Tell me about yourself is one of the most frequently asked interview questions. Your response to this question will set the tone for the rest of the interview. This question can be paralyzing, leaving you to wonder what does the interviewer wants to know. Do they want to know my work skills, what I did in my previous jobs? How you named your child? None of the above.
When an interviewer says, “Tell me about yourself,” he or she wants to know how your experience is pertinent to the job you are interviewing for.
John dreaded this question. When it was the one question asked in his interview. He fumbled his way through a vague answer, not focusing on what he could bring to the job.
Here’s how he answered, “My wife was transferred here two months ago. In the first few weeks, we took a tour around the city. We are trying to settle down here, and I am ready to go back to work. I have worked in a variety of jobs, especially as a Business Analyst. I am looking for a company that offers growth opportunities.
After that, the interview went downhill. He started with his personal information and gave the interviewer reason to doubt whether she was an employee who would stay for long.
- His wife’s work is not steady, that means he has to leave; he did it once, and he may do it again.
- Has some work experience but did not emphasize what he did as a Business Analyst
- He is looking to grow. What about the job? Will he stay content for long?
When you are asked, “tell me about yourself” question, try to come down to these three things — Focus, script, and practice. You cannot afford to wing this question.
Focus
Define what you do as it relates to the job, think about past experiences that are relevant to the situation, and try to quantify them. Then list a couple of strengths and skills you have that are pertinent to this job. All of this adds up to the message you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave.
John is keen on communication and connecting with people. He has substantial proven success in being a Business Analyst. His real strength is being confident in his job, and he loves what he does.
Script
When you are practicing for “Tell me about yourself” question, write out a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking about your experience and success in your job.
“I have been a Business Analyst for the past six years. When I use to work at amazon.com, I was responsible for interacting with internal and external clients to extract business wants and business needs. Transform all gathered information into user stories, where I proved myself as a good communicator. In my last job, I formed some significant relationships between stakeholders and the technical team, which helps me be a good Business Analyst”.
Mention your Skills and Abilities
“One of my major strengths is to perform gap or impact analysis. Gap analysis helps me identify current and future aspects of the project to ensure we are not missing any critical requirements from the scope of the project.”
Conclude your script with the current situation
“What I am looking for now is a company that values successes, where I can join a strong team to bring success to the company.
Practice makes everything perfect.
Practice with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasize in your statement. Don’t memorize your script; you don’t want to sound like you are reading something. Your script is to help you stay on track. You want to sound natural and confident while answering, “tell me about yourself” question. The more you talk about “YOU,” the better chance you will have at selling it.
After all, job interviews are nerve-racking every single time. The secret to being prepared during an interview is to crafting answers in advance. The more prepared you feel, the better you will do in an interview.
Staffigo Technical Services, LLC is an IT Consulting & Staffing firm specializing in IT Consulting & IT Staffing Services, if you have any questions write to us at info@staffigo.com or reach us through call 7737706037 or 7737706307