It’s not even a question, and yet, this command will probably be the first thing you’ll have to answer in your job interview.

Having a phone interview in just a couple hours, I am my own guinea pig for this post. I have been counting down the days since last week for this Friday. Ahora mismo, I can assure you that I’m sick to my stomach and am using all the self control in me to not projectile vomski.

“Tell me about yourself.”

Oh, how I hate those words. Ask anyone who has already done an interview. I’m giving you the greatest advice: PREPARE TO ANSWER THIS NON-QUESTION.

What the HR person really wants is a quick, two- to three-minute snapshot of who you are and why you’re the best candidate for this position. Obviously, you won’t start off by saying, “Well, I’m 5’10 Capricorn. Love long walks on the beach. I’m the best cook I know.” Wait…that wasn’t obvious to you? (It’s ok, it actually wasn’t that obvious to me from the get-go. I almost started by saying, “I’m a tiny Asian.”) Well, this just in: job recruiters DON’T CARE. They are not interested in you as a person. Recruiters want to see if you can do the job.

I found this site to be pretty helpful. Interview Coach Sally Chopping walks you through the steps on how to answer this question that isn’t even a question but is worth about 3 questions.

1)  Work out what the THREE most important qualities are for the job. Begin your answer by stating that you have these qualities. For example, if it is a sales job, the most important qualities they are looking for might be:

• The ability to communicate well with people.
• The ability to set goals and stay on track.
• The ability to handle rejection.

So you would say: “I am an extravert who interacts well with people. I like to set myself goals and keep them and I’m very persistent.”

2)  Say where you last worked (or say the job that was most relevant to the position that you are applying for now) and pick one or two things you achieved at that job. For example: “I worked as a sales rep for the Savoy Company and I was their top salesman for three years running. Last year I sold over 1 million dollars worth of widgets”

3)  Say why you want to work for the particular company you are applying for. Show specific knowledge about the industry and the company that you are applying for. Show enthusiasm about the company. Example:  “I want to work in pharmaceutical sales because it is an area where I can use my ability to create solid long term relationships with clients. I want to work for your company in particular because you concentrate on gastroenterological drugs which is an area that is growing at the rate of 20% a year. That gives you a solid base from which to introduce new products like Endophine. I’d like to be part of that.”

If you put 1, 2 and 3 together in our example, you get a reply to “Tell me about yourself” that goes like this:

“I am an extravert who interacts well with people. I like to set myself goals and keep them and I’m very persistent. I worked as a sales rep for the Savoy Company and I was their top salesman for three years running. Last year I sold over 1 million dollars worth of widgets. I want to work in pharmaceutical sales because it is an area where I can use my ability to create solid long term relationships with clients. I want to work for your company in particular because you concentrate on gastroenterological drugs which is an area that is growing at the rate of 20% a year. That gives you a solid base from which to introduce new products like Endophine. I’d like to be part of that.”

Additional Chopping tips:
1. The wrong way to put it is: “I want to work for your company because you have great benefits and pay good commissions” That shows interest in YOURSELF and not interest in the company.

2. Don’t make the reply to this too long. Two minutes tops. You want to interact with the interviewer as soon as possible and if you go over two minutes you are giving a speech, not interacting.

3. Don’t forget to make eye contact. You want to look the interviewer in the eye and connect so don’t look down when you give your answer.

I formed my answer with Chopping’s help and guess what?! I passed Career Services’ test!
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