"Tell Me About Yourself"

The Toughest Question in the Interview

By Don Straits, CEO and Dragon Slayer, Corporate Warriors When you, as a job seeker, are asked the most common, and toughest, interview uestion, "Tell me about yourself," your answer can make or break you as a candidate! "sually job seekers will respond with their #$% second commercial,# and then elaborate on their background! While almost every career book and career counselor will tell you that is the appropriate response, & totally disagree! 'any people (ail in their job search because they are too o(ten (ocused on what they want in a job including industry, type o( position, location, income, bene(its, and work environment! )heir #$% second commercial# is centered around this premise! )he commercial describes the job seeker*s career history and what they are looking (or! )oo o(ten, this is in direct contrast to what employers are looking (or! )here are two dominant reasons why job seekers are success(ul in the job search! )he (irst is (ocusing on the needs o( the organi+ation! )he second is (ocusing on the needs o( the people within that organi+ation! &n this article, we are going to e,amine how to (ocus on the needs o( the people within organi+ations! )his will assist in rethinking your response to that all-important uestion, #)ell me about yoursel(!# &n order to learn how to respond to the needs o( the interviewer, let*s (irst learn more about ourselves! We can then apply that knowledge about ourselves to knowing how to understand and respond to the needs o( others! 'ost social psychologists recogni+e (our basic personality styles. /nalytical, /miable, E,pressive, and Driver! "sually, each o( us e,hibits personality characteristics uni ue to one o( the styles! 0owever, we also possess characteristics to a lesser degree in the other styles! )o determine your uni ue style, you can take a 'yers-Briggs assessment or go to the (ollowing site (or a (ree 1eirsey )emperament Sorter assessment test. www!keirsey!com 0ere are the characteristics that are most commonly associated with each o( the styles. /nalytical. 2ositive )raits. 2recise, 'ethodical, Organi+ed, 3ational, Detail Oriented 4egative )raits. Critical, 5ormal, "ncertain, 6udgmental, 2icky /miable. 2ositive )raits. Cooperative, Dependable, Warm, 7istener, 4egotiator 4egative )raits. "ndisciplined, Dependent, Submissive, Overly Cautious, Con(orming E,pressive. 2ositive )raits. Enthusiastic, 2ersuasive, Outgoing, 2ositive, Communicator 4egative )raits. Ego Centered, Emotional, E,ploitive, Opinionated, 3eacting Driver. 2ositive )raits. 2ersistent, &ndependent, Decision 'aker, E((ective, Strong Willed 4egative )raits. /ggressive, Strict, &ntense, 3elentless, 3igid

8aining an in-depth understanding o( your personality style has enormous value in your career as well as your personal li(e! 0owever, our (ocus today is learning how to use this knowledge to make you more success(ul in your job search! Once you have learned about your own style and have studied the other styles, & encourage you to have a little (un in trying to determine the styles o( others! When you meet someone (or the (irst time, try to identi(y his or her style within the (irst two minutes! 9ou can o(ten identi(y styles by observing a person*s demeanor, conversation, body language, appearance, and possessions! )o demonstrate what & mean, let*s take some e,amples (rom the business world! While there are always e,ceptions, generally speaking the styles (it the e,ample! /nalytical Style. 5inancial 'anager :or programmers, engineers, and accountants;! )hey like systems and procedures! )hey are slow to make decisions because they will analy+e things to death<but their decisions are usually very sound! )hey pre(er working independently and are usually not very good in team environments, but they are also dependable! )hey buy cars with good resale value and great gas mileage! )hey are conservative dressers! /t the party, they want to know why so much money was spent on 'ichelob when we could have purchased Busch! )hey come to the party with their laptops! /miable Style. 0uman 3esources 'anager! =ery people-(ocused! )hey are dependable, loyal and easygoing> very compassionate! )hey will give you the shirt o(( their backs and the last nickel in their pockets! )hey are good listeners and value team players who don*t #rock the boat!# )hey are usually con(ormists and (ollowers<rarely leaders! )hey avoid con(lict and are not good decision makers! )hey drive (our-door sedans or mini-vans to take the kids to sporting events! )hey usually clean up a(ter the party is over! E,pressive Style. Sales 'anager! =ery outgoing and enthusiastic, with a high energy level! )hey are also great idea generators, but usually do not have the ability to see the idea through to completion! =ery opinionated and egotistical! 'oney motivated! )hey can be good communicators! )hey pre(er to direct and control rather then ask and listen! )hey drive red convertibles with great stereos> to heck with the gas mileage! )hey come up with the idea (or a company party, but never help clean up! )hey are on their way to another party! Driver. Corporate CEO! &ntelligent, intense, (ocused, relentless! )hey thrive on the thrill o( the challenge and the internal motivation to succeed! 'oney is only a measure o( success> it is not the driving (actor! )hey are results?per(ormance oriented! )hey have compassion (or the truly disadvantaged, but absolutely no patience or tolerance (or the la+y or whiners! )hey drive prestige cars, not because the car attracts attention, but because it was a wise investment! )hey want to know why we had a party> what were the bene(its o( the party, and did we invite the banker@ Ok, now you are really getting some insight into your style and the style o( others! &t is time (or the interviews! )hrow out your $%-second commercial! )hink on your (eet! 9ou will be interviewing with the human resource manager, the (inance manager, the sales manager, and the CEO! )he (irst uestion each o( them will ask you is. #)ell me about yoursel(!# 0ow should you respond@ 3emember the second reason (or succeeding in a job search. (ocus on the needs o( the people in the organi+ation! 0ere are just a (ew e,amples o( how to respond to that uestion. #)ell me about yoursel(@# 3esponse to 5inance 'anager. #& have been success(ul in my career by making well-thought-out decisions based on care(ul analysis o( all (actors! & approach problems with logic and sound reasoning! & would enjoy working with you in developing the appropriate systems and procedures to make our two departments (unction e((iciently together!#

3esponse to 0uman 3esource 'anager. #'y career has been characteri+ed by my ability to work well with diverse teams! & seek out opportunities to involve others in the decision-making process! )his collaboration and communication is what has enabled me to achieve success in my department! 2eople are the most valuable resource o( any organi+ation!# 3esponse to Sales 'anager. #)hroughout my career & have always adhered to the principle that everyone in the organi+ation must be sales-(ocused! 'y department is always trained in customer service, providing outstanding support to the sales team and to our customers! Without sales, the rest o( use would not have a job! & look (orward to helping you drive sales in any way possible!# 3esponse to CEO. #& have achieved success in my career because & have been (ocused on the bottom line! & have always sought out innovative solutions to challenging problems to ma,imi+e pro(itability! 3egardless o( the task or challenge, & always established benchmarks o( per(ormance and standards o( e,cellence! & have never sought to maintain the #status uo!# /n organi+ation that does not change and grow will die! & would enjoy working with you to help de(ine new market opportunities in order to achieve the organi+ation*s goals!# &n each instance, we responded to the #needs o( the individual!# &t is almost guaranteed that, when you respond appropriately to the diverse needs o( the di((erent managers, you will become the standard by which all o( the other candidates will be measured! & challenge you to learn about your personality and leadership style, learn about the styles o( others, and learn how to think on your (eet when responding to uestions! Whether you are seeking a job or you are gain(ully employed, by understanding the needs o( others you will become a more valuable person, employee, manager and leader!

Don Straits, CEO and Dragon Slayer, Corporate Warriors Don is recognized as a nationwide authority on contemporary ob search strategies and technologies for e!ecuti"es# $is organization produces world%class online multi%media resume portfolios and pro"ides out% of%the%bo! coaching for his&her clients# Don can be contacted at don'corporatewarriors#com or ()*+, +-.%/0/0# Website1 www#corporatewarriors#com#