Hi everyone.
It's Andy LaCivita, founder of Milewalk and the Milewalk Academy, and award-winning author
of The Hiring Prophecies.
Here with this week's episode of Tips For Work and Life, on my quest to help people
succeed in their careers.
I've got a great one today about, what is the number one reason why you don't get hired.
I'm actually gonna work in how to address that dreaded, "Tell me about yourself," question.
Hang onto your seats.
I know that's a fun one that everybody loves.
But, think about any job interview you were in, or any job interview process.
You thought you nailed it, you thought you were perfect for the role, you thought you
connected with the job interviewer, and they didn't invite you back, or they didn't give
you a job offer.
You're wondering, "What happened?"
I want to talk about what I speculate, I'm gonna speculate what happened, based on many
thousands of interviews that I've observed between my clients, who are the hiring companies,
and my job candidates, that we get engaged in the interviewing processes.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make, it's really a two-prong mistake, the first
part is about what they think, the second part is what they do as a result of what they
think.
That is, people think they get hired, because of their qualifications.
Your qualifications get you a job interview.
You ultimately get hired, because you are effective at sharing how your qualifications
match what the employer needs.
It doesn't matter how fabulous you are, it doesn't matter how much experience you have,
it doesn't matter how great a person you are.
The employer is looking for how you fit what they need.
Most people make the mistake thinking, "I'm very qualified for this role, I'm perfect,
I like the company," and so on, "They should like me."
That's not the case.
The number one reason why most people fail, is they're not able to connect the dots between
how their qualifications match what the employer needs.
We're gonna talk a little bit about how you can fix that.
But keep in mind, and I'm not going into too much detail here, because I actually have
some other things that are in the notes that you can use to help to understand in more
detail what those communication issues are as you try to articulate your fit to the organization,
or to the interviewer.
Recognize that it is all about your communication and your ability to effectively communicate
your fit and value, and making sure that the job interviewer understands how you fit.
That's where people go astray.
The first step in fixing that is, number one, just be aware.
Just be aware that it is about the communications.
Your qualifications have gotten you the job interview.
The employer has essentially said, "Your qualified on paper, we're willing to take the time to
interview you on the phone, or in person, in some way, shape, or form."
Go in knowing that they already are giving you the benefit of the doubt that you're qualified.
You just want to make sure that your mind is focused on making sure that you can effectively
communicate.
The second thing is, as you start to get interview questions.
Step two is, don't rush to answer them, unless you know specifically what the job interviewer,
or what the employer is looking for, to know whether or not you're qualified for their
job and for their company.
Number two is, you want to make sure that you don't rush, so it's just kind of a pause,
so to speak.
Number three, you want to make sure that you are clarifying, it is clear in your mind,
specifically, what the job interviewer needs to know, in order to address whether or not
you're a good fit.
Now, some questions are gonna be crystal clear, as to what the job interviewer wants to know
about you.
They're gonna be very specific, they're gonna ask you about particular areas in your resume,
or how you would handle certain problems, or whatever it is.
In those cases you can take comfort in knowing, you know what they're looking for, you just
have to effectively answer it.
But what about those very open-ended questions?
Those very misleading questions?
I mentioned this in the beginning that ineffective, lazy, silly question about, "Tell me about
yourself," that is totally ineffective, but constantly asked by interviewers everywhere.
How are you gonna answer that?
That is a super speed trap into articulating a whole bunch of stuff that doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter how awesome you are, it doesn't matter how great a fit you are, it
doesn't matter how qualified you are, it doesn't matter how many years of experience you have.
If you cannot connect the dots for them in how you're qualified, it's not gonna matter.
When an employer asks you this, this is especially important for junior level folks and mid-level
folks, when they ask you to, "Tell me about yourself?"
First thing that you should do, is make sure you know specifically what part of your background
is important for the employer, or the job interviewer to know, to make a good decision
about hiring you.
The first thing that I would do in those situations is say, "I would love to tell you about myself.
What part about my background do you think is most important for me to share with you,
so that you could make a good decision about whether I'm a great fit for the company?
I'd like to spend my time sharing that part of my background with you."
The interviewer will zone you in on the most critical parts of your background that would
be most rich for them to hear, to make a good determination about whether or not you're
a great fit.
For you senior level folks, rarely do you get asked that, "Tell me about yourself,"
question.
Leaders, chief executives, very senior level folks in organizations are much more concerned
about what you're interested in, and in how you want to grow, and things of that nature.
But, for you senior level folks, before you start answering any questions that you are
not sure specifically what the employer's looking for, it's always best to ask some
clarifying questions about which areas the company wants to grow, what attributes, skillsets,
and qualities they're looking for in their leaders that they think would make a successful
resource in helping them grow in the directions that they want to go.
You never, never want to talk about your qualifications, unless you know specifically that those are
the qualifications that the employer needs to understand.
Even if you're a senior level resource.
You want to make sure that you understand what the employer's looking for, before you
start to articulate what you offer.
You don't want to burn a lot of time talking about how fabulous you are, and all that may
be true.
You know you're fabulous, I know you're fabulous, but if the employer doesn't care about those
areas of your expertise, or your background, or your interests, it's not gonna work.
I hope that helps.
Number one, just be mindful that it's the communication of your qualifications that's
most important.
Number two, don't be tempted to just jump right in and start answering a question, until
you're clear you know that you know, and you have clarity on what the employer's looking
for.
Number three, if necessary, ask that clarifying question, whether it's to a very open-ended
question, or even in your batch of questions at the end of the interview, and I think that'll
really help.
If you're looking for more information on acing the job interview, I have a great webinar
coming up.
I've put the signup link in the notes.
It's free.
It's an hour of solid teaching and Q&A for you to really help you nail that job interview.
It's all about mistakes people make.
It's all about how to respond effectively, and it's how to interview the employer, so
I think that'll really help.
Until next week, check out the Tips For Work And Life Blog.
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I always look for your feedback, so until next week, have a great one.