Monday Motivation: 4 Steps to Conquering the "Tell Me About Yourself" Challenge

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Ever wondered why the seemingly simple question, 'Tell me about yourself,' can make or break your interview? Unravel the secrets behind this crucial question with Joshua Tinkey and Lynda Commale, who share their combined three decades of interviewing wisdom. You'll grasp the essential strategies to construct a compelling, tailored response that impresses hiring managers and showcases your skills effectively.

Tune in as we break it down into four actionable steps, ensuring thorough preparation and consistent practice. From understanding the hiring manager's true intentions to crafting a foolproof answer that covers all the bases, we've got you covered. Whether you're a newcomer to the job market or a seasoned pro, this episode is packed with invaluable insights to help you confidently tackle your next interview and edge closer to your dream job. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your interview game and secure your success!

Try the 'present, past, future' formula as you craft your response.

Don’t spend any more time searching through articles, lists, or websites.

Check out Equipped Essentials for your all-in-one, 35-page digital book that offers examples, tips, memory hooks, and easy to follow advice.

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Don’t spend any more time searching through articles, lists, or websites.

Check out Equipped Essentials for your all-in-one, 35-page digital book that offers examples, tips, memory hooks, and easy to follow advice.

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Hey everyone and welcome to the Equipped
Interview Podcast.
With a combined 30 plus yearsof being interviewed and
interviewing thousands of others, we're here to build your
confidence, help you stand outand get your dream job.
Your hosts are Joshua Tinkeyand Linda Kamali.
Let's get you equipped.
As a reminder, in these shortMonday episodes, we bring you
some motivation to help you pushthrough that sometimes

(00:36):
stressful and frustrating timeof interview prep.
We share quick, hit, practicaltips, reminders and steps you
can take to get your week goingstrong.
Either way, the goal is to keepit under five minutes and start
your week strong.
For today's topic, we're goingto make sure you really nail
your answer to the question thatyou know is coming Tell me
about yourself.
You know they're going to askit.
They know they're going to askit.

(00:57):
So, if everyone knows, why doso many job candidates mess this
up?
Why do they waste theopportunity to share how their
experience and skills relate tothe exact skills the hiring
manager is looking for?
I've been on both sides, bothas a candidate as a hiring
manager, for a lot of jobs.
I've experienced this questioncountless times in a lot of
different forms and really wantto just help you benefit from

(01:17):
that experience.
So I'm going to cover two areastoday.
One what is the hiring managerlooking for here?
What are they actually tryingto get at with this question?
And two, I'll share four simplesteps you can follow to
consistently stand out fromeveryone else as you answer this
question.
So first, why is this questioneven asked?
When a hiring manager asks youor says, hey, tell me about

(01:38):
yourself, he or she isn'tinterested in learning
everything about you.
The truth is, hiring managerswant to determine as quickly as
possible what does thiscandidate bring to the table, or
does this person have theskills I'm looking for?
Or can I see myself workingwith this person?
Sound simple to answer?
I mean sure, I mean it can be.
All you have to do is directlyanswer those questions as part

(01:59):
of your response, right, butdirectly share what skills you
have, how you've used them andhow you plan to leverage them in
this new role.
Of course, that assumes youknow what the skills are that
they're looking for.
So part of your must-dointerview prep needs to include
writing down those top threeskills or competencies you think
the hiring manager is lookingfor.
Now second part how should youanswer the question?

(02:21):
It's almost like cheating.
You know they're going to askyou the first question, but you
may get asked a slightlydifferent version, and I don't
want that to trip you up.
Either way, it's the samequestion.
No matter how they ask it, thehiring manager is looking for
the same thing.
You should prepare, no matterwhat.
So don't be surprised if youget asked things like tell me
about yourself, or what's yourbackground, or why are you

(02:43):
interested in this job, or whydid you apply for a role in this
department?
Tell me about XYZ.
That first question is allabout the same thing, no matter
what.
So here are four ways you canconfidently respond to any one
of those questions.
Step one craft one responsethat answers all of those
questions I just listed a secondago.

(03:03):
You don't know which anglethey're going to take on the
question, but it doesn't matter.
Don't let it trip you up.
No matter what they ask,provide the response you've
prepared.
Don't let yourself be caughtoff guard.
Prepare one answer that coversyour background, yourself, your
skills, your passion, etc.
And I'm going to get into thosenext.
Step two practice, practice,practice.
Okay, that's pretty obvious,but practice out loud, seriously

(03:25):
, practice in the car, at home,wherever, the more the better.
Many people overlook theopportunity to use their commute
or, if you're not doing acommute anymore, other easy ways
to practice the time.
Just get it done.
Why is it worth making this itsown step?
Think about it.
This is your first impressionand remember they know that.
You know that they're going toask the question right.

(03:47):
So it's critical to demonstratenot only that you have the
right skills, but that youunderstand the dynamics of an
interview and you've put in thetime.
You're not caught off guard.
Nerves can absolutely play afactor in an interview, so
practicing over and over andover again will build your
muscle memory of your response.
So, while it might not come outexactly as how you prepared it,
it'll definitely be better thanif you hadn't practiced out

(04:09):
loud at all.
Step three focus on the rightcontent so the interviewer
doesn't need to know everybullet point on your resume,
your life story, your favoritecolor, foods you're allergic to.
What you should share is yourpassion for the position and
that you have the specificskills the hiring manager is
looking for.
Be intentional.
Share why you're a good fit forthe role.

(04:30):
This is your time.
So how should you structureyour content for the question?
Follow these quick hit steps.
Try the what's called a present,past, future formula.
I'll link to it in the shownotes, but essentially it puts a
different spin on yourexperience.
Most of your competition andprobably what you have done most
interviews to date, is take theinterviewer on a chronological

(04:51):
timeline.
I used to do this, then I didthis, now I'm here.
If you want to stand out, dosomething different.
Start with right now, thepresent, the skills you use
today in your current job.
Go back to the past.
Talk about what got you here,your education, what you learned
, how you got here, and thenwhat you're looking for in the
future.
So you end on a positive note.
What you're looking for.
Next, list the top three to fiveskills you believe the hiring

(05:13):
manager is looking for.
I mentioned that just a secondago.
Make sure you share that.
Your experience that you haveincludes at least a couple of
those key skills.
Remember this isn't a time tojust share your background.
It's a time to demonstrate thatyou have what they're looking
for.
Don't make them connect thedots.
Connect the dots for them.
Next, include language thatfocuses on what you bring to the

(05:33):
table rather than what you'llget out of the job.
So avoid phrases like hey, I'mreally interested in this
position because I've alwayswanted to learn about X, y or Z.
Instead, talk about in mycurrent role.
I excel at X, y or Z and I wantto bring that to you and your
organization.
Share your excitement and yourpassion.
The last thing a hiring managerwants is someone going through
the motions and is just kind ofthere.

(05:55):
They might have equally skilledcandidates.
Someone who brings some passionand engagement along the way
can put you over the top.
Lastly, step four be succinct.
The vast majority ofinterviewees spent way too long
answering this question.
Again, this is your firstimpression, so no need to bore
the interviewer before thingsreally get going even and leave

(06:15):
a bad taste in their mouth.
As you prepare, and sinceyou're practicing out loud from
step two time yourself, makesure it's no longer than two,
two and a half minutes.
If you're consistently goinglonger, the solution is not to
speak more quickly, kind of likewhat I'm doing right now, to
keep mine in five to sevenminute range.
Don't do what I'm doing.
If you're taking too long, thatmeans you have too much content

(06:36):
and need to cut it down.
So, trust me, you'll absolutelystand out if you can succinctly
share your skills, the onesthey're looking for, your
passion, and do all of that inunder three minutes.
I hope you enjoyed this quickhit Monday motivation episode.
Stay tuned for our regularepisodes coming later this week
and another Monday motivationepisode next Monday.
That's all for today, but let'skeep the conversation going.

(06:57):
Check out equippedinterviewcom.
Be intentional, do the work andbuild your confidence to stand
out in your next job interview.
Thank you,