Tell Me About Yourself -- Interview Questions 101

Filed under: Interview Questions, Interview Tips

Posted Mar 13th 2010 6:30AM

By Christine Rochelle

Many times when you step into an interview, the person who is put in charge of speaking to you has yet to review your résumé and immediately fires back with the typical interview question, "tell me about yourself."

Many job seekers have faced this interview question before they could even get a chance to get settled and comfortable with the situation, largely due to the fact that the hiring manager hasn't yet reviewed their resume. This could be due to multiple reasons, from your resume not changing hands quickly enough to the hiring manager simply having a busy schedule. Whatever the reason may be, if a manager starts out the interview by asking a candidate to tell them about themselves, there are a few tips you can follow so that you don't break a sweat.

1. Stay Calm

Whether it's the beginning of the interview or a few minutes in, you don't want to sound rushed when telling the interviewer how amazing you were at your previous job and why you're a perfect fit for this one. Take a deep breath and deliver your response with ease and confidence.

2. Don't Dig Too Deep

When an employer is asking you to talk more about yourself, you should try to talk about your most recent job and why you succeeded there. A job seeker with a few experiences under their belt doesn't need to start their response with where they attended college. You want to keep the hiring manager interested, so sticking to your most recent position keeps things short and sweet.

3. Keep it Professional

The question "tell me about yourself" may sound like the interviewer is probing for personal information, but you should keep your answer professional. The fact that you love to go fly fishing and can spend all night playing video games doesn't need to be mentioned during this time, especially if the hiring manager has yet to glance at your CV.

4. Spotlight your Skills

Instead of listing off the responsibilities you held at your last gig, focus on the skills you acquired. Not only can you spotlight the skills that would help you succeed at the new position, but you won't risk losing the hiring manager's focus with any job-specific jargon.

5. Bring it Back

Whenever talking about a past job, always end with a reason why that experience would be a piece to your success at the company you're interviewing at. A great way to answer an interview question like "tell me about yourself" is to talk about your skills and then bring it back to why this is another reason why you're qualified for the position.

• http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/03/13/tell-me-about-yourself/

What's Your Biggest Weakness? -- Interview Questions 101

Filed under: Interview Questions, Interview Tips

Posted Mar 13th 2010 6:12AM

By Christine Rochelle

When you're interviewing for the job of your dreams and the hiring manager asks you "What is your biggest weakness?” You tell them you're too hard of a worker.  Right?  Wrong!

Countless job interviews have gone sour when job seekers claim that the biggest weakness they have is being a workaholic or a perfectionist. Hiring managers have heard the same old tired answers and are looking for someone who can offer something different.

1. Be Honest

The key to tackling this interview question is to just be honest. With that said, you don't want to admit that your biggest weakness is your inability to get to work on time. Be honest about a weakness of yours that wouldn't affect your job performance, but still reads as a genuine answer to an often difficult question.

2. Confess a Minor Weakness

Telling the interviewer that typing is not your strong point is a great example of admitting to a minor weakness. You can also say that you shy away from public speaking or that you have to learn to better delegate tasks instead of taking them on yourself. These types of weaknesses read off as honest, yet they're not large enough to kick you out of the candidate pool.

3. Recognize Your Ability to Improve

Once you have answered the question honestly, always wrap up your response with a statement about how you recognize this as a weakness and explain how you are working to improve yourself. For example, if you admit to being afraid of public speaking, let the hiring manager know that you push yourself to speak up in meetings to overcome your fear.

4. Relax and Smile

Keeping control of your body language during an interview is difficult, but if you continue to smile even after answering a difficult question, it will surely lighten the mood. Not only will your smile help the rest of your body relax, but it sends a signal to the hiring manager that this isn't a weakness you're having a hard time overcoming.

When answering "what is your biggest weakness" or any other difficult interview questions, keep in mind that your answers may change depending on who you're facing in the interview. Whether you're speaking to someone in human resources or a department manager, you'll want to tailor your responses and follow-up questions to their expertise. Interviews are not only difficult for the job seeker, but often they're just as uncomfortable for those sitting across the table. By answering every question honestly and turning the interview into a conversation, you're more likely to be yourself and give off a great first impression.

• http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/03/13/weakness-interview-question

 Standard Interview Questions that Will Make or Break You

Filed under: Interview Questions Print Article

Posted Feb 26th 2010 7:44PM

By Christine Rochelle

It may seem that the hardest part of the job search is actually landing an interview in the first place, but the truth is once you're face-to-face with a hiring manager, it can take just one simple interview question to make or break you. Here are the four standard interview questions that could give job applicants the chance to shine -- or ruin their chances of scoring that corner office.

1. Do you have any questions?

Every hiring manager asks this question at one point during the interview. It seems like an easy interview question, but in actuality this is a great opportunity to turn around the interview. The best way to answer this standard question is to stir up a conversation by asking the interviewer more about how they started at the company, and even what they love most about their job. Turning the interview into a conversation is the easiest way to keep your name on the hiring manager's mind.

2. What is your biggest weakness?

The standard "weakness" question is always answered with strength by the majority of job applicants. Hiring managers are tired of hearing every single candidate that walks through the door stating that being a perfectionist is their biggest weakness. When facing this tough interview question, just be honest. Name a weakness of yours that won't hurt your chances at the job, such as being a poor speller or getting nervous when speaking in front of groups. Then wrap up your answer by saying that you recognize this as a weakness and you're always working on it in order to improve yourself.

3. Tell me about yourself

A hiring manager will often open up the meeting with this informal interview question, and it can throw a lot of candidates off their game. Your answer to this interview question can be similar to an "elevator pitch," or how to sell yourself in 30 seconds. Instead of rattling off what the hiring manager can already read on your resume, focus on the skills you've attained that would make you best suited for the position you're interviewing for.

4. What do you know about our company?

Even if you spend weeks on researching a company, being asked straight out exactly how much you know about your potential employer can really trip up an applicant. The best strategy you can have in tackling this question is to research the most recent news about the employer and turn this interview question around by starting a conversation about the direction the business is moving in. On the other hand, the biggest mistake an applicant can make in answering this common interview question is to not know anything about the company at all.

• http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/02/26/standard-interview-questions-that-will-make-or-break-you

Contact Information:

For additional information, contact the Student Employment Services Office at (757) 822-7228 or stop by the office, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach Campus, 1700 College Crescent, Kempsville Building, Room D-105.