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So, Why Don’t You Tell Me About Yourself?
by Linda Matias
“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 current
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 a
question. 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 supports your agenda AND meets the
needs of the interviewer.
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!
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Linda Matias is President of CareerStrides and The National Resume
Writers' Association. She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal,
New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR-esource.com. Visit her website at
www.careerstrides.com or email her at linda@careerstrides.com.
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