One of the most dreaded questions in the interview process is often the first question that many hiring managers ask. Interviewers like to lead off by saying, “Tell me about yourself.” This open-ended question is often extremely difficult for candidates to answer, but hiring managers use it to see how interviewees handle themselves in unstructured situations, how confident they are, and what they see as important.
Most people struggle to answer this question because they don’t know what the interviewer wants to hear. Instead of framing your answer from the hiring manager’s perspective, it can help to view the question as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on your strengths. When you look at it from that positive perspective, it can change your whole approach.
How Not To Respond
While there are an endless number of ways to respond to the question the right way, there is one surefire way to get it wrong. Under no circumstances should you ask, “What would you like to know?” This indicates that you have not taken the time to prepare for the interview, and therefore would not be prepared for the job.
In order to respond well, it is essential to prepare ahead of time so that you can answer this question, and other open-ended questions like it, with confidence.
How to Respond the “Right” Way
Responding well to, “Tell me about yourself,” can take some practice. Candidates often make the mistake of assuming the interviewer is asking the question on a personal level, rather than a professional level, and therefore take the opportunity to launch into their life story. The interviewer does not need nor want to know that you were born in Cincinnati, raised in Schenectady, and you consider yourself a foodie. They want to know if you can do the job, what you’ve accomplished throughout your career, and how you can help the organization succeed.
Be sure that your answer clearly illustrates your most important accomplishments and strengths. If you believe that your biggest strength as a salesperson is your tenacity, don’t just say, “I’m tenacious.” Have an anecdote ready that illustrates a time when that tenacity landed you an important contract. Storytelling is an extremely powerful tool, and specific examples will drive home the points you wish to make.
Keep it Concise
It can help to think of this question as a preview, much like a movie preview before a feature film. Previews are short clips that leave an audience wanting to see more. Craft an answer that tells the interviewer just enough to spark further interest in you as a candidate.
Practice your answer until you can get it down to about one minute. Anything longer than that is too long, but anything shorter can make you seem either unprepared or uninteresting. When mapping out your answer, start with your most recent position first, then include highlights from past positions, and wrap it up with the reasons why you are excited for the opportunity.
If you are a professional salesperson in the enterprise software field on the hunt for new and exciting opportunities, contact Strategic Search Solutions. We are a full-service recruiting firm that works to place enterprise software sales professionals with some of the most innovative companies in the market. We’ll work with you to help you achieve your long-term career goals.