How to answer one of the most tricky questions in a US interview

“Tell me about yourself” is one of the most frequently asked questions during a job interview. And your answer to it will set the tone for the rest of the conversation.

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But many applicants of work can put this question in a stupor, because they do not know what the interviewer wants to hear from them, writes Monster.

Here's a little secret: when the interviewer says, “Tell me about yourself,” he actually wants to know how your previous experience is suitable for the job you are applying for.

The successful answer to this question comes down to three things: focus, scenario and practice.

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Determine what you can do from what the main tasks of the position you are applying for are reduced to; think about three to five of your projects in the past that are relevant to the desired position; Try to determine your experience in terms of time, money or people.

Then list from three to five of your strengths that are suitable for this job (experience, character traits, skills, etc.). Try to say exactly what you would like to be remembered by your interviewer about you after you leave.

Scenario

Before the interview, list the script that includes the information you want to convey. Start by telling you about your past work experience and achieving success in a project.

“I have been working in customer service for the past five years. My most recent experience was handling inbound calls in the high tech industry. One of the reasons I particularly enjoy this business and the challenges that come with it is the opportunity to connect with people. In my last job, I formed effective relationships with clients that resulted in a 30% increase in sales within a few months,” is one example of what can be said.

Then pay attention to your strengths and abilities: “My real strength is attention to detail. I am proud of my reputation and the fact that I always keep deadlines. When I pledge to do something, I am always confident that this will be done efficiently and on time. ”

Conclude your answer by talking about your current situation and why you want the job: “What I'm looking for now is a company that values ​​customer relationships, where I can join a strong team and make a positive impact on loyalty levels customers and sales."

Practice

Practice saying your scripted response until you feel confident that it conveys the point you want to make. The script is the general backbone of your answer, but you don't have to memorize it—you don't want to sound like a newscaster or a robot. You need to appear natural.

Even if you are not asked to tell about yourself during the interview, preparing for an answer to this question will help you to highlight the achievements and skills that you can offer to your employer and tell about them. The information that you will prepare to answer this question can also be used to answer many other questions.

Prepare additional responses

No matter what industry you're in or what stage of your career you're at, interviews are always stressful. Controlling your fear and anxiety is much easier if you prepare your answers in advance. Therefore, it is worth thinking over a scenario for answering the most common interview questions in order to feel prepared and less nervous.

These questions include: “Why should we hire you?”; "Why do you want to leave your current job?" Finding the answer to them can put a person in a dead end, if he did not think out the answer algorithm in advance.

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