Many times in a job interview you'll be asked an old favorite of interviewers: "So, tell me about yourself." After so many years of asking this question myself, I can tell you that the majority of interviewees don't know how to answer this correctly, because they think it's a chance to talk about themselves and their interests. More of a getting to know you kind of question.
Well it's not. The only thing an employer wants to hear when he asks this question is anything about you as it relates to the job he's offering. He doesn't care that you've been to Europe or that you went on an exchange. He also doesn't care that you snowboard every year at Whistler. All he wants to hear from you is how your experience, whether at work or personally, makes you a great fit for the job he'd offering or the company he works with. Below, here's a video of a classic answer we see all the time from new graduates who apply for a marketing position at our software company.
Well it's not. The only thing an employer wants to hear when he asks this question is anything about you as it relates to the job he's offering. He doesn't care that you've been to Europe or that you went on an exchange. He also doesn't care that you snowboard every year at Whistler. All he wants to hear from you is how your experience, whether at work or personally, makes you a great fit for the job he'd offering or the company he works with. Below, here's a video of a classic answer we see all the time from new graduates who apply for a marketing position at our software company.
Just because she gave a lousy answer doesn't mean that she doesn't have the appropriate experience to answer this question correctly. She just misread the question. Remember that when you're asked this question, no one wants to hear about your Pokemon collection or your new age eating habits, unless it's in the context of the job being offered. The answer given below is the way to knock it out of the park.
