(jazzy instrumental music)
- Hi, I'm James Ball, Founder of the Interview Academy
and welcome to my series
on how to answer the most common interview questions
that you're ever likely to face.
Today's question is tell me about yourself.
Now, I've been in the recruiting industry
for nearly 20 years and from my experience,
this is a question that you're almost guaranteed
to get asked in an interview.
It's absolutely vital that you make sure
that you get the answer to this question fully prepped
in your head.
Now, whilst I can't tell you exactly what to say,
because I'm not you.
I have no idea what your strengths or weaknesses are,
and I've got no idea what kind of job you're looking for,
there are some very right and some very wrong ways
of answering this question.
The first thing you should do in planning your answer
is to consider the following three main points.
Number one, what does your interviewer
actually want to hear?
Number two, what you have got that they want?
Number three, what proof have you got,
because obviously there's no point in just saying something
that they want to hear without being able
to give some very specific examples of how you can do it.
The best bit of advice I could give you is
to get hold of a job specification in advance
of the interview.
The recruiter should be able to send you a copy in advance
if you haven't got one.
When you get it, go through it a few times.
Highlight any qualifications or skills or experiences
that you see on it that match yours.
Two or three accomplishments or skills should be enough
for what you need to do for this task.
Then what you need to do is to mold all of those
into a really good answer about yourself and your strengths.
Now, another great thing to talk about in this answer
is what got you first interested
in your current career path
and what your plans are for the future?
But, only do this is you figure this is relevant
and impressive to the company.
For example, did a particular experience
at school or college get you interested in the industry,
or maybe environmental sustainability is something
that you've always wanted to fight for.
Whatever your personal circumstances,
make sure that your answer fits with their requirements.
Don't go off topic.
Don't start rambling about experiences you had
years and years ago,
what you like doing in your spare time,
how your aim in life is to settle down
and start a family.
None of those but things unless you might feel
that they're relevant to the question,
because you're asking about yourself,
they're not relevant.
The interviewer is asking this question
for a very specific reason
and that's to find out how suitable you are
for the job, and not your entire life history.
Now, normally this question is one of the first you'll have
to face in the interview,
so ultimately it can potentially frame
the rest of the interview, how it's gonna pan out.
Giving a really impressive answer
which easily identifies you
as potentially suitable candidate for the role puts you
on a very strong footing from the off.
Basically, all you really need to remember
when answering this question is this.
How will you benefit them?
As an example, if I was applying to a marketing role,
for instance, I might say something like this.
I studied English and Philosophy at university
and took a marketing module in the first year
which I found really fascinating,
and this ignited my passion for digital
and I spent a lot of my spare time reading up
on the latest techniques and tools involved
in the marketing process.
This helped me get my first job as a Marketing Assistant
straight out of university.
I've now been at the agency for 10 years
and I've led a variety of different campaigns,
which included one which made the client 100,000 pound
in a week.
I'm hoping to move to an in-house role
so I can really get my teeth stuck into a business
and see the results of my hard work.
Now, this answer is good because it's detailed,
and it's relevant, and it flows well together,
and I'm not just throwing facts at you.
Another bit of advice at this question is
to keep it snappy.
Don't waffle, if your nerves will allow it,
and your answer should last for no longer
than 30 seconds.
One last thing, keep it natural.
You don't wanna sound like a robot,
so while your answers should be practiced and rehearsed,
make sure that it doesn't sound stilted.
Okay, that's it.
If you want full details on how to answer this question
and the other remaining nine most common interview questions
then click on the link below and download our free guide.
It will give you full details on what you should be saying
in these questions and some sample answers.
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel
by clicking on the subscribe button on this page,
and there you'll find our other videos on how
to answer the other nine most common interview questions
and much, much more.
Good luck with the interview.