You know what he wants, give it to him . . .

Tell me about yourself and its variations:

• Tell me about yourself
• Why would I hire you?
• What is your weakness/strength?

The question “Tell me about yourself” will be asked during an interview. Ask ten random people to give you their top interview questions and you will hear some version of the above from 9 out of 10.

So, if we are certain that some form of the first four questions will come up, why do I consistently get such crappy answers during interviews? A stumbling response isn’t a good way to start a 30-minute session.  Are people coming into an interview hoping they will not be asked, “Tell me about yourself,” or “What is your weakness?”

Elevator pitch
1. Have your personal elevator pitch ready. Have it down cold and be able to recite it in any situation within 1 minute, preferably 30-45 seconds. Not 5 minutes, not 10 minutes. 1 Minute. (You never know when you will run into someone who may be interested, and you don’t want to walk away from that opportunity thinking, “I blew it.”) All professional salespeople have an elevator pitch. When going into an interview, you are selling yourself. If you can’t sell yourself, why should I buy from you?

I can’t tell you how many times I have asked this question, and the candidate didn’t know where to start. Practice this pitch. It sounds corny, but it makes a HUGE difference. Time it. If someone drones on for 5-6 minutes, I start to worry. I know the hiring manager needs specific information from this interview. If I am worried about your answer, I will be hesitant to recommend that the hiring manager talk with you. 

Make it easy on the interviewer

If we know that these questions will be asked, make it easy on your recruiter and tell them what they want to hear. Take control of the situation and allow them to listen to your pitch. Don’t be the passive fish.

In another post, I will go into what the first 5 minutes of the interview should be like, where you break the ice and find something in common with the interviewer. For now. . . .

Starting the interview with something like “Thanks for seeing me; I am excited to be here. I’m not sure what you had in mind for today, and I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to review my resume.  I am happy to begin answering any questions you may have. Alternatively, I can begin by sharing a little about myself and then address any questions you may have.

Verbal jujitsu

When said in a specific order, very few people will say, “I want to ask you questions.”  The correct order of the two statements is critical.

• The FIRST option you offer is to answer questions.  
• The SECOND option is for YOU to give your pitch and then answer questions.  

This allows you to start the conversation on YOUR terms. You can start directing the conversation.

• You are meeting this person specifically so they can find out more about you, and you just made their job easier. Who wouldn’t bite?
• You showed a lot of confidence. It is human nature to take the second option, which is to sit back and listen.  (This is Nasty)

Your pitch should not include the following:

• Where did you grow up? Provide me with information related to the current period and the job. If you are in a sales job and the territory is where you grew up, that may be an exception. For a position that requires 3-5 years of experience, I don’t want to hear about high school, hobbies, or family life. 
• If it is listed on the resume, assume I read it. That is the reason I called you. Provide me with information that is in addition to your resume. Please mention your job history, but keep in mind that I have already reviewed it.   Avoid giving a reader a digest of the bullet points.  If I have a question on those, I will ask.  Use this to provide me with information that is not listed on the resume.  The resume is the tool that gets you the face-to-face.  It isn’t your entire story.  Now, start adding the color to the bullet points.

Your pitch should include:

• The personal philosophy of your discipline. It might be about what you think customer service is, what business intelligence means, why you got into your discipline, and how you practice your particular “thing” that may differ from most others.
• How did you make a difference to the last company, whether it be at the individual contributor level or the senior level? Management level.
• Why are you interested in working for this particular company? Perhaps it’s a green company, which is important to you. Are they known for being cutting-edge? Perhaps they have just won an award of some kind. You wouldn’t date someone you don’t have anything in common with. Similarly, you shouldn’t want to work for a company you have nothing in common with. Convey that you aren’t just looking for a job; you are looking for a career.
• Something personal about yourself.  “There are two sides to me, I am really into fitness and run 10 miles a week”, or “I have recently gotten into golf”.  Something personal, and something that isn’t on your resume.  Just 7-10 seconds, but it softens the upcoming “professional pitch.”  

Set the tone

A good elevator pitch sets the tone for the rest of the interview. Convey confidence and provide the recruiter with topics to explore in more depth. It will provide a smooth transition for the rest of the interview.

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

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