HOW TO ANSWER TO “DESCRIBE YOURSELF” IN A JOB INTERVIEW

You must know how to answer to “describe yourself” in a Job Interview or “tell me about your private life.” It is so common that it is often neglected during our interview preparation. However, it is arguably the most important question of the talk, as it sets the tone for the rest of the interview.

How you answer any of these questions will determine the success of the interview and ultimately whether or not you will get the job. Don’t worry too much: the interviewer is on your side and wants to be hired (they want more than anything that you can fill that position, to stop spending hours reviewing resumes and doing interviews).

If you can successfully answer “describe yourself” in a Job interview or “tell me about your private life,” your chances of landing the job are tenfold. Answer wrong, and you will have lost the opportunity and / or possibly make them doubt that you are the person they are looking for.

When answering this question, there are two rules that you should consider:

DO NOT tell the story of your life.

ONLY shares relevant information.

The first rule is pretty easy to follow. When the interviewee is unprepared, he often resorts to telling his life story. The interviewer does not want or need to know what has happened to you since childhood, nor does he / she want to know the names of their pets or their preferred film genres.

The interviewer wants to know about the second rule, but this raises another question: “What is considered pertinent information to share, and how much should I say?”

To effectively respond to “describe yourself” or “tell me about your private life,” your answer must be divided into five categories.

• Recent career achievements
• Academic achievements
• Skills applicable to the position
• Professional objectives or goals
• Reasons for interest in the company.

Unless necessary, try not to spend more than 30 seconds per category. That gives you a solid 2 minute 30 second presentation to get you off on the right foot. Try not to take less than two minutes, or more than 3 minutes.

If you do it right, your way will be paved. Let’s look at each section individually, and in turn what is important in each one, and what common mistakes to avoid

1. RECENT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: “describe yourself” in a Job Interview

What NOT to do:

• recite your resume
• go around your experience
• mention achievements that are not directly related to the position

Doubting during the answer to “describe yourself” in a job interview tells the interviewer that you are not prepared and cannot handle yourself well in an unstructured situation. A long-winded response will also reveal your lack of trust towards an employer and can substantially lower your chances of landing the job.

You must do:

• be clear about 3-5 professional achievements before the interview
• mention achievements that are related to the position to which you are applying
• practice, practice, practice …

The best way to sound confident and confident in a job interview is to practice your responses in front of a mirror. Plan your responses and carefully choose the key points you want to discuss in each category. This means that you should plan your responses word for word. Instead, write down a list of accomplishments and practice until you can improvise on each one naturally.

2. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

What NOT to do:

• delving too deeply if you are already an experienced professional
• ramble about your thesis
• recite the list of courses you attended

If you already have extensive professional experience, don’t worry about shortening your educational achievements. The interviewer doesn’t want to hear every course you took in college. Employers want to know more about your course projects and the insights you gained from them.

You must do:

• explain how the skills and knowledge you have acquired can be used to satisfy the requirements of the position
• only refer to extracurricular activities in which you have acquired leadership skills
• expand on large projects you have worked on

Bringing up your leadership roles within your extracurricular activities is a great way to relax for a moment by talking about your hobbies and personal interests. Although you should not openly expose your hobbies, you can use (carefully) some references to your private life that can individualize you, make you more memorable, and even make the interviewer ask you more personal questions, making the interview more informal and less stressful.

3. SKILLS APPLICABLE TO THE POSITION

What NOT to do:

• list any skills you may have (riding a bike, unless you apply for a delivery man, not relevant)
• talk about skills that are not related to the position
• lie about your abilities
• Many people have a habit of lying about their abilities or exaggerating them during a job interview when they ask you to “describe yourself.” This is a big mistake. The employer is going to find out that you lied, and nothing good will come of it.

You must do:

• prepare 2 to 4 relevant skills
• discuss or expose only those that do tasks related to the position
• explain how you acquired those skills

It’s a good idea to mention how you obtained your skills rather than listing them. This will allow the interviewer to get an idea of ​​how they were used in the past.

4. PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: “describe yourself” in a Job Interview

What NOT to do:

• discuss personal goals (buy a house of your own, have children, etc)
• give the impression of having no career goals
• mention goals that you will not be able to achieve with the company

Make sure to keep the discussion within your career goals and not your personal life goals. If you don’t have clear goals, you can give the impression that you are not a goal-oriented person.

You must do:

• mention goals the company can help you achieve
• talk about goals that show that you are a forward thinking person
• show that you want to build a stable career

Employers look for candidates who are interested in a stable, long-term career. If your goals lack clear direction, it will reflect that you may not want to stay long with the company.

5. REASONS FOR THE INTEREST IN THE COMPANY

What NOT to do:

• talk only about remuneration
• say you just want a job
• mention that you want to work in the company for the convenience (geographical proximity)

Be VERY CAREFUL of the words you use in this part. If you only show interest in the pay or the convenience of transportation, it may lead to the belief that you are not really dedicating yourself to helping the success of the company.

You must do:

• explain how the company can help you achieve your goals
• express interest and admiration for the healthy work environment
• express that you can see yourself in the company in the long term

Employers look for candidates who are interested in a stable, long-term career. If your goals lack clear direction, it will reflect that you may not want to stay long with the company.

If you follow these tips. Answering the much-talked about question “describe yourself” or “tell me about your private life” will be a matter of minutes, with poise and simplicity. A confident answer will impress the interviewer and ensure a smooth interview.

Successes! Check this Article for more important information in Job Interviews.

Renzo montuori