Interview questions (2) --So, Tell Me about Yourself

When you finally get the chance to talk to someone at the company you applied to (Congratulations!!), it's usually a recruiter asking a question like:

"Tell me why you applied" or "Tell me about yourself" or "walk through your experience/resume".

If you aren't preparing for this, it's one of the largest reasons you don't move forward.

Three P's to hack the interviews - Persistence, Preparedness & Patience

Following these steps will take a lot more time but will leave you much more prepared & confident for the interview.

1. Start by researching and writing down a list of questions you think you will be asked! ( or just look at my prior post 12 interview questions for Business Analyst!)

2. Think about your answers and write them down- use bullet points and write down a compelling story to support what the question is really looking for. (Tip: Summarize this up in your notes you bring with you to the interview for inspiration if you get stuck.)

Before your call, write down 4 reasons you want to join their team.

1 - How your experience from past companies aligns to this role.

2 - Why you applied to this role exactly.

3 - How this role aligns with your passions & future goals.

4 - Things you love about the company.

3. Practice those answers until you don't have to look at your notes and feel like you can talk about it confidently

Try to answer in under 5 minutes by touching on all 4 above. Reason 1 may take the longest because it's important that you truly show off your experience.

4. Do mock interviews with friends/parents. Try and reach out to recruiters in your network to see if they can do one with you! Practicing in as real a situation as you can will help get rid of any nerves for the real thing.)

5. Video record yourself practicing the answers and observe your body language & confidence level! Speaking the answers out loud is vastly different from just thinking about them theoretically. If you want to improve your interviewing experience try recording yourself. The camera doesn't lie. It will show you exactly how many times you say ummm, so, like, etc.

Bonus Tip: I recommend rehearsing in your mirror the night before. That way you can relax when you go into the interview positive that you are prepared and ready to get that job.