To perform exceptionally well in a job interview, the job candidate has to be prepared.
In the series on Answers to Common Interview Questions, here is a possible response to “Tell me about yourself.” This question is usually the ice-breaker that sets the tone for the interview. For today’s question, although the interviewer is asking you about yourself, she is expecting you to tie in your response to the job that you are interviewing for. She is not interested in where you grew up or any of your hobbies. It’s not really about you, it’s about the company’s needs. Provide a complete understanding of your background and your aspirations as they relate to the prospective position. So throughout your response to this common interview question, focus on your knowledge, skills, abilities and experiences that will be likely the most relevant.
The hiring manager has your resume, so in your response, incorporate some vignettes, and try to relax. Here is a possible answer to, “Tell me about yourself.”
“I am currently the social media manager where I manage over 100 accounts for the organization. My main goal was to attract a large segment of Millennials who would likely buy our products. As a Millennial myself, I understand what’s needed and my team and I were able to successfully develop and implement a social selling campaign. At the end of the campaign, we had 1 million Facebook likes and 2 million Twitter followers. Likes and followers are important, but we sold $10,000,000 worth of products to our target group. And while I enjoy what I do tremendously, your organization will allow me to dig deeper into social selling and expand into lead generation. This will allow me to grow my expertise.”
The answer works because it is giving a glimpse into the candidate’s background and her aspiration. Her response demonstrates how she is the answer to the organization’s problems in a very non-arrogant way. She is simply presenting the facts. Remember that the response offered to the common interview question, “Tell me about yourself” is only a guide, and therefore it is the job candidate’s responsibility to tweak the advice offered.
This article is contributed by Right Management, www.rightmanagement.sg, the global career experts within the ManpowerGroup.