Tell me about yourself

Most interviews open with this innocuous sounding request, “Tell me about yourself.” We talk a lot about Pareto’s principle or the 80: 20 rule. It certainly applies to the interview openers. Eighty percent of all interviews open with this request. If you are smart and have prepared well you should welcome the opportunity as we understand by now an interview is all about the interviewer getting to know the interviewee. The trouble is that most candidates are unprepared to talk about themselves. Some begin to babble, quite incoherently at times about their ‘times and life', others go blank. Some even go on to talk about their personal life and problems they are facing as if they are not appearing for a job interview but are on a psycho analyst's couch. You have to learn to avoid falling in this trap. Don't get me wrong, the interviewer is not trying to trap you in any way. It is your lack of understanding of the question and what it implies that you get all tangled in a web of your own making. There is no need to narrate the story of your life and what your parents and siblings do and where you hail from.

Remember the purpose of the job interview? It is to find out whether the candidate is suitable for the job or not. Period. Your best answer for such a question can only be directed in that direction. You could start with the present and why you feel you are best suited for the job on offer. Once again remember the maxim ‘you can only sell what the buyer is buying’. This is the most important thing to be understood by the candidates. if you can truly understand this one little marketing principle you have understood the secret of job hunting. You would have understood the intrinsic psychology of acing every interview.

The good news is that it is not entirely about you when you are asked to talk about yourself. This may come as a surprise but it is true. It is first about knowing whether you understand what the job requirement is and then it is about whether you are the perfect match for it. It is about knowing what qualities the interviewer is looking for in you. It is about knowing what are the goals, targets and aspirations of the company. An effective response to this question will be different in different interviews. You need to do a thorough research on the Company, the industry in which it operates and profile of the job you will be interviewed for.

If you are satisfied with your information about the company and the job profile and are confident you know what strengths and qualities will be required to do the job you are on a strong wicket to talk about ‘you’. If in a rare case you feel you are still not sure about what the job requirements are; do yourself a favour and ask the interviewer, as early during the interview as possible, for more elaborate description of what the post entails. When you are asked to talk about yourself and you are still unsure about the the abilities required to perform in that position you might respond by asking something like, “I have quite a few accomplishments I could tell you about but it would be best if I could address directly to your needs. It will be great help if you tell me about the priorities of this position. if you feel the need follow it up with a couple of more questions so that you know exactly what the interviewers are looking for. Your second question could be, “Is there any thing else that you is essential for success in the position?”

There are a few things which emerge from what you have just read. First of all a job interview is not an interrogation session where the interviewer shoots questions an the interviewee either answers or ducks them. it is a conversation. The objective is to find out whether the candidate is suitable for the position on offer or not. The success of an interview is as much a responsibility of the interviewer as it is of the interviewee. If the interviewer fails to select the right candidate for the job it is his failure. Second of all there is no ban on the interviewee asking questions to clarify things and finding more about the requirements of the position. So get fear out of the way and practice asking these key questions. It will also showcase your confidence. Of course do not ask questions just for the sake of asking questions. Don't ask unnecessary and illegal questions either.

Once you know what are the main requirements of the job you can 'tell them about yourself'. Talk about your skills,strengths and abilities in the light of what you know the job requires for you to be successful in it. Talk about how you have performed strikingly similar tasks and undertaken similar duties with success. Do not forget to give actual examples from your SIP, your past job experience and academic life. Tell the interviewers about achievements and responsibilities which will present you as the most suitable candidate for the job based on the needs of the job. At no time should you lie about your talent and claim to have abilities you do not have. Be absolutely honest at all times.

When they ask you to tell them about yourself they are actually asking what do you know about the job on offer and what are the qualities you have which make you feel you can do it competently.

The Magic Wand

One final word before we go on to discuss specific questions and the reasons why they are asked in an interview. The other day in the class I asked how many of the students felt that I had a magic wand and I just had to wave it to turn them into the most sought after managers in the job market. While most students were not very amused by the question there were eight to ten of them surprisingly raised their hands and said, they did. The response was at once, scary and humbling. Though no teacher or a trainer has such a stick which she can wave to turn you into super managers that the industry will kill to acquire, you certainly have one. It is called decision. You can certainly take a decision to become someone that the industry is looking for by deciding two things. One you are willing to outwork every one else in the world and that you will be honest to the core. Bingo. As far as knowledge goes every one has to be a student all his life and make an everlasting commitment to learning. You have to tell yourself that you are good person but you have to become better. There always is scope for improvement. You have to be the best you can be. You were created unique and you have to be without equal. If you can prove to the interviewer that you have great work ethic and uncompromising integrity you will ace every interview you go to provided you have the skills required for the job. Apart from that it is a marketing thing. The secret to smart sell yourself is that you need to find out what the company wants in an employee and show them that you have in you what they are looking for. Can you match your abilities with the requirements of the job? If you can, the job is yours.
So part of the process of your search for a suitable job is to thoroughly research what the employer wants. You must spend some time finding out what the employer is looking for. If you are applying for a job in response to an interview read the advertisement closely and figure out the employer’s needs. Then go ahead and provide them what they need. If your college has a placement cell who has invited a company for recruiting candidates for certain position, talk to the people manning the cell and find out everything you can about the company and the industry it functions in. Discuss the profile of the job on offer with the people in the Placement Cell. Make a check list of all the abilities and skills the job requires. Check out if you have the qualities and qualifications the company wants you to have. If you do not have some of the skills required, make a commitment to acquire the skills needed. If there have been any articles about the company that appeared in the press in the recent past read up the articles and be aware of the direction the company is moving in.
Ask yourself also a few questions like do you have the temperament to do the job you are going to be interviewed for? Is their any likelihood that you will be willing to the job without rumination if such a situation were to arise at some time in the future? This is as tough a question to answer as it is important. The answer to the question will determine how much fun you are going to have doing the job and in your life. If you were to answer the question in the affirmative you have found a job which will never be a boring because you love doing it. The secret to happiness in life is either finding what you love doing and doing it for remuneration or without it; or begin to love what you are doing. At this stage in your life when you are checking things out it is not a bad idea to go ahead and try a few things and then figure out what you like doing and what you don’t. Take a few risks. There is no bigger tragedy in life than to be stuck all your life in a rut for a little bit of extra money. No one ever regrets having spent less time in the office or at the place of work because most people are in the wrong job. The time to think what job is good for you and what job you will absolutely love doing is now before you commit your self. For most people it is too late the moment they get their first job because they never have the opportunity or the guts to change direction later.