Tell Me About Yourself

(30 sec read)

“Tell me about yourself.”

A lot of people mess up answering this question in the interview (or at a cocktail party for that matter).

By reflex and at the urging of the questionner, we tend to tell our life story, starting with our first days out of school.

Not good.

You’re probably boring YOURSELF with this story seeing as you’ve told it so many times. And when you’re bored telling a story, you can bet the listener is going to follow suit. So do yourself a favor…

Instead of starting from the beginning, start from the end. Start with where you’re at now. Go to the places that energize you and share those stories. After all, that is who you are, and people want to know you as you are NOW, not by who you used to be.

Employers (and cocktail party-goers) are like any shopper looking for something shiny and new: they seek things that are recent and relevant.

Rest assured, your current exploits, in all their wonder and chaos, are going to be a lot more effective in describing you, than your first gig right out the chute.