So Tell Me About Yourself...

Every interviewer wants to get as much first-hand, straight-from-the-horses-mouth personal information as possible from the person he or she is interviewing. Journalists want that information because it adds 'human interest' to a story. Job interviewers want it because they need to know something more about the potentially valuable human being that is sitting on the other side of the desk than can be gained from reading the CV that's sitting on the desk.

An interviewer might just say, "So tell me about yourself", but it's much more likely that he or she would go for leading questions, because leading questions are more pointed and more specific.

• What are your strengths?


• What are your weaknesses?


• What have you done that you are particularly proud of?


• What do you wish you had done differently?

An interviewer might also want to probe further into information given on your CV.

• I see from your CV that you're interested in (golf, stamp collecting etc). How did you get involved in that?


• I see from your CV that you're studying (French, accountancy, Contract Law etc). What made you decide to do that?

Questions, whether leading or straightforward, give you an opportunity to talk and to tell stories about yourself, show what you have experienced and what your interests are - to and illustrate that you are capable of logical, organised thought, because that's what talking about and telling stories about yourself well is all about.

It also gives you an opportunity to portray yourself in a positive light. But please don't forget that 'positive' in this context needs to include some negatives if it is to be genuinely 'positive'.

I have an enormous mistrust of people who - according to their own account of themselves - have no weaknesses, have never made a mistake, and have never regretted anything, or wished that they had done something differently. And any interviewer would, because life is full of pitfalls, and no human being lacks weaknesses, and has never experienced doubt or regret.

Don't hide negatives when you are asked to talk about yourself.

• Admitting that you have weaknesses shows character and maturity and is illustrative of the fact that you have actually thought about your weaknesses and have recognised them.


• Admitting that there are some things that you would have - or should have - done differently, shows that you are capable of learning from experience.


• Being able to talk about those things to an interviewer - who is, after all, a comparitive stranger - is indicative not just of maturity, but of honesty.

Which is not to say that you shouldn't prepare yourself for such questions and rehearse your answers. Preparation and rehearsal will give you the confidence to talk and tell stories about yourself really well. The insight you'll get out of it isn't a bad thing either...

Bill - http://www.therapypartnership.com/