organizations that you are associated with in your craft. Name-drop names of companies, or names of major players who you have collaborated with.
If you do not have any experience, then indicate any volunteer work you have done. List any organizations you belong to or similar work experience. Find similarities between your experience and the type of job you are applying to: for example, if you have been a cashier and are applying to work as a bank teller, talk about your cashier work handling money and providing top-notch customer service. Mention any awards you might have won.
If you absolutely positively have no experience in anything (i.e. you are straight out of school), consider volunteering now to get some work experience. Anything is better than nothing, and it not only adds something to your resume, but also gives you something to talk about in an interview.
The Goldilocks Principle
I always advise people to keep answers brief. Think of the Goldilocks Principle: not too short and not too long, but just right. That means you do not want to give a couple words or a sentence, but a paragraph or two. Likewise, do not give the novel-length version.
Think of your resume to keep your answer brief. You can mention where you went to college, your role in your last position, awards you have won, and professional organizations you belong to. Remember the Goldilocks principle.
Practice your answer
Be sure to write your answer out for this question, and practice it so that you sound clear and professional. For all the questions they ask you, this is the one that you need the most confidence on. If you can't be confident in knowing who you are, how can they? Your resume and experience isn't so hard to forget -- nail down this answer so that you can let your personality shine through. Icing on the cake.
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