So, Why Don't You Tell Me About Yourself

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" is the mostfrequently asked interview question. It's a question thatmost interviewees expect and the one they have the mostdifficulty answering. Though one could answer this open-ended question in a myriad of ways, the key to answeringthis question or any other interview question is to offer aresponse that supports your career objective. This meansthat you shouldn't respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me,interviewers aren't interested.

Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle toeliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals.

If answered with care, your response to the question, "So,why don't you tell me about yourself?" could compliment theinterviewers needs as well as support your agenda. This is a question you should be prepared to answer as opposed toattempting to "wing it".

Follow the four easy steps outlined below to ensure yourresponse will grab the interviewers attention.

1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position.

Sample introduction: During my 10 years' of experience as asales manager, I have mastered the ability to coach, train,and motivate sales teams into reaching corporate goals.

2. Provide a career summary of your most recent workhistory. Your career summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don't go back more than 10 years.

Sample career summary: Most recently, at The WidgetCorporation, I was challenged with turning around a stagnantterritory that ranked last in sales in the Northeasternregion. Using strategies that have worked in the past, Ideveloped an aggressive sales campaign that focused oncultivating new accounts and nurturing the existing clientbase. The results were tremendous. Within six months mysales team and I were able to revitalize the territory andboost sales by 65%.

3. Tie your response to the needs of the hiringorganization. Don't assume that the interviewer will be ableto connect all the dots. It is your job as the intervieweeto make sure the interviewer understands how yourexperiences are transferable to the position they areseeking to fill.

Sample tie-in: Because of my proven experience in leadingsales teams, Craig Brown suggested I contact you regardingyour need for a sales manager. Craig filled me in on thechallenges your sales department is facing.

4. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question yougain control of the interview. Don't ask a question for thesake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage theinterviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate thestress you may feel to perform.

Sample question: What strategies are currently underway toincrease sales and morale within the sales department?

There you have it - a response that meets the needs of theinterviewer AND supports your agenda.

When broken down into manageable pieces, the question, "So,tell me about yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact,answering the question effectively gives you the opportunityto talk about your strengths, achievements, andqualifications for the position. So take this goldenopportunity and run with it!