tell me about yourself - christian career solutions
TRANSCRIPT
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF
PREVIOUS RELEVANT JOB SKILLS:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT JOB SKILLS:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT JOB SKILLS:
MY TARGET JOB:
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF – WAYS TO ANSWER THIS INTERVIEW QUESTION
This ice-breaking yet important question has a way of making candidates blurt out their life
stories. But is that what potential employers want to hear?
Carole Martin, Monster contributor https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/interview-tell-me-about-yourself
It's one of the most frequently asked interview questions: Tell me about yourself. Your response to this request will set the tone for the rest of the interview. For some, this is the most challenging question to answer, as they wonder what the interviewer really wants to know and what information they should include.
When an interviewer says, "Tell me about yourself," the interviewer wants information that is pertinent to the job you're interviewing for.
Eleanor dreaded this question. When it was the first one asked at her interview, she fumbled her way through a vague answer, not focusing on what she could bring to the job.
"I'm happily married and originally from Denver," she began. "My husband was transferred here three months ago, and I've been getting us settled in our new home. I'm now ready to go back to work. I've worked in a variety of jobs, usually customer service-related. I'm looking for a company that offers growth opportunities."
The interview went downhill after that. She had started with personal information and gave the interviewer reason to doubt whether she was an employee who would stay for very long.
She's married, and when her husband gets transferred that means she has to leave; she did it once and can do it again.
She has some work experience with customers but didn't emphasize what she did. She is looking to grow. What about the job she is applying for? Will she stay content
for long?
The secret to responding to this free-form request successfully is to focus, script and practice. You cannot afford to wing this answer, as it will affect the rest of the interview. Begin to think about what you want the interviewer to know about you.
Focus
List five strengths you have that are pertinent to this job (experiences, traits, skills, etc.). What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave?
Eleanor is strong in communications and connecting with people. She has a strong background and proven success with customer relationships. Her real strength is her follow-through. She prides herself on her reputation for meeting deadlines.
Follow your script
Prepare a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking about past experiences and proven success:
"I have been in the customer service industry for the past five years. My most recent experience has been handling incoming calls in the high tech industry. One reason I particularly enjoy this business, and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. In my last job, I formed some significant customer relationships resulting in a 30 percent increase in sales in a matter of months."
Next, mention your strengths and abilities:
"My real strength is my attention to detail. I pride myself on my reputation for following through and meeting deadlines. When I commit to doing something, I make sure it gets done, and on time."
Conclude with a statement about your current situation:
"What I am looking for now is a company that values customer relations, where I can join a strong team and have a positive impact on customer retention and sales."
Practice
Practice with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasize in your statement. Your script should help you stay on track, but you shouldn't memorize it—you don't want to sound stiff and rehearsed. It should sound natural and conversational.
Even if you are not asked this type of question to begin the interview, this preparation will help you focus on what you have to offer. You will also find that you can use the information in this exercise to assist you in answering other questions. The more you can talk about your product—you—the better chance you will have at selling it.
INTERVIEW CHAMP
7 STEPS TO SUCCESS 1. Have a Powerful Beginning with “Tell me about yourself”
2. Write out interview questions and PAR (Problem | Action | Result) stories: Strong Middle
3. Reduce written answers and PAR stories to bullet-points
4. Practice a lot, including in front of a mirror
5. Do mock interviews with family and friends
6. Record your top 5 questions with answers and watch. Keep your answers under 2 minutes. Review for tics. Repeat until you nail it.
•
•
•
•
•
7. Develop great questions to ask: Great Close
REMEMBER• Sound like a solution
• Connect your skills and experience to the job
• Ask great questions
• Have your key points and questions on the sheets in front of you
LEARN HOW TO HAVE A POWERFUL START, STRONG MIDDLE AND A GREAT CLOSE
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What do you know about our company?
3. Why would you like to work here?
4. Have family and friends do mock interviews with you
5. Tell me about your experience at your last job. What did you enjoy most? Least?
6. Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses. (Use your Values and Motivating Skills from the Card Sort Activity.)
7. What experience do you have managing or prioritizing [various responsibilities]?
8. Are you a leader or a follower?
9. Where do you see yourself in a year? In three years?
10. What do you believe is the most effective method of communication with employees of all levels?
Describe a time when you used this to good effect.
11. Depending on the position you are applying for you may be asked to tell about a time when you had
to stand alone, deal with a crisis at work or how you responded to criticism. Describe how you handled a
difficult situation at work:
12. What do you like to do in your spare time?
13. Can you tell us something about yourself not on your resume or application?
14. What mis-perception do people have about you?
15. Interviewers often ask, “What questions do you have for me?” Use the internet as a source to learn
what questions you should ask, i.e. what type of professional development is offered to employees or is
this position new or existing.
16. Think of other questions based on your knowledge of the company. Add those questions here:
17. Develop 5 questions specific to the job you are seeking.
P.A.R. = PROBLEM | ACTION | RESULTPERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
P.A.R. = PROBLEM | ACTION | RESULTPERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
P.A.R. = PROBLEM | ACTION | RESULTPERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
PERSONAL SUCCESS STORY:
Problem:
Action:
Results:
Behavioral Question Worksheet Using the “Experience + Learn = Grow” model for answering questions, write out your
answers to each of the following:
Tell me about your greatest accomplishment on the job.
Tell me about a difficult situation you encountered at work and how you
overcame it.
Give me three adjectives you would use to describe yourself and examples of
your work style to support them.
Give me three adjectives you would use to describe your weaknesses/areas for
improvement and the reasons why you feel you need to work on these.
If I was to ask a coworker about you, how would they describe you onthejob?
Tell me about a time where you were required to work with a difficult person (i.e.
client, coworker, manager, etc.). How did you handle the situation? What was
the outcome?
If you were given a task to complete in an unrealistic time frame, what would you
do?
If someone came to you with an enthusiastic, yet unrealistic request, how would
you handle it?
Why are you looking to leave your current position?
What do you want to get out of your next job?
Tell me about the best manager you ever had? Now tell me about the worst?
What are the three most valuable things you’ve learned while working in your
current position?
What was the biggest mistake you’ve made on a job? How did you handle the
failure?
What do you feel makes you successful in your current role? Give an example to
support your success.
What do you think makes a company good to work for? What do you like about
your current company? What could be better?
Do you prefer working alone or in teams? Give examples of how you have
worked successfully both alone and in a team? What do you attribute your
success to?
What are your own business philosophies what do you feel must be present in a
successful business?
What skills are you looking to develop in your next job? Why?
51 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD BE ASKING
By Hamid Mirzaei – The Daily Muse
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/51-interview-questions-you-should-asking-hamid-mirzaei
You probably already know that an interview isn't just a chance for a hiring manager to grill you
with interview questions —it's your opportunity to sniff out whether a job is the right fit for
you. Which means: It's important to go in with some questions. What do you want to know about
the position? The company? The department? The team?
The Job First, make sure you have a handle on exactly what the day-to-day responsibilities of the job will be—both now and in the future. 1. What does a typical day look like? 2. What are the most immediate projects that need to be addressed? 3. Can you show me examples of projects I'd be working on? 4. What are the skills and experiences you’re looking for in an ideal candidate? 5. What attributes does someone need to have in order to be really successful in this position? 6. What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire? 7. What are the biggest challenges that someone in this position would face? 8. What sort of budget would I be working with? 9. Is this a new role that has been created? 10. Do you expect the main responsibilities for this position to change in the next six months to a year?
Training and Professional Development Think of each new job not just as a job, but as the next step on your path to career success. Will this position help you get there? 11. How will I be trained? 12. What training programs are available to your employees? 13. Are there opportunities for advancement or professional development? 14. Would I be able to represent the company at industry conferences? 15. Where is the last person who held this job moving on to? 16. Where have successful employees previously in this position progressed to?
Your Performance Make sure you're setting yourself up for success by learning up front the goals of the position and how your work will be evaluated. 17. What are the most important things you’d like to see someone accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job? 18. What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months? 19. What is the performance review process like here? How often would I be formally reviewed? 20. What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
Interviewer Asking questions of the interviewer shows that you're interested in him or her as a person—and that's a great way to build rapport. 21. How long have you been with the company? 22. Has your role changed since you've been here? 23. What did you do before this? 24. Why did you come to this company? 25. What’s your favorite part about working here?
The Company Because you're not just working for one boss or one department, you're working for the company as a whole. 26. I've read about the company's founding, but can you tell me more about ___? 27. Where do you see this company in the next few years? 28. What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth? 29. What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals? 30. What gets you most excited about the company's future?
The Team The people you work with day in and day out can really make or break your work life. Ask some questions to uncover whether it's the right team for you. 31. Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with? 32. Who will I work with most closely? 33. Who will I report to directly? 34. Can you tell me about my direct reports? What are their strengths and the team's biggest challenges? 35. Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months? 36. Which other departments work most closely with this one? 37. What are the common career paths in this department?
The Culture Is the office buttoned-up conservative or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of place? Learn the subtle, but oh-so-important, aspects of company culture. 38. What is the company and team culture like? 39. How would you describe the work environment here—is the work typically collaborative or more independent? 40. Can you tell me about the last team event you did together? 41. Is there a formal mission statement or company values? (Note: Make sure this isn't Google-able!) 42. What's your favorite office tradition? 43. What do you and the team usually do for lunch? 44. Does anyone on the team hang out outside the office?
45. Do you ever do joint events with other companies or departments? 46. What's different about working here than anywhere else you've worked? 47. How has the company changed since you joined?
Next Steps Before you leave, make sure the interviewer has all of the information he or she needs and that you're clear on the next steps by asking these questions. 48. Is there anything that concerns you about my background being a fit for this role? 49. What are the next steps in the interview process? 50. Is there anything else I can provide you with that would be helpful? 51. Can I answer any final questions for you?
PICK 5-10 OF YOUR FAVORITES. PRINT THEM AND HAVE THEM WITH YOU!
HOW DID I DO
NOTES:
EXCELLENT GOOD AVERAGE FAIR POOR
Smile
Attitude
Energy
Confidence
Articulation
Body Language
Content
Overall
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1