2008 Woodie Awards
Tell Me About Yourself
Marian Cacciatore
Issue date: 11/13/06 Section: Holt News
This week Marian gives a sure-fire approach to the question: "Tell me about yourself."
Dear Marian,
Recently I went on an interview and drew a complete blank when I was asked the question "Tell me about yourself". How can I be better prepared to answer this question next time?
ANSWER:
First it is important to understand why a potential employer would ask the question. Your answer is one way for the interviewer to gauge your basic communication skills and how prepared you are for the interview.
Are you familiar with the benefits of an "elevator pitch"? Sucessful sales executives know the importance of having a brief 60-90 second product pitch ready. During the interview process, it is appropriate to present an "elevator pitch" that highlights your related knowledge, skills and experiences.
The employer does NOT want to you to answer with personal information including your family, your hobbies, where you were born or other unrelated data. So, before proceeding, you need a clear understanding of the job requirements.
Once you understand the requirements of the job, there are 4 basic steps to help you be prepared for this question.
STEP 1 CREATE AN INTRODUCTION
Provide a brief introduction with a high level overview of your key attributes.
Sample: "During my 10 years of experience as a human resource trainer I have demonstrated the ability to develop and facilitate training that helped the front line staff achieve specific sales goals. "
STEP 2 SUMMARIZE MOST RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS
In this step the goal is to drill down a little more and provide a summary of your most related work accomplishments.
Sample: "Most recently, at Company XYZ, we were in the midst of rolling out two new products when we experienced tremendous turnover within the front line staff. Because of the turnover, I was challenged to develop a sales curriculum that would educate a new sales force within a very aggressive timeline. To achieve this, I adapted our training to include a blend of both classroom and online learning. The results were tremendous. Within one month all the reps had completed training and within six months 90% of the reps had achieved their sales goals."
Dear Marian,
Recently I went on an interview and drew a complete blank when I was asked the question "Tell me about yourself". How can I be better prepared to answer this question next time?
ANSWER:
First it is important to understand why a potential employer would ask the question. Your answer is one way for the interviewer to gauge your basic communication skills and how prepared you are for the interview.
Are you familiar with the benefits of an "elevator pitch"? Sucessful sales executives know the importance of having a brief 60-90 second product pitch ready. During the interview process, it is appropriate to present an "elevator pitch" that highlights your related knowledge, skills and experiences.
The employer does NOT want to you to answer with personal information including your family, your hobbies, where you were born or other unrelated data. So, before proceeding, you need a clear understanding of the job requirements.
Once you understand the requirements of the job, there are 4 basic steps to help you be prepared for this question.
STEP 1 CREATE AN INTRODUCTION
Provide a brief introduction with a high level overview of your key attributes.
Sample: "During my 10 years of experience as a human resource trainer I have demonstrated the ability to develop and facilitate training that helped the front line staff achieve specific sales goals. "
STEP 2 SUMMARIZE MOST RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS
In this step the goal is to drill down a little more and provide a summary of your most related work accomplishments.
Sample: "Most recently, at Company XYZ, we were in the midst of rolling out two new products when we experienced tremendous turnover within the front line staff. Because of the turnover, I was challenged to develop a sales curriculum that would educate a new sales force within a very aggressive timeline. To achieve this, I adapted our training to include a blend of both classroom and online learning. The results were tremendous. Within one month all the reps had completed training and within six months 90% of the reps had achieved their sales goals."
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