When a suitable vacancy is finally found and an appointment is made with a potential employer, the applicant has a number of questions - how to prepare for this meeting? How to tell about yourself? What facts will be useful in the interview, and from the mention of which is better to refrain?
Ability to present oneself
In order for the self-talk about the interview to make a proper impression, the candidate must have well-developed self-presentation skills. A presentation refers to the ability to present one’s abilities and talents (or a specific product, company) in order to get the right solution from your interlocutor. It must be borne in mind that self-presentation is not just showing oneself. This action is designed to influence the audience. It must be remembered that the responsibility for the success of the presentation always lies with the speaker himself, and almost never with the audience present. The maximum that the audience must do is listen to the presenter.
In order for the story about himself at the interview to be successful, the candidate must be able to provoke three reactions:
- Attention;
- interest;
- decision in their favor.
Many presenters are able to call only the first two of these reactions, while the key to success is the decision made by the interlocutor. Interest can be caused by bright appearance, non-standard behavior, entertaining facts. But as for making a decision, it is desirable to influence the audience with the help of persuasion. It is carried out through the use of informative techniques, expert information, as well as bringing rational arguments. Therefore, those who would like to receive the desired position must be able to convince the employer that he is the right candidate for this or that position.
Conciseness is the key to success
A short story about yourself at the interview is often the best approach. All the employer needs is an impression of the candidate. Long narratives are useless. The answer should take a couple of minutes on the strength. At this time, several interesting facts can be cited that will allow us to characterize the applicant as a real professional and responsible person.
How to talk: tips
It is also useful to adopt a few practical recommendations:
- Sitting on a chair, it is better to take a comfortable pose, but do not fall apart. It is important to keep a straight posture.
- The story about yourself should be short and intelligible.
- In speech, it is better to avoid participles. Indeed, so oral speech will seem more "difficult."
- You should also refrain from slang (for example, words such as stopudovo, cool).
- It is worth voicing only the information that will show the candidate in the most favorable light.
- You should include in the story about yourself that information that will meet the requirements for the candidate.
- It is better to avoid both excessive modesty and boasting, and self-promotion.
- It is not necessary to lie and ascribe to oneself those merits which in reality do not exist.
During the interview, it is better not to retell the facts that are indicated in the resume. It is advisable for the candidate to select several original phrases in advance that will characterize him positively. When communicating with the employer, it is necessary to demonstrate not only the bare facts, but also your mentality, the ability to communicate confidently, and keep yourself.
Why should you refrain from boasting?
Many recruitment managers warn applicants - excessive boasting is really not always appropriate. For example, one of the candidates claimed the position of manager for regional toy sales.She declared herself this way: “You can’t find a better manager than me in the whole CIS.” The employer had a logical question: if this girl is the best specialist in the whole CIS, then why can't she find a well-paid job for two years already? The conclusion here is quite simple: the candidate cannot adequately assess his abilities. Therefore, it is unlikely that he can be hired for this position.
Down and Out trouble started
Many applicants have a reasonable question about how to start a story about themselves at the interview? The first thing to do is, of course, introduce yourself. Beginning of the interview is always a courtesy: a smile, a handshake, a few on-duty phrases. After the candidate introduced himself, you can talk about education, family status, as well as work experience. Further, you can indicate why there was a desire to work in this particular company.
How to convince the employer?
A clear, clear speech, lack of repetition, short and capacious sentences will testify in favor of the applicant. It is also useful to give figures, facts. The narrative and negative reviews about employers may play against the candidate.
However, it must be borne in mind that such an approach will not be effective in all cases. For example, if the applicant has to do creative work or is trying to get a job in a youth work collective, then here the story about himself at the interview should contain more flexibility and creativity. For representatives of creative professions, an important element is the portfolio of works. Without it, a story about yourself cannot give the employer a full picture of the candidate.
Story about personal and professional qualities
How does each interview begin? As a rule, the first phrase that a potential employee of a company hears during an interview is “tell me about yourself”. An example of a story will help prepare for an interview and convince the employer to choose the applicant. When preparing, it is necessary to consider that the candidate is more interested in the employer as a specialist, and not as a person. Therefore, emphasis should be placed precisely on professional qualities and work experience.
The same personality traits as self-confidence, responsibility, decency and punctuality will help make a decision in your favor. They are also necessary, however, in the absence of work experience only at their expense it is unlikely that they will be able to get the desired position. The employer must understand that the candidate will be able to cope with the work, he knows how to put his skills into practice - it is for this purpose that he utters one of the key phrases at the interview to the applicant - “tell me about yourself”. Examples of stories will be discussed below.
Story of a teacher of history and social studies
Consider the story of a school teacher as an example.
- My name is (I need to introduce myself). Total continuous service as a teacher - (indicate the number of years worked). Last place of work - (indicate the institution, for example, GOU SOSH № ...). Acted as a teacher of history and social studies, and also carried out classroom leadership. The duties also included conducting additional courses in social studies. I have the highest qualification category. The average scores for the exam and the exam are maintained at a high level. Friendly and attentive to everyone around.
Interviewing Yourself: An Example Manager
In order to present themselves properly, the applicant must demonstrate to the employer the advantage of his candidacy. During the interview, the employer must understand whether the candidate has self-confidence, whether he can interact with other colleagues on working and personal issues, what experience he has. Consider an example of a door sales manager about himself.
- My total experience in the field of sales of doors and accessories is more than 7 years. I started with the assistant department, and six months later I was asked to move to the position of manager.My responsibilities included advising clients on the purchase of doors, calculating the cost of an interior door with accessories, working with construction organizations, making measurements, interacting with related departments (design department, warehouse, delivery, installation). Also, my responsibilities included resolving complaint issues, controlling the shipment of goods and installation quality, and drafting commercial offers.
The story of the designer
Consider the story about yourself at the interview of the designer.
- I have five years of experience in the field of design. My responsibilities included making layouts for leaflets, booklets, calendars. Also, one of the most important responsibilities was the development of exhibition stands, advertising posters, corporate identity for the corporation. Ready for work, I have all the necessary professional skills. Responsible, organized, easy to train.
Interview in English
Sometimes you need to prepare for an interview a story about yourself in English. For those applicants who do not have good knowledge of the language, this will be a rather difficult task. However, candidates who are savvy in English will cope with it "with a bang."
Consider an example of a story about yourself in English.
“Hi, my name is (FN). I`ve been working for the past ten years as a sales manager. During that time I`ve been trained and certified on a number of different sales techniques and strategies. One of my real strengths is my attention to details. I rally pride myself for meeting deadlines. If I commit myself to finish the project for a certain deadline, I make sure that things are got down, and on time. I am looking for a company that values customers, where I will be able to join a strong team and have a positive impact on customer retention. "I really describe myself as a person who is ready to go an extra mile to satisfy customers." / “Good afternoon, my name is (FI). For the past ten years I have been working as a sales manager. During this time, I took a lot of additional courses, and now I have several certificates confirming my knowledge of sales techniques and strategies. One of my greatest strengths is attention to detail. I have reason to be proud of myself, as I always do the work on time. If I undertake any project that needs to be completed by a certain deadline, I always do it on time. I would like to work in a company that shares customer values, where I could join a strong team. I really can describe myself as a person who is ready to go the extra mile in order to make the customer happy. ”
Preparation for an interview in a foreign language
A lot of preparation is required if one of the requirements of the employer is English. Stories about interviewing applicants, however, show that such an interview format will be simple for those candidates who have a knowledge of a foreign language at the level of Upper-Intermediate and above. Having worked out the phrases well in English, at the interview you can not pay attention to them, behave more relaxed and calmly. An example of a story about yourself in English during an interview will help to pass an interview with dignity. Of course, it also happens that the employer asks tricky questions for which the candidate is not prepared in advance. In such a situation, the most important thing is not to get lost, keep calm. When assembled, it’s much easier to find the right phrase, even in English.
What should i avoid?
One of the ways to prepare well for the story about yourself at the interview is a sample of other job seekers. By choosing the appropriate phrases from the stories in this article, you can prepare well for the interview. But besides the ability to present your advantages and thereby prove that you are the ideal candidate for a particular position, you must also beware of unnecessary phrases that can ruin the impression.
The most common of these are:
- Negative feedback about your previous job. After all, then a potential employer might think that the same reviews will be left about him.
- Too detailed description of his personal life. After all, “we can talk about nature and weather” with colleagues at lunchtime. In the meantime, the main goal is to get a job.
- Doubt in their qualifications and professionally important qualities. If the candidate himself doubts himself, then the future employer is unlikely to be able to appreciate him.
Friendliness, self-confidence and business conduct are the key to success in an interview.Adhering to the rules of a successful story about yourself in an interview, you can convince the employer of their value and get the desired job.