So what brings you to us today?
I'd love to know more about you.
Tell me your story.
Definitely, so--
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, my name is Averie.
It's nice to meet you.
Every single one of us has been asked to introduce ourselves
during an interview.
It sounds like a question you might ask a new friend.
But your potential employer is not
looking for your life story.
Since this is typically one of the first questions asked
in an interview, your response is your first impression.
So during your interview prep, it's
worth thinking about what you want to say
and how you want to say it.
I'm going to walk you through a few examples.
Let's get started.
So, thank you for coming in today.
Thank you for having me.
I would like to start this off by you telling me
a bit about your story.
Oh, absolutely.
I am from a small town about two hours North of New York City.
My mom is a teacher.
And my dad is a lawyer.
But I knew since early on that I wanted to work with computers.
I even coded my own blog when I was in high school.
I went to college in Boston where
I got my bachelor's in computer science.
And I worked in tech ever since.
I really love product design.
And I've had the opportunity to do that with two companies,
first at a startup and then at a larger company.
But really I'm a people person, so I find myself gravitating
toward more client-facing work.
While it's clear this candidate is
passionate about what they do.
They began their answer by immediately sharing
part of their life story and then only really detailing
their interests.
Any time you're asked a question like this,
your response should be tailored specifically
to how it's relevant to the role and the company.
Sharing your personal anecdote is OK.
But remember that it should only support
your professional narrative for the job.
Something more like this.
I would love to start with you sharing a bit about your story.
Well, I have always loved product design ever
since I got my first computer as a kid.
Throughout my career, I've really
honed in on that passion.
I was on the product design team for a health and wellness
app at a startup.
And I'm currently the project lead
on a number of products for a larger tech company.
I love receiving user feedback, working on those problems,
and coming up with solutions.
What really excites me about this position
is that I'd have the opportunity to do that directly
with clients.
That's very impressive.
Much better response.
Let's see how another candidate responds to a similar question.
Thank you for coming in today.
I would love to kick this off by learning a little bit
more about.
Definitely.
So I am currently the assistant to the CMO at my company.
It's a great company.
I love my colleagues.
I've been able to get my hands dirty in pretty much everything
from project management to working with clients,
to creating briefs rig meetings.
I've really had to sweat the small stuff
because my boss is a stickler for that kind of thing.
But now I want to pursue a career in social media.
I've always loved it.
And I feel like it would be a great use of my creative energy
and talents.
I know there's so much I can offer.
His answer started out strong.
He spoke of his current company in a positive way,
which is always a great sign to a new employer.
He pointed out the valuable hard and soft skills
he's learned along the way.
But I want to see two things.
First, drop a negative reference to your old manager.
That kind of comment can sound like you're complaining.
And you want to be seen as a problem-solver.
Also, make sure to explain the difference
between using social media and knowing how to manage it.
Let's see how we do.
I want to start this off by getting to know you.
So if you can tell me a bit about yourself.
Absolutely.
So I've decided to pursue a career in social media
because it requires both creative and analytic thinking.
There are skills I've honed in my current role
and want to continue to flex in my next one.
I've managed my boss's Instagram and LinkedIn.
And many of my ideas have been leveraged to other execs
at the company.
I've needed to be meticulous, learning that from my boss who
is incredibly detail oriented.
I proofread every memo, double check folders
before board meetings, and review slides
and presentations.
Organization is crucial to me.
And I also thrive in a fast-paced environment,
which I believe is important in order
to pivot when the algorithm is always changing
and trends are always evolving.
I believe this company would really
help me nurture my passion and continue to grow.
That was a strong answer.
Let's see another.
Are you using the Indeed mobile app?
The app is free and makes it easy to apply right
from your phone.
Click the link below or just search Indeed in the App Store.
I would love to hear about what you're working on
and how you got where you are now.
Absolutely.
I've loved working with this company.
I've been promoted three times.
I started with small to midsize businesses.
But I was crushing that size.
I'm the kind of guy who's a master in negotiation.
It's an art.
It's the kind of thing where like either you have it or you
don't.
And I definitely do.
Some of my other accomplishments would
include being employee of the month five times in a row.
Everybody always wants to talk to me whenever
I'm at the water fountain--
--not to toot my own horn or anything--
--not to toot my own horn anything--
--my own horn or anything.
--imposition.
Me too.
But--
--probably going to be promoted next month.
So--
Couple of issues here.
First, that was long winded.
This answer went on and on and on.
And while he spoke, he listed his promotions and accolades
without any relevant details about how he achieved them.
He told us what happened without explaining how he got there.
OK, let's try again, but this time shorter and more specific.
So when I started working with my company,
I started with small to midsize businesses.
And after consistently exceeding my quotas,
I was quickly bumped up to large businesses,
where I continue to be a top-performing sales rep.
I'm data-driven and empathetic.
Last year when I closed the biggest deal on my tenure,
the client told my boss that they really
appreciated that I didn't try to upsell them.
Instead, I laid out their options
and made myself available as a thought partner who
could speak with authority.
I learned this human-centric style of sales
at my previous company.
I've been so grateful for the work experience that I've had.
And I believe my approach will be an asset here.
I love this.
Providing some context behind these accomplishments
makes all the difference here, plus he answered
using the present, past, future template for his answer, which
is a great tip for you to borrow in your own interviews.
He mentioned what he's currently doing, what he was doing,
and what he's excited to do, relating it all back
to the account executive position he's interviewing for.
Let's say one last example.
Tell me, what interests you about this role?
Well, this position is a strong fit
for my next move for a few reasons.
First of all, at my current position,
I have been the lead client solutions
manager on our three biggest deals, each of which
were seven figures.
As a CSM, I manage client relationships.
I work collaboratively and cross functionally
with our sales and product teams.
And I manage multipronged campaigns.
Prior to this experience, I was client-facing
with smaller brands in the health care space.
That's where I really fell in love with this industry.
This is definitely starting out strong.
We've heard her talk about the past and the present.
Now I want to hear this candidate talk
about the future.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Well, all of these experiences ladder up
to what I see in the job description for this role.
I'm looking forward to taking the experiences
that I've had in my current company to my next opportunity.
Also I have to say, I saw many employees
posting about the parental leave policies and how flexible
they are and how it's impacted their lives.
I love that you're an organization that
actually supports employee work-life balance.
This answer was fantastic.
Notice how she artfully weaved her present, past,
and future experience into her response,
even when the interviewer didn't explicitly ask,
tell me about your experience?
And you know that this question is coming,
so prepare for it by thinking about an answer that
follows the past, present, future format.
And provide supporting details.
Don't forget to practice telling your story
so it's concise, authentic, and leaves
a great first impression.
Good luck.
I'll be cheering for you.
If you want more tips and tricks for your interview,
subscribe to the Indeed YouTube channel.
I believe this company would really
help me nurture my passion and continue to grow.
I hope we do.
I hope we are.
[LAUGHTER]