Tell Me About Yourself: Every Interview Includes This Question
No interview is complete until the interviewer ask this question. It is silly to go to an interview without preparing to respond to this questions, because it is almost certain to be asked. Before you decide how to respond to this question, it is important to consider why it is usually asked during job interviews. Most job interviewers believe that they can learn a great deal about applicants based on the way they respond to this questions.
The first thing that you say in response to this question is generally believed to be a true indication of your self-concept. Whatever you choose to use to describe yourself to an interviewer tends to be the defining characteristic of how you see yourself. If you respond to this job interview question by stating that you get along well with just about everybody, then the employer is likely to conclude that you have an extraverted, social personality. If you respond to the question by saying that you are very career minded and are focused on moving up in your career as quickly as possible, the interviewer will likely interpret your response to indicate that you are very ambitious.
Either of these responses can be viewed in positive or negative light, depending on the specifics of the job for which you are applying. Your response should be honest, but you do need to be careful that what you are saying is sending the right message to a prospective employer. Keep in mind that if you aren’t prepared to answer this question, your lack of preparation sends a message to the prospective employer. No matter what job you are applying for, being unable to answer this question that everyone expects sends a very clear message to the employer that you aren’t really interested in the job and that you don’t prepare properly for business situations.
