You’ll only have a few minutes, use it to the fullest to sell
yourself. If you’re not prepared, you won’t even know where to begin
answering this open-ended question.
Summarize and highlight the experiences and achievements that you
want the interviewer to know. Show off the skills you gained that makes
you a great fit for the job.
Resist the impulse to list all your hobbies and personal interests. Don’t talk about your relationship status or family history either. You aren’t creating your Profile for a social media account here.
On the other, you might end up simply reciting your full resume to the interviewer. Boring!
How To Easily Answer The “Tell Me About Yourself” Question
Kathryn Minshew from The Muse speaks of a rule called Present-Past-Future which I found to be the easiest – and most practical – way to answer this make-or-break question.
Present. First talk about what you’re doing right now.
Past. Then go a little back to talk about previous experiences and what skills you gained from them.
Future. Finish with a look into the coming days and why you’re thrilled about this job opportunity.
Something like this:
I’m currently a Guest Relations Executive at the VIP lounge of
the Grand Hyatt, where I take care of high-profile guests. Before that, I
also worked at a call center handling customer issues. Though, I love
what I do, I’ve always wanted the chance to be a cabin crew with ____,
which is why I’m excited about this opportunity.
Or
I’m a graduate of Hotel and Tourism Management. I spent a year in
Spain working as a waiter and learning Spanish. I’ve always wanted to
be a flight attendant and it would be a privilege to get this job
opportunity.
Short, simple, and direct to the point. Only mention experiences and
key strengths that are relevant to the flight attendant position.
No doubt the interviewer will be asking more questions based on what
you just said. A friendly chat between you and the interviewer should be
the outcome.
“And
ultimately, don’t be afraid to relax a little bit, tell stories and
anecdotes—the hiring manager already has your resume, so they also want
to know a little more about you.” – Kathryn Minshew