How many times have you walked into an interview and been
immediately bombarded with the dreaded "Tell me about
yourself" question? It’s such a tough place
to start. What exactly does the interviewer want to know
about you? Should your answer be a quick overview of your
career, or does the interviewer want a lengthy dissertation
of your entire "professional" life? How do you
know which is the "right" strategy to use when
answering this question … the strategy that will
immediately capture your interviewer’s attention
and position you as a truly viable candidate?
Unfortunately, the "Tell me about yourself"
question is a classic that you will inevitably need to
answer time and time again. Therefore, it is essential
that you be aware of the two vastly differing schools
of thought on how best to respond.
Tradition tells us that what someone is asking for is
a brief summation of your career. As succinctly as possible,
yet with substance, lead your interviewer through your
career history with a brief mention of some of your most
notable achievements. Here’s how a typical job seeker
using this traditional approach might answer that question.
"I began my career with Lessman Software in 1990,
was selected for the executive leadership development
program after just two years, and earned eight other promotions
during my tenure with the company. My earliest experiences
were in field sales, marketing and key account management.
In each position, I delivered strong revenue results,
including double-digit increases in market share ratings
in both Dallas and Atlanta.
"I was then promoted to the senior management team
of a troubled business unit, working with two other executives
to facilitate a successful turnaround. Once profitable,
I left that organization and spent the next several years
developing new ventures as our industry exploded. My final
assignment was as General Manager of a $200 million Asian
business unit where I delivered a 25% improvement in profitability
in just nine months.
"Currently, I am the Executive Director of New Product
Development/Marketing with Sulley Solutions LLC. I joined
the company in 1999 after a careful review of their technology,
marketing strategy, and in-house talent. My responsibilities
focus on providing strategic direction, operating leadership
and P&L management for both technology development
and the entire marketing organization. To date, my team
and I have closed over $145 million in sales prior to
full product roll-out."
Not such a bad answer, is it? It quickly explains the
job seeker’s career path, rapid promotion, and most
notable achievements. Simply put, it’s an historical
overview of where, when, and what, most of which was on
this candidate’s resume. However, telling the story
in the manner above gave it a nice polish and presentation.
However, modern thought has changed the strategy for answering
this question. Instead of giving a career history, use
the opportunity to your advantage by "selling"
what it is that you have achieved that supports your current
career objectives. Briefly, and with powerful words, summarize
"who you are today" and the value you bring
to that particular organization. Your answer can incorporate
results and experiences from your past, but should not
simply repeat what is on your resume. Take your accomplishments,
look at them critically, determine which are most related
to the type of position you are currently seeking, and
move them to the forefront of your presentation.
If that same job seeker were to answer the same question
using this strategic approach, he would state:
"I am a well-qualified, senior-level management executive
who has met the unique challenges of start-up, turnaround,
and high-growth companies with operations both in the
US and abroad. Never working in what one would consider
a status quo organization, I have continually been challenged
to deliver results that required creative, strategic,
and tactical leadership. Most significantly, in each and
every one of these situations, I have delivered measurable
financial gains in revenue, market share, and bottom-line
profitability.
"A few specific examples that best exemplify my performance
include my current leadership of an early-stage technology
venture for which I generated $145 million in new revenues
within one year. In my previous position as the General
Manager of the Asian Division of Lessman Software, my
team and I improved profitability 25% and positioned the
company as #1 in the market. My earlier career achievements
were equally notable as I increased sales revenues, introduced
new products, doubled market share ratings and captured
12 Fortune 500 accounts.
"In summary, I consider myself a strong leader and
business manager, confident in my ability to tackle virtually
any challenge by assembling the right personnel, forging
a realistic strategic plan, acquiring the best resources,
and leading my team to success. Of paramount importance
has been my ability to build relationships throughout
all levels of an organization, defining common goals,
implementing incentives, and challenging my workforce
to deliver their best. And, they have."
When you use a more modern approach to answer the "Tell
me about yourself" question, you are taking a more
proactive stance, giving your interviewer a much clearer
sense of the value that you bring to their organization
and the results that they can expect. Your answer is energetic
and your presentation is sharp, assertive, and on the
"executive" level. When you answer this way,
your interviewer can immediately grasp "who you are"
and the qualifications and expertise you will bring to
their organization.
Always remember that interviewing, just like any other
component of job search, is marketing, pure and simple.
You have a great product to sell – YOURSELF –
and you must approach all aspects of your campaign with
a strategic commitment to marketing your product, for
if you don’t sell it, no one else will.
Reprinted with permission from the Career Masters Institute
(January 2002) |
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Contact me at: info@1executiveresume.com
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