When employers ask "Tell me about yourself?" how do you respond?

[ready123]

Why the fvck did you abbreviate stuff like POS and ROI or whatever the fvck you abbreviated WHEN YOU DID NOT EVEN USE THE GODDAMN ABBREVIATIONS LATER IN YOUR LETTER??

BLOWS MY FVCKIN MIND.

If I read your e-mail I'd be like "wtf is he doing abbreviating this useless sh1t? he's probably like those useless fvcks I knew back in school that pretended to know stuff but didn't"

It's because he's not using the initialisms as a reference for easy repetition - he's using them to show he has a basic understanding of some business terminology.

Other than that, AAA, run your grammar checker - I found errors and if you don't fix them, besides everything you wrote, you'll also be communicating you have poor business writing skills. And if you're gonna use an initialism, you put the word first, then the initialism in parantheses.

 

[AAAgent]

ya i proofread the letter and fixed the errors. Thanks for the tip on putting the word first and then the initials ready.

To desert fox: i abbreiviated the words because they're common words used to the business world and anyone in business, especially project management or IT consulting would be coming across those words daily. But i see the point in just writing it out. thanks for the critique, i will change it in the final copy.

water tiger: Some questions just caught me off guard and weren't exactly hard. Out of the page long job description, there was this one two worded tab(there were alot of them 1 word/2 word tabs) where he asked me a question about. I read the description and have a good understanding of it but i didn't expect him to ask me a full question on a tab which was stupid of me.

"What do you know about network infrastructures?"
i was an idiot and was confused at the time and just blanked out. I prepared myself on explaining how my organizational skills could benefit IT, i never really thought of the IT side since that isn't my background.

"Tell me about yourself."
He didn't seemed surprised by my answer or even happy. I explained my past positions what i did, and discussed a few brief hobbies which i could tell he didn't give jack sh!t about.

He asked me what i knew about the position thoroughly in depth which i messed up because i of the pressure of making up for earlier.

He straight forwardly pointed out my weakness and lack of IT knowledge but saw my financial background in accounting and asked what i could bring to the table that wasn't IT related. I did an ok job, but i never saw my skills in the financial side so i was kinda caught off guard. I explained to him my organizational and planning skills instead as well as creativity.

Besides the questions he asked which were pretty straight forward it was mainly his attitude/psychology which threw me off.

This was my first interview with a company in new york and i knew it was a whole different ball park but i didn't expect something to this extent.

He did two things which completely made me lose my cool:

1.) Once i finished answering a question he sometimes just stopped completely as if waiting for me to tell more or sell myself better which got me nervous and even more frustrated once i bombed a question.

2.) if he wasn't giving me time he basically went straight to the next question without pause. Right after i answered the question less than a second later he asked the next one. Made me feel that even the questions i felt like i aced sucked a$$.

His attitude was also the type that you knew he was here to get down to business and just weed out either the people who applied to just apply or the un qualified people.

 

[WaterTiger]

He did two things which completely made me lose my cool:

1.) Once i finished answering a question he sometimes just stopped completely as if waiting for me to tell more or sell myself better which got me nervous and even more frustrated once i bombed a question.

2.) if he wasn't giving me time he basically went straight to the next question without pause. Right after i answered the question less than a second later he asked the next one. Made me feel that even the questions i felt like i aced sucked a$$.

:box: These are CLASSIC stressers used by cops to make a suspect talk more than he should.:box:

By being quiet after you answer a question, he makes you feel you didn't give enough information, so you start scrambling for more.:nervous:

By slamming you with rapid-fire questions he makes you think he's impatient with you. :cuss: Again you get stressed and defensive, then try to over explain.

Practice interviews with friends! Join "Toast Masters" as a way to help you learn to be COOL during interviews.

 

[AAAgent]

You make a good point WaterTiger. I just feel like a complete idiot. I prepared for the interview for 2 weeks and he just owned me psychologically. I know i obviously should have prepared better or differently but i'm kind pissed i got beat down that hard. I'm a great public/motivational speaker most of the time. I give presentations and even prepare them which makes me more angry at myself.

I've been pulled over by the cops many times, questioned for many things by police, teachers, principals, interviewers, etc. i've always learned to keep my cool and only talk when i need to. Face to face these mind games don't work on me, atleast they haven't in a while.

I think the fact that the interview was over the phone and i couldn't see what type of person i was facing before i started the interview made a big impact. That and his psychological games which i knew he was using but i just couldn't counter or atleast figure out a way to counter in that short period of time.

Usually when people try to pressure information out of me by using their authority i just shut my mouth and pretend i'm listening or trying to think real hard. too bad that wouldn't be as beneficial in an interview.

 

[Julius_Seizeher]

Julius, I read your entire post and repped ya because you wrote some really good stuff.

But I couldn't disagree more when it comes to your saying, "should not be 'I need more money.'

Securing a new job opportunity SHOULD be about your wanting more money...Tell them that!

It's simple: if you make MORE MONEY for yourself, then the company stands to make more money, too...you can be ambitious to the gills, but if you can't make the company more money, then your ambition means NOTHING to them.

Let me tell you why. You may be confusing the passive desire for more money with AMBITION.

A hungry dog never gets fed.

Of course we seek employment to make more money than we have now, but far too many fall into the trap of expecting something for nothing. I see new college grads drop like flies in my business, because they just graduated and they expect someone to start them at 50K to sit on their thumb all day.

If you want more money, that's great, but the dominating thoughts in your mind must be, how can I produce the money I desire? To passively desire more money is as old as time, but to seek only to create more money is the secret of those who come to rule the world.

The Law of Prosperity states that a man's reward is equal to his contribution. Feel it. Believe it. And the more ways you find to increase your contribution, the more reward shall ye reap.

 

[ready123]

You make a good point WaterTiger. I just feel like a complete idiot. I prepared for the interview for 2 weeks and he just owned me psychologically. I know i obviously should have prepared better or differently but i'm kind pissed i got beat down that hard. I'm a great public/motivational speaker most of the time. I give presentations and even prepare them which makes me more angry at myself.

I've been pulled over by the cops many times, questioned for many things by police, teachers, principals, interviewers, etc. i've always learned to keep my cool and only talk when i need to. Face to face these mind games don't work on me, atleast they haven't in a while.

I think the fact that the interview was over the phone and i couldn't see what type of person i was facing before i started the interview made a big impact. That and his psychological games which i knew he was using but i just couldn't counter or atleast figure out a way to counter in that short period of time.

Usually when people try to pressure information out of me by using their authority i just shut my mouth and pretend i'm listening or trying to think real hard. too bad that wouldn't be as beneficial in an interview.

No need to overanalyze so much. As you interview throughout your career, you'll get more and more comfortable in your skin. As you get work experience, you learn what you're worth and what you're capable of as a professional in your field. It gets easier to sell yourself

And even though I don't think your phone interview was one of them, there ARE genuine "stress test" interviews out there where they purposely try to make you uncomfortable to see how you handle pressure. They're rare but they're out there.

I had one interview (I'm an engineer) where the guy taught me a piece of technology in under a minute, gave me something to assemble, told me to write him a random technical article on his computer, and told me to finish within 10 minutes and leave him a voicemail letting him know I was done. When he came back, he then asked me to reteach him that piece of technology he taught me 10 minutes earlier. That was actually pretty clever of him. Within 15 minutes, he was able to learn how sharp I was, how hands-on I was, how well my written and oral communications skills were, whether I could multi-task, whether I could adhere to deadlines, and whether or not I could remember sht. At the same company, my friend interviewed with two managers and they literally did a good cop bad cop routine on him to see if how he would react if he got yelled at. Another friend of mine interviewed with the CIA and they polygraphed her and ended up making her cry. She didn't get the job obviously hahaha

 

[AAAgent]

ya i don't think he was purposely trying to play mind games with me, it was just his character. He was that type of person and probably does that to everyone. He was most likely the guy i would be working under judging by the way the interview went because i don't see why HR manager would get as serious and into the interview as the person hiring the person directly to work for him.

 

[CGE333]

If someone was firing questions like that at me at some point I would turn the tables... Say something about the 3 other companies that are pursuing you at this time and the one firm offer you have (make this shyt up if you have to) and ask them why you should consider their company over the others.

I was at an interview once and the guy went through his spiel about the company and the job and then asked me if that sounded like something I was interested in... My reply..."Not really" I took all the power away from his side of the table and put in on my side. He then tried to sell me on the position and I was like, let me think about it and I'll get back to you.

Just like in chasing women, people want the one person they can't have.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Not sure if this is relevant or not, but I used to interview people to work for me all the time. I'd go through a stack of resume, call people and just ask random questions, somewhat pertaining to the job, but more like the question the OP was afraid of. They all had degrees in biology, I was more concerned with their communication skills and ability work with others.

I didn't care what answers they gave, but how they delivered them. The ones that delivered them with confidence and without hesitation, I hired. The ones that sounded like they were trying to say the "right" thing, I didn't.

So whatever, your answers, just be confident of them.

And ALWAYS ask them questions.

Like: "Why should I work for you?"

 

[AAAgent]

well got another one tomorrow. not too worried about it but we'll see. i'm actually familiar with accounting so the questions shouldn't be too much of a suprise.

 

[Nexus Polaris]

I tell them I have a tendency to get drunk and piss in the sink.

 

[AAAgent]

since i've posted this question every interviewer has asked me this question. Maybe i wasn't as aware of it as i am now. I aced the interview on monday and have another interview this friday as well as another interview on thursday.

I think in person interviews are so much easier because i can read expressions and can react accordingly to what the interviewer is looking for.

 

[AAAgent]

just got an offer today. i told the company i would let them know when if i would take the ft position by the 28th. they said in the meantime they have a part time night position for me which i said i would take.

i have an interview tomorrow morning and depending on how that goes i will decide whether or not i accept the offer i received today.

 

[AAAgent]

just had an epiphany. I realized lately answering the tell me about yourself question professionally is the best way but at the same time you need to make the vibe during the interview professional and friendly. during my last couple of interviews i've realized that even though i am serious about everything i say, i say it in a way were i sound down to earth and believable. The interviewers feel more at ease and willing to get friendlier with me.

I felt like the last 3 interviews i did very well on, especially with the specific question. I find out this week in i move on/get the job. Already landed a part time job with a start up company, now working on landing a FT.

 

[Rollo Tomassi]

"Tell us about yourself"

TRANSLATION: Volunteer as much information as possible about your personal life that we'd otherwise be held legally accountable for by asking you outright.

just had an epiphany. I realized lately answering the tell me about yourself question professionally is the best way but at the same time you need to make the vibe during the interview professional and friendly. during my last couple of interviews i've realized that even though i am serious about everything i say, i say it in a way were i sound down to earth and believable. The interviewers feel more at ease and willing to get friendlier with me.

This is exactly why they're asking you this; to put you at ease so you'll offer information about yourself that they'll use to assess your threat level as an employee. Before I got involved where I am now I was the art director for several multi-million dollar casinos and they did the CONSTANTLY in the interview process.

You see, a prospective employer wants to know if you're gay, single, have children, are divorced, have recently gotten married (and may possibly become pregnant), how close you are to retirement, if you're a recent college grad (so they can pay you for less experience), and the list goes on and on. They can't ask you these questions directly without legal issues from discrimination being possible, however, if you OFFER this information to them in a friendly confidence then you have no case (assuming you're even aware of it).

They want to know this info because it helps them avoid long term costs. For instance, if you're a young woman, childless and recently married, there's a high probability that you'll want a very expensive pregnancy leave and a health care claim for it in 1 to 3 years. This means downtime, people covering your position for 6 weeks, etc. If you're a recent college grad, they know you'll have high student debt you're desperate to pay off and will most likely jump at the chance to work for far less than what they'd have to pay a more experienced person in the same position. If you have 10-15 years experience at a particular job, they know you'll expect more money for that experience.

Never offer up too much info. They know you'll most likely be nervous, so when they lighten the mood and make you more comfortable you'll be more likely to offer up the info they want to assess how and if they'll deal with you.

 

[synergy1]

Police interrogations do the same thing, and can get confessions by chumming up with the guy they are interviewing. Likely they'll spill the beans and that can be used as evidence in court.

 

[Forty0ztoFreedom]

"Oh you know, just a small town girl living in a lonely world . . "

 

[AAAgent]

Back to square one. Was supposed to hear back from 3 places this week but got nothing. I felt i aced two interviews but who knows. starting all over next week.