The best way to describe yourself in an interview? 3Jackass

Some of these answers are headed in the right direction, but saying that you are a polyglot or a guitarist will not get you a job - or at least, the highly competitive job you want. An "Interviewing Strategies" course taught me everything I know about interviewing, and led me through many successful interviews. So here it is:


When an interviewer asks you "Tell me something about yourself", he is actually asking you "Tell me something about yourself that makes you a good fit for this company."

Remember, you'll be evaluated in terms of:
- Skill
- Likability
- Fit


 


"1. Why don’t you tell me about yourself?
This question, often the interview opener, has a crucial objective: to see how you handle yourself in unstructured situations. The recruiter wants to see how articulate you are, how confident you are, and generally what type of impression you would make on the people with whom you come into contact on the job. The recruiter also wants to learn about the trajectory of your career and to get a sense of what you think is important and what has caused you to perform well.

Most candidates find this question a difficult one to answer. However, the upside is that this question offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the interview on your strengths. Be prepared to deal with it.

There are many ways to respond to this question correctly and just one wrong way: by asking, “What do you want to know?” You need to develop a good answer to this question, practice it, and be able to deliver it with poise and confidence.

The right response is twofold: focus on what interests the interviewer, and highlight your most important accomplishments.

Focus on what interests the interviewer
Do not dwell on your personal history--that is not why you are there. Start with your most recent employment and explain why you are well qualified for the position. The key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. You want to be selling what the buyer is buying.

Highlight Important Accomplishments
Have a story ready that illustrates your best professional qualities. For example, if you tell an interviewer that people describe you as creative, provide a brief story that shows how you have been creative in achieving your goals. Stories are powerful and are what people remember most. A good interviewee will memorize a 60-second commercial that clearly demonstrates why he or she is the best person for the job."