so you can move to Round 2?
Tired of your first interview being your only interview with a potential employer?
Blame the #1 interview question that tanks most interviews.
You probably already know the question,
“Tell me about yourself”
It’s asked in virtually every interview and it continues to send people to the bottom of the candidate list.
Think about the times that you have been an interviewer, did you ask the question?
Most likely you did.
Or, some version of the question.
Maybe your question was “walk me through your resume”.
It seems like such a simple question.
So, why does it send people to the bottom?
If you’re new here, welcome! I talk about all things recruitment, interviewing and career move strategy.
If you’ve been reading Career Moves for a while, the heart of the matter is going to sound familiar.
In either case, it’s worth exploring how you can avoid making your first interview with a potential employer your last interview with them.
Let’s break it down into 3 parts:
1. Why does this question get asked?
2. What is the interviewer really asking?
3. How to provide a stand-out answer.
Why Does This Question Get Asked?
Most people would agree that this is a softball question.
It’s a way for the interviewer to get to know you a bit before they dive into the “tough questions”.
Most people would also agree that they struggle to answer it because they don’t want to share too much or talk too long.
Sometimes, it feels uncomfortable talking about you rather than what you do.
Or, you just aren’t sure what to say.
Many of you reading this have been in the other chair. You’ve been the hiring manager or interviewer and you’ve listened while well qualified people sound less qualified as they answer this question.
There is a simple way to provide a stand out answer, more on that in minute.
It’s the #1 question for a variety of reasons
1. The interviewer may not have read your resume.
I know it feels like an affront after all the time and effort you put into it.
2. The interviewer may be genuinely curious.
This is as common as the first reason with one very important caveat – the interviewer isn’t listening for you to retell them about your resume they have already reviewed.
3. The interviewer is listening for HOW you answer the question less than what you say.
Pepper in these facts:
- Some people enjoy learning a bit of your backstory along the way during the interview and some prefer to keep the conversation fact-based and solely job related.
But, you don’t know which bucket the interviewer falls in.
- The interviewer panels have gotten more diverse. Yay!
But, you may be unsure about what to say because you don’t want to say anything that might put you in a negative light.
- It may seem like the interviewer isn’t listening. They are using the question to settle into “interview mode”.
But, you don’t want to assume or be rude so you trudge forward hoping they are catching some of what you’re saying.
No wonder it feels like you’re winging it.
With all these realities, you may think that the question has gotten harder to answer.
It hasn’t.
Good news, right? I like being the bearer of good news.
2. What is the interviewer really asking?
It boils down to this simple question:
Will you solve the problem I have?
If you’ve been reading my newsletters for a bit, you know I’m a big fan of simple solutions and you also know that simple isn’t easy.
(thanks to Steve Jobs for providing us this quip to be used over and over again by those who seek to one day be able to say things so clearly and elegantly).
Hopefully, with the increasing numbers of interview trainings and unconscious bias trainings, interviewers are relying less on their gut and more on their heads.
As simple as the question is, I don’t want you to be deceived into thinking that it’s irrelevant to your candidacy.
Because knowing why the question is asked is a great start to providing a stand out answer.
And, I want you to be aware that a great answer – one that leads to the next round of interviews – isn’t going to just roll off your tongue and delight the listener when you haven’t thought about it for more than the time it takes a microwave to reheat your coffee.
3.Your Stand-out Answer.
Your stand out answer is dependent on how well you craft your professional narrative in the first few minutes.
Without generalities – with specifics
Without lingo – not everyone knows your lingo
Without filler words – you sound less confident
Without a high level overview that is a repeat of your resume’s summary section.
Without a meandering explanation that most interviewers tune out after 4 minutes.
Your stand out answer is a well-crafted and practiced story of your choosing that relates specifically to the biggest problem the company is solving (the reason the position is open).
It can be one meaningful tale from your current/most recent role or one that threads your experiences together (this is useful if you are changing industries).
In either case, you know this story because you have practiced it.
Now, here’s the secret sauce,
the key tip,
The simple ingredient almost everyone misses and yet, everyone wants to know.
Tell it in a way that demonstrates your emotional intelligence.
This is you demonstrating that you understand the key drivers, motivations, environmental agitators of your tale.
How was the problem impacting the culture, team, productivity?
What impact was the problem having on the wellbeing of the team?
Why is this the secret sauce?
Because we (the interviewer collective, including you) have all sat horrified by the number of new hires have failed miserably and we don’t want to make the same mistake…again.
In an updated 2020 study done by Leadership IQ, they found that
The majority of executive hires fail in their first 90 days because of their interpersonal skills not their technical knowledge.
If this is the first time you’re seeing this statistic consider it’s ramifications for a moment.
Let me know if you’ve had a similar experience.
- The new sales leader crushes their numbers, yet over the next several month, sales people start leaving.
- The new COO came from a well-known company and everyone expected them to bring all that know-how with them. Instead, its been 3 months and just about every direct report has visited HR to talk about what’s happening on their team.
- The new VP of IT can talk technical circles around everyone at leadership team meeting, but they bad mouth their entire team and you already know that there’s going to be trouble.
The bottom line is that the new hire who interviewed really well is a nightmare of a colleague. They fail because they lack the qualities, values or people skills that you expect from others.
In our world of remote/hybrid/onsite work plus the importance of culture and healthy team dynamics, interviewers want to know that you have the technical capabilities and emotional intelligence needed to succeed.
Bottom line:
Answering the #1 interview question with this in mind will finally make it for you!
You will become more memorable through the interview process and stand out as a top candidate.
Even if you don’t land that position, you will feel good about how you showed up for yourself.
#worthit
Get out there.
You got this.