Dear HR Experts,
I want to inquire about something from all of you. In an interview, the first question is: "Tell me something about yourself?" It seems very simple but is actually a difficult question. How can we start answering this question? What should we include in our response? On this site, I have read many things about this question, but nothing is satisfactory. If we can't start by telling our name, how should we manage this question?
I am waiting for your reply.
Thank you.
Regards,
Annu
From India, Delhi
6I want to inquire about something from all of you. In an interview, the first question is: "Tell me something about yourself?" It seems very simple but is actually a difficult question. How can we start answering this question? What should we include in our response? On this site, I have read many things about this question, but nothing is satisfactory. If we can't start by telling our name, how should we manage this question?
I am waiting for your reply.
Thank you.
Regards,
Annu
From India, Delhi
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Hi Annu,
The following points are appropriate for the question "Tell me something about yourself":
1. Your qualifications, starting from your degree and where you studied.
2. Your present job status.
3. Your work history prior to your present job.
4. Your core competency.
5. How you believe you are a good fit for the position you are interviewing for.
6. A brief overview of your parents, siblings, their occupations, etc.
(If you are a fresher, omit points 2 and 3)
From India, Hyderabad
The following points are appropriate for the question "Tell me something about yourself":
1. Your qualifications, starting from your degree and where you studied.
2. Your present job status.
3. Your work history prior to your present job.
4. Your core competency.
5. How you believe you are a good fit for the position you are interviewing for.
6. A brief overview of your parents, siblings, their occupations, etc.
(If you are a fresher, omit points 2 and 3)
From India, Hyderabad
Hello, Almost everything is covered but as per my opinion answer to introduction question should start with No.6 as mentioned above. Regards, Vipul Parmar
From India, Valsad
From India, Valsad
It's a very simple question, nothing serious is required to be very serious. Generally, recruiters ask questions so that you can feel comfortable. The recruiter wants to know something about yourself, your character, behavior, attitude, and your way of responding to the questions, which is very important.
From India, Ahmadabad
From India, Ahmadabad
Dear Sir,
: Beware; about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.
BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.
So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.
To do so, make you take these two steps:
1. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)
2. As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”
Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.
You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?:
This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.
After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.
Thanks & Regards
Prasad.Aravilli
From India, Visakhapatnam
: Beware; about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.
BEST ANSWER: Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.
So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.
To do so, make you take these two steps:
1. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)
2. As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”
Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.
You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?:
This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.
After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.
Thanks & Regards
Prasad.Aravilli
From India, Visakhapatnam
Dear All HR Experts Even all of you asked this Q in an interview, but no reply till now. waiting.....................
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Yes, I also agree.
Start with your family background, religion, and where you belong to... and then proceed as mentioned earlier.
Note: This question serves the following common intentions:
1. To relax the person and involve them in the interview.
2. To check the communication skills of the candidate.
3. To observe body language.
4. To assess presentation skills.
Regards,
Gaurav
From India, Kota
Start with your family background, religion, and where you belong to... and then proceed as mentioned earlier.
Note: This question serves the following common intentions:
1. To relax the person and involve them in the interview.
2. To check the communication skills of the candidate.
3. To observe body language.
4. To assess presentation skills.
Regards,
Gaurav
From India, Kota
Hi,
Hey, I don't think that you should start with your family background first as this is typically the first question they ask in an interview. Start by talking about yourself, then about your family. You should mention your name, qualifications, work experience (if any), your strengths, your interests, and your goals – what you want to achieve in life. Lastly, briefly mention your family. This question has been asked many times, so you can use the search tab above for more information.
Please correct me, seniors, if I am wrong.
Regards,
Sanam
From India, Mumbai
Hey, I don't think that you should start with your family background first as this is typically the first question they ask in an interview. Start by talking about yourself, then about your family. You should mention your name, qualifications, work experience (if any), your strengths, your interests, and your goals – what you want to achieve in life. Lastly, briefly mention your family. This question has been asked many times, so you can use the search tab above for more information.
Please correct me, seniors, if I am wrong.
Regards,
Sanam
From India, Mumbai
Friends,
I have asked myself this question in many interviews. The resume and structured application forms provided by many industries bring out all information. What is not known is "what areas this person is good at?". So, the reason for the popular question is to find out what further questions I can ask this person.
The interviewer is not an expert in all areas, so he lets you talk to find out "what he knows in what you know".
In fact, this is the way to let the interviewer understand the area of common interest. Jocularly, I teach my students to handle this question as follows: plant keywords that would interest the interviewer to come up with the next question (for which you already know the answer). Some examples:
1. If you know chess and are attending a leadership position, then say, "I learned a lot of leadership strategies from chess."
2. If you are thorough in your UG project work, then drop it as "I was so interested in the environment that I did my UG project in that area."
3. If you are attending an interview for a quality job, then describe how you handled quality in various walks of life, that you are well-versed in ISO 9000, six sigma, etc.
Naturally, when you drop in technical words, the interview is expected to start moving in that direction. So, "tell me about yourself" is "the interviewer's search for what you know". Help him ask worthwhile questions that you can answer well by planting suitable keywords in your answer to this first question. All the best.
From India, Madras
I have asked myself this question in many interviews. The resume and structured application forms provided by many industries bring out all information. What is not known is "what areas this person is good at?". So, the reason for the popular question is to find out what further questions I can ask this person.
The interviewer is not an expert in all areas, so he lets you talk to find out "what he knows in what you know".
In fact, this is the way to let the interviewer understand the area of common interest. Jocularly, I teach my students to handle this question as follows: plant keywords that would interest the interviewer to come up with the next question (for which you already know the answer). Some examples:
1. If you know chess and are attending a leadership position, then say, "I learned a lot of leadership strategies from chess."
2. If you are thorough in your UG project work, then drop it as "I was so interested in the environment that I did my UG project in that area."
3. If you are attending an interview for a quality job, then describe how you handled quality in various walks of life, that you are well-versed in ISO 9000, six sigma, etc.
Naturally, when you drop in technical words, the interview is expected to start moving in that direction. So, "tell me about yourself" is "the interviewer's search for what you know". Help him ask worthwhile questions that you can answer well by planting suitable keywords in your answer to this first question. All the best.
From India, Madras
Dear Anu,
Today, the interview is not the selection process but the shortlisting or rejecting process so that one can get the right candidate for the specific position. The interviewer has the resume of the interviewee in his/her hand but still wants to hear from the interviewee regarding himself/herself because the interviewer wants to know the interviewee's thought process and more about his/her personality. Today, the best candidate is the one who can handle pressure and deliver results.
Therefore, first of all:
1) Start with your name.
2) Then mention your work experience, if any.
3) Mention your educational qualifications.
4) Next, talk about your hobbies.
5) Finally, share some details about your family.
Now, the question arises: Why in the above order only?
1) To assess how confidently you introduce yourself (your name should sound confident, not nervous).
2) To evaluate if your work experience aligns with the challenges of the specific position.
3) To determine if you meet the requirements for the particular designation.
4) To understand your personality type based on your hobbies - whether you are outgoing or introverted.
5) To gain insight into your family background.
By asking just one question in this format, the interviewer can grasp the candidate's thought process and use it as a foundation for further questions.
Regards,
Shivani.
From India, Mumbai
Today, the interview is not the selection process but the shortlisting or rejecting process so that one can get the right candidate for the specific position. The interviewer has the resume of the interviewee in his/her hand but still wants to hear from the interviewee regarding himself/herself because the interviewer wants to know the interviewee's thought process and more about his/her personality. Today, the best candidate is the one who can handle pressure and deliver results.
Therefore, first of all:
1) Start with your name.
2) Then mention your work experience, if any.
3) Mention your educational qualifications.
4) Next, talk about your hobbies.
5) Finally, share some details about your family.
Now, the question arises: Why in the above order only?
1) To assess how confidently you introduce yourself (your name should sound confident, not nervous).
2) To evaluate if your work experience aligns with the challenges of the specific position.
3) To determine if you meet the requirements for the particular designation.
4) To understand your personality type based on your hobbies - whether you are outgoing or introverted.
5) To gain insight into your family background.
By asking just one question in this format, the interviewer can grasp the candidate's thought process and use it as a foundation for further questions.
Regards,
Shivani.
From India, Mumbai
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