How to: Answer the “Tell me about you” Question/ MBA students!
One of the most difficult questions asked during an interview is the “tell me about you” question. It is a question which should be easy but is actually capable of breaking out even the most confident candidates out in a cold sweat. This article aims to tackle this seemingly difficult and stressful question so that the recent MBA graduate can take control and position herself as the perfect candidate for the job. This particular question is a unique question and first, the MBA student must understand why she has been asked this specific question. There are two main reasons as to why the interviewer has asked this question. One reason is that the hiring manager wants to understand what the candidate deems to be important. Another reason is that they want to see the candidate’s reaction to a casually asked question, seemingly without structure. Once this question is asked, the candidate must remain calm and think about the most interesting way in which he can get to answer this question. If the candidate displays that she is visibly uncomfortable with the question, it could potentially mean bidding adieu to the job. There are various ways to tackle this unstructured question. However, first, the candidate must understand that an unstructured or casual question is meant to get the candidate to deviate from the memorized answers that she has painstakingly prepared in the days leading to the interview. The hiring manager wants the candidate to think on her feet, speak freely and off the cuff. There are many possible reasons for the hiring manager to do this. One, the hiring manager wants to see the candidate respond to situations for which she is unprepared and secondly, the hiring manager wants to understand the candidate’s ability to adapt and think on the fly. The hiring manager also wants to see what experiences, skills, and abilities the candidate considers crucial to the position she is applying for and whether she understands the skills and abilities required for the job. The candidate must, therefore, stress on the things that the company values. WHAT NOT TO DO The candidate must not simply repeat the things already mentioned in her cover letter and resume. She should not only highlight the important moments in her life but more importantly, highlight those qualities which are strictly relevant to the position she is applying for. Oversharing life stories, experiences and personal events should be avoided at all costs. It is important to highlight only the relevant accomplishments and career goals in the limited time provided. This is a very common mistake many people make. The question should not be answered with another question like “what do you want to know.” This will immediately tell the interviewer that the candidate is unprepared and might potentially cost her the job. Too long answers are also not appreciated. The answer should be kept crisp and short to around a minute or so. This will cast a pleasing impression on the hiring manager. WHAT TO DO: The most important thing to do is for the candidate to tailor their answer to the needs and wants of the company. She should give an answer which will cater to the needs of the organization she is applying to. It is important to tailor the answer so that she can talk about the qualities that the company is searching for. This will show that the candidate possesses the qualities the company wants. The answer should definitely include a success story, highlighting the qualities the candidate is trying to demonstrate. This success story could be from a past job experience where the candidate solved a difficult problem, excelled in a formidable situation or used certain abilities to get the job done on time. It should clearly demonstrate the candidate succeeding in some way, thereby making a positive impression on the interviewer. An ideal answer should be direct, and business focused. The candidate should slip in some experiences or training done to highlight his achievements and abilities and stress on the qualities valued by the company. The answer should be wrapped up by bringing it back to where she is now and she would like to accomplish with the job. Keeping the answer professional, tailored and focused will help reinforce the candidate as the perfect one for the job. Many a time it is seen that the candidate is fresh out of college and has no experience, or it is such that the candidate is changing streams. In this situation there are a few important things that the candidate should remember: If the candidate does not have a success story about past work experience, she can draw that success story from any other source like volunteer and charity work, academic achievements and athletic endeavours. More often than not, the company is more concerned about how the candidate can use her abilities to help them, rather than how the candidate used her skills for the other company. Companies put more value on the qualities that a candidate possesses and how they can use those qualities like leadership or collaboration to their advantage. As long as the candidate can put in a relevant success story about the qualities valued, it will not matter much whether the candidate used to work in the same industry or not. By using these tips and following this advice, the candidate can easily take this tricky question and put it to her advantage by showing just how perfect she is for the job. Her ultimate goal should be to sell herself as the best candidate so that the interviewer sees her not just as a potential candidate but as a future employee.