Tell Me About Yourself - A Good Answer To This Interview Question

Summary

In this video, a CEO and hiring manager shares expert advice on acing the 'tell me about yourself' interview question. They emphasize that interviewers are seeking to understand the value you bring to the company. The video offers a 'Three S' formula: Success (highlighting your achievements), Strength (discussing your key skills), and Situation (explaining how you fit the role). It also stresses the importance of preparation and practice to ensure a confident delivery, and provides a script template to help job seekers master this crucial interview question.

Takeaways

• 😅 When asked 'tell me about yourself' in an interview, don't panic and remember it's not about sharing your life story.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The question 'tell me about yourself' is really about what value you can bring to the company, not your personal background.
• 💡 Keep your response focused on your professional skills and how they can solve problems or add value to the company.
• 🌟 Be authentic but present your best self, highlighting your strengths and how they align with the job requirements.
• 🗣️ Use the 'Three S' formula: Success, Strength, and Situation to structure your response effectively.
• 📈 Start with Success by mentioning your professional achievements that are relevant to the position.
• 💪 Follow with Strength by discussing your key skills and how they can benefit the company.
• 📍 End with Situation by explaining how your skills and experiences fit the role and contribute to the company's goals.
• ❓ Control the conversation by asking a question at the end of your response, showing your interest and engagement.
• 📝 Memorize and practice your response to ensure it comes across naturally and confidently during the interview.

Q & A

What is the common mistake people make when asked 'Tell me about yourself' in an interview?

People often mistake the question as an invitation to share their entire life story, including personal details irrelevant to the job, which can lead to a lack of focus on their professional value to the company.

Why is it crucial to make a good first impression during an interview?

A good first impression is critical because hiring managers often form their opinions within the first three minutes of the interview, and it's challenging to change that initial perception.

What does the hiring manager actually want to know when they ask 'Tell me about yourself'?

The hiring manager is interested in understanding the value the candidate can bring to the company, including the skills, experiences, and problem-solving abilities relevant to the job.

How should a candidate respond to the question 'Tell me about yourself' to make a positive impression?

A candidate should focus on their professional achievements, strengths, and how they align with the company's needs, rather than sharing personal anecdotes or irrelevant information.

What is the 'Three S' formula mentioned in the script for answering the question 'Tell me about yourself'?

The 'Three S' formula stands for Success, Strength, and Situation. It involves discussing past achievements (Success), key strengths (Strength), and how these apply to the position and company (Situation).

Why is it important for a candidate to be authentic but also strategic in their interview responses?

Being authentic helps build trust, while being strategic ensures that the candidate's responses are relevant and compelling to the hiring manager, showcasing their value to the company.

What is the significance of the acronym W-I-I-F-M in the context of the interview?

W-I-I-F-M stands for 'What's in it for me?' and is used to remind candidates to focus on how their skills and experiences can benefit the company, rather than just sharing information about themselves.

How can a candidate demonstrate their value without coming across as bragging during an interview?

A candidate can demonstrate value by providing concrete examples of their achievements and the impact they had, focusing on the results and the relevance to the job, rather than personal accolades.

Why is it recommended for candidates to memorize and rehearse their interview responses?

Memorizing and rehearsing responses helps candidates to deliver their points confidently and naturally, reducing the risk of nervousness or stumbling during the actual interview.

What is the purpose of asking a question at the end of the 'Tell me about yourself' response?

Asking a question at the end of the response allows the candidate to control the conversation, engage the hiring manager, and show initiative and interest in the role and company.

How can the advice from the script be applied to improve not just interview skills, but also general communication and persuasion?

The principles of understanding the audience's needs, being concise and relevant, and practicing responses can be applied to various communication scenarios to enhance persuasion and effectiveness.

Outlines

00:00

😅 Overcoming Interview Anxiety with the 'Tell Me About Yourself' Question

The paragraph discusses the common anxiety experienced during job interviews when asked to 'tell me about yourself.' It highlights how important the first few minutes of an interview are, as they often determine the hiring manager's impression. The speaker, a CEO and hiring manager, promises to share the best way to answer this question from their perspective. They emphasize that the question is not about one's entire life story but rather about the value the candidate can bring to the company. The speaker advises candidates to focus on their strengths and how they can solve problems for the company, rather than sharing irrelevant personal details.

05:01

📝 Crafting a Compelling 'Tell Me About Yourself' Response

This paragraph provides a formula for answering the 'tell me about yourself' question effectively. The speaker introduces the 'Three S' method: Success, Strength, and Situation. Success refers to the candidate's achievements and skills relevant to the job. Strength highlights the candidate's core competencies that benefit the company. Situation ties the candidate's background and strengths to the job opportunity. The speaker gives a detailed example for a social media manager position, demonstrating how to showcase one's success, strengths, and how they apply to the role. The paragraph concludes with advice on memorizing and rehearsing the response to come across naturally and confidently during the interview.

Keywords

💡Interview

An interview is a formal meeting, typically between a job applicant and a potential employer, where both parties assess each other's suitability for a position. In the video, the interview is the central scenario where the advice is being applied, with the speaker providing guidance on how to handle the common question 'tell me about yourself'.

💡First Impression

A first impression refers to the initial perception formed when meeting someone for the first time. The video emphasizes the importance of making a good first impression during an interview, as it often sets the tone for the rest of the interaction and can significantly influence the hiring decision.

💡Resume

A resume is a document that outlines a job applicant's education, experience, and skills. In the context of the video, the resume is mentioned as the precursor to the interview, highlighting the applicant's qualifications and leading to the opportunity to be interviewed.

💡Hiring Manager

A hiring manager is the individual responsible for overseeing the recruitment process and making hiring decisions. The video is directed at providing advice from the perspective of a hiring manager, indicating the type of responses that would be well-received during an interview.

💡Value Proposition

A value proposition is a statement that communicates the benefits and unique selling points of a product or service. In the video, the speaker advises job applicants to frame their 'tell me about yourself' response as a value proposition, focusing on the value they can bring to the company.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity refers to the quality of being genuine and true to oneself. The video encourages interviewees to be authentic, meaning they should present themselves honestly without exaggeration, while still highlighting their best qualities.

💡Self-Presentation

Self-presentation is the way individuals present themselves to others, particularly in terms of their image and communication. The video provides tips on how to effectively present oneself during an interview, emphasizing the importance of leading with strengths and successes.

💡Scripting

Scripting in this context refers to preparing and memorizing a response in advance. The video suggests that interviewees should script their answers to common interview questions to ensure they can deliver them confidently and naturally.

💡Success

Success, as used in the video, refers to past achievements and accomplishments that demonstrate an individual's capabilities. The speaker advises interviewees to highlight their successes to showcase their expertise and potential contributions to the company.

💡Strength

Strength, in the context of the video, refers to an individual's core competencies or areas of expertise. The speaker provides a framework for interviewees to articulate their strengths in a way that directly relates to the job they are applying for.

💡Situation

In the video, situation refers to the context or environment in which an individual's skills and experiences can be applied. The speaker suggests that interviewees should explain how their past successes and strengths can be leveraged in the new job situation.

💡Engagement

Engagement, as mentioned in the video, typically refers to the level of interest and participation from an audience or users, especially in the context of social media. The speaker uses it to illustrate the success of helping clients grow their social media presence.

Highlights

The importance of making a good first impression in an interview, as it is often decided within the first three minutes.

The best response to the question 'Tell me about yourself' from a CEO and hiring manager's perspective.

Interviewers are not looking for your entire life story but what value you can bring to the company.

Advice to be authentic but present your best self during the interview.

The concept of W-I-I-F-M (What's in it for them?) to focus on the company's benefits from your skills.

An example of a poor response that is self-centered and lacks focus on the company's needs.

The 'Three S' formula: Success, Strength, and Situation, to structure your response effectively.

How to showcase your success without bragging, demonstrating your skillset.

Emphasizing your strengths and how they align with the company's audience and needs.

Linking your background and strengths to the specific position and how you can add value.

The strategy of asking a question at the end of your response to control the conversation.

The necessity of memorizing and practicing your response to avoid panic and uncertainty during the interview.

Encouragement to subscribe for daily practical business knowledge and communication skills.

An invitation to a free master class on communication and the art of closing for income improvement.

Transcripts

- So tell me about yourself.

- I um....

- So, tell me about yourself.

- Well, I...I like...

- Hmm. So tell me about yourself.

- Can I call a friend?

- You submitted the resume and you waited

and you waited patiently and finally,

you got that phone call, and now you got the interview.

You're sitting across the table

and the hiring manager smiles and asks you the question...

Tell me about yourself.

And you panic. And you don't know what to do.

You don't know what to say. You start to stutter.

And halfway through the conversation you say to yourself,

"Ugh! I blew it! Why did I even say that?!"

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Usually that hiring manager makes up his or her mind

in the first three minutes during the interview.

Do you make a good impression?

So today I'm going to share with you

from a CEO perspective, from a hiring manager perspective,

from an employer perspective,

what is the best response to the question

"tell me about yourself."

You see, we have interviewed thousands and thousands

of potential applicants

and I cannot tell you how many times I see people

kind of struggle with this question

but however, there are incidents that we are

very impressed with the response.

This is not theory.

We have taken some of the best replies,

some of the best responses to this question.

I'm going to teach it to you, and by the end of this video

you're going to walk away with the exact formula

exactly what do you need to say and how to say it.

I'm also going to give you a little script, a little template,

so next time when you are asked this question

you know exactly what to say.

And now let me give you a couple keys first.

Key number one.

When the hiring manager is asking you the question

"tell me about yourself"

they are not actually asking about your whole life story.

They're not asking about your parents, your background,

and your dog's name, and what kind of cat do you have.

It is not about that.

So when people hear that question, they think,

"Oh, let me tell you my life story!"

and twenty minutes into it,

you have not talked about anything important.

So, what they're actually asking is

what are you bringing to the table.

So from now on, when you hear the question,

"tell me about yourself"

I want you to make the mental switch.

That equals what value could you bring to the company?

What problems can you solve for the company?

That's what they are asking.

And you shouldn't go on and on and on

about all your background and all of that.

No. Don't do that.

Key number two.

Be yourself, but be your best self.

See, one of the mistakes people make here is

they believe in the interview,

"well, I just want to be myself".

Yes, you want to be yourself,

but you want to be your best self.

You want to be authentic, you don't want to be fake.

But it doesn't mean that you just share everything.

This is the first time you just sitting across the table

from a hiring manager, it's like a date.

Right?

You're just getting to know each other.

This is like a coffee date.

So make sure that you present your best self.

Lead with your strong foot forward.

So when they are asking you the question,

everything you share, any statement that you make,

you always want to tie it back to what's in it for them.

W-I-I-F-M. What's in it for them?

So let me give you an example.

Let's say someone is hiring and you're applying

for a social media manager position.

And the hiring manager is asking you,

"well, so tell me about yourself."

A typical response, someone might say,

"well, you know, I um, I-I-I grew up with social media

and, um, I've used social media for a long long time

my whole life actually.

So I'm very familiar with it.

And just about three years ago, I thought to myself

well, maybe I could actually make a living doing this.

So I started playing around with it, and, um,

take on a couple clients here and there

and I've worked with a couple people,

uh, and then, now, you know,

I'm planning to get married and my fiancé told me,

you know, I should get a stable job.

So here I am, and, I'm looking for a company

that offers good growth potential,

good growth opportunity.

And this place is not too far from my home.

It's good, it's only a ten minute drive."

You see the problem?

Like this, all me me me me me me me me me me me.

It's all about that person,

what they need and all of that stuff.

Bad idea.

Now, how do you feel if you are the hiring manager

when you ask that question, comment below,

if that's the answer that you get.

So, instead of rambling on about that,

about my background and all this stuff, what I want, no.

If you turn it into a benefit, what's in it for them,

what's in it for the hiring manager.

What could you say?

I'm going to give you a simple formula.

Write this down.

Three S. Three S.

First, success.

Now here's a script that you could use.

"I have been blank".

Or, "my background is blank".

So, let me demonstrate.

Let's say it's the same position,

social media manager, that you're applying.

First, success. I have been.

I have been doing social media for the last three years

and I specialize in helping companies

and entrepreneurs growing their Facebook fan page.

And in the last three years alone I have helped

dozens of clients in over ten different industries.

And on average I've been able to help my clients

to really increase their engagement

and grow their fan page by three to five hundred percent

in less than six months.

And that's what I am passionate about.

In fact I have listed some of those clients

that I've worked with on the reference letter.

You see how that works?

You're talking about your success but without bragging.

It's more to demonstrate and showcase your skillset.

What are you good at?

That's that number one, success.

And then, step number two is strength.

And here's the script.

"My strength is" or "my real strength is"

fill in the blank.

My real strength is my ability to truly understand

what your audience wants.

I pride myself on my reputation

to creating engaging and compelling content

that I know your audience loves and wants to share.

That's the second step.

My strength is blank.

Third, situation.

Meaning, how does that apply

to the position that you're applying.

How do you apply your background, your strength

into the new company, the new opportunity.

Situation, "what I am looking for is".

"What I am looking for is", fill in the blank.

What I'm looking for is a company that I could add value to,

that I could produce a positive return on investment for.

Where I could join a strong team.

Is this what ABC company is looking for?

You see? At the end you ask a question.

Whoever asks a question controls the conversation.

So you want to ask a question.

And now the hiring manager will be like

"okay, yeah, I guess that's what I'm looking for",

or "no that's not what we're looking for".

And you got from there.

Just because you are in an interview

it doesn't mean that you don't need to sell.

The next question you might have is well,

Dan, does that mean that I have to

memorize a script of some sort?

And the answer is absolutely yes.

You don't want to go in unprepared.

In fact, you want to write it out, practice it,

rehearse it many many times.

So when you are in front of that potential hiring manager,

you are ready to go.

You need to memorize it and say it many many times

and repeat it many many times

so it comes across very very natural.

The last thing you want is to panic and stutter

and you don't know what to say.

You do not want to do that.

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