Job interviews are tough, and it is hard to know how to answer some of the questions that interviewers always seem to ask. The key to navigating the interview successfully is to be prepared ahead of time for what questions will most likely be asked and have a ready response. Being able to know where the traps might be can help you get through the process with flying colors. To that end, I want to start a new weekly series, Tough Interview Questions of the Week.
Each week, we will tackle another tough interview question and go through the best strategy to answer it without falling into the trap.
So, here is the Tough Interview Question of The Week:
Question: Tell me a little about yourself.
Why this is a trap: Be careful, this question (or a variation of it) is typically always going to be one of the first questions an interviewer will ask. It seems innocent and you would think that it is a good way to break the ice. Applicants who aren't prepared may ramble or try to recap their life stories and mention personal matters that aren't relevant.
How to answer: The best way to answer this question is to start with where you are now and tell them a little about your experience, you qualifications and what it is that you can offer the company. Keep in mind that the whole point of the interview is for the interviewer to determine if you have the skills necessary to meet their needs.
The key to getting through this question is to do your research ahead of time and find out a little bit about the company, find out about the corporate culture and where their strengths are. This will give you some ideas as to what it is they are looking for.
If, after your research, you still don't have a clear idea about what the company is looking for and what the job entails, you can feel free to ask the interviewer during your answer. You should ask them if they could tell you what are the most important priorities of the position.
Once they answer, be sure to follow-up by asking them if there is anything else that is essential for success in the position. This may feel awkward or uncomfortable at first, and if it does, try practicing it on friends and family until it feels natural.
The goal is to get them to tell you exactly what skills and experience they are looking for and will help you tailor the information you give them to show them how you are the perfect person for the job. For example, if they tell you that being able to organize information is crucial, then you will know that during the interview, you want to mention your organizational skills.
When you are bringing up your skills in relation to what they are looking for, don't forget to give them specific examples of how you have used that skill or performed that duty in the past.
What do you think about this question and answer? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.
Are you looking for a job in Real Estate? Be sure to visit RealEstateJobSite.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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