So.. tell me abit about yourself (1 Viewer)

[bubble_tea]

argh, don't you's hate it when people ask you to talk about yourself? I sit there stumped not knowing what to say for a split second, then talk about studying and crap cuz thats all I do now and they get the impression that I'm a super nerd. Its happened to me twice during interviews and heaps of times when I'm getting to know people.. >:[

how would u answer it?

 

[toisthbe]

I havent actaully been asked that question during an interview!
But if they did i'd probably say something liek

"well im a fulltime student at blah blah uni, studyin for a bachelor of blahblah, and really am interested in a career in blahblah, but atm i think i'd just like to earn some blah blah on the side to pay off uni fees and blah blah, and dont count on my parents that much!"

 

[sugaryblue]

argh, don't you's hate it when people ask you to talk about yourself? I sit there stumped not knowing what to say for a split second, then talk about studying and crap cuz thats all I do now and they get the impression that I'm a super nerd. Its happened to me twice during interviews and heaps of times when I'm getting to know people.. >:[

how would u answer it?

the main idea of that question is to see how you'll fit into the whole work place. i thinkk they'll assess whether you are sociable or not, or approchable or not, your skills and objective etc etc... in short- make them like you smileeeee!

just be honest and sincere and tell them the things like what you enjoy doing (that kinda links to the job that you are being interviewed)

so if you applied for a fashion retail, you can say, you are a student blah blah, during your free time you like to make fashion assessories etc etc... and if you are studying something, link HOW that degree will be benefitial to your job.

 

[Raiks]

Firstly, you have to know that if an interviewer asks you this, they're obviously a novice interviewer because its a question they should avoid, because a good interviewer will take control of a interview and ask for particulars.

But I've copped that question plenty of times in interviews. They want to know your background, whether you are sociable and your general demeanour.

I usually give a speil consisting of "I'm current in my 3rd year of a 6 year university course and am finding it really interesting because I've found a desire to sometime in the future find myself in that certain field. Between studying and working to afford to keep studying, I fit in a list of social activities naming a few sports, going out with friends and also some worthy volunteer cause such as the salvos red shield appeal".... Tell them you have a desire to learn, a desire to work and a desire to enjoy your time.

 

[iambored]

memorise an answer and rattle it off, don;t egt yourself in the situation where you have to think about it on the spot

 

[jayz]

no offence, but i think that's the best ever question they can ask you, for starters you know that you can dictate the interview's progress and control proceedings, unlike a boring 'questionaire session'.

in terms of how to say stuff, take it slowly, look at the interviewer's body language, facial expression, body position etc etc, to noe how they are perceiving you.

in terms of what to say, depending on the jobApplication/situation you are in say what you believe they would like to hear, be straight forward, if you are nervous, say you are a bit nervous...after all, i am sure the interviewer is desparate to get a recruitment asap as you are at getting the job

 

[Katie123]

for an interview at woolies i got asked .... If your friends were here what would they say about you ?
i actually asked them sarcastically if i should have brought them along. I still got the job though

 

[chantellet]

Oh the question i hate is "what are your bad qualities".... Like your gonna tell them bad stuff about yourself. Who actually does this?

"Ah well actually I'm lazy and I have no tolerence for dumb people. I tend to be racist sometimes and I have trouble getting to places on time..." Yeah right

I got asked this in the interview for my job and this is what happened:

Me: I dont have any bad qualities
Interviewer: None at all?
Me: No none that I can think of
Interviewer: (with stunned look) um.. ok then.. next question

lol I felt like such a tool.. But i couldn't think of anything that I wanted to say

 

[iambored]

lol yes there is no reason for you to point out your faults, i think i would come up with something but then counteract it, for example, confused by new things at first but once i get used to it it's better. as if you're going to tell them bad things about yourself!

 

[Komaticom]

I hate interviews, especially the ones at Defence Force Recruiting. Being interrogated by a major scared the shit out of me, passed though.

Interview: "Tell me about yourself."
Someone else: "Firstly, (point to interviewer's family photo) I don't have a wife who looks like a man-"

nah kidding.

I can be best described to be a person who is punctual, mature, diligent, and thoroughly analytical in my observations and actions. I respect others and their opinions, however different to my own, and discriminate against no-one. I will give credit when it's due. I am willing to learn, and adopt, the my role as a leader and will perform my duties to the best of my ability. I will strive, with uttermost determination, to complete my set task, even if it means violating my principles of respect of all life. I understand that undertaking this career choice will subsequently result in potential personal harm, but I am willing to accept this facet of my chosen profession. I will view those below me, and those above me, with respect. I will become a competent leader.

That's the biggest load of bullshit.
My interviewer advised not to wear my tie bar to future interviews, because it makes me look like a "smartass", and "no one likes a smartass, but fortunately [I'm] not one".

 

[_Bushra_]

well most interviewers like the person to be outgoing and friendly, cus that way they know you will get along with customers etc (well at woolies/bigw anyway) that how i got my job

oh and smile alot and ask personal question eg so how long have you worked here?

i also knew a few ppl who already worked at big w so i was like " they say its such a fantastic place to work! great ppl great customers!" and the women loved it

im so conniving

 

[theone123]

i been to group interview with everyone completely good at selling themselves -_-

 

[jayz]

Oh the question i hate is "what are your bad qualities".... Like your gonna tell them bad stuff about yourself. Who actually does this?

"Ah well actually I'm lazy and I have no tolerence for dumb people. I tend to be racist sometimes and I have trouble getting to places on time..." Yeah right

I got asked this in the interview for my job and this is what happened:

Me: I dont have any bad qualities
Interviewer: None at all?
Me: No none that I can think of
Interviewer: (with stunned look) um.. ok then.. next question

lol I felt like such a tool.. But i couldn't think of anything that I wanted to say

lol, u r quiet fortunte at tat, i got a immediate 'ok, i'll contact you later' when i replied something in the lyks of tat.

actually learning from various sources and experiences, when answering questions lyk tat, u could simply answer,

'well, i am quiet pedantic at times, especially if what i am about to do is very important'

'friends say i think too much before i do things'

bs lyk tat would definitely help

 

[Gavvvvvin]

Oh the question i hate is "what are your bad qualities".... Like your gonna tell them bad stuff about yourself. Who actually does this?

"Ah well actually I'm lazy and I have no tolerence for dumb people. I tend to be racist sometimes and I have trouble getting to places on time..." Yeah right

I got asked this in the interview for my job and this is what happened:

Me: I dont have any bad qualities
Interviewer: None at all?
Me: No none that I can think of
Interviewer: (with stunned look) um.. ok then.. next question

lol I felt like such a tool.. But i couldn't think of anything that I wanted to say

You shouldve told them your a homophobic racist.

 

[LeftrightOut]

As I said in my other posts and will continue saying.

Asking that you tell them about yourself is not a novice question. It puts you on the spot to try and prioritise what you consider to be important aspects of yourself. If you talk about how you're a great sports person they might suspect you will not be available on weekends. If you tell them you love X and going for a sales job they might think you have expertise, but they might also think you will be looking at the products more than you will the customers.

Saying something negative about yourself is not a bad thing, as long as you can turn it into a positive. Make them think "You know that guy just told me my dog died but I feel happy that he did". Also they know everyone has bad traits, by asking the question they are trying to find the person with the least destructive bad traits who still seems honest enough to admit them.

The reason they do this is also because on your application/resume/CV you do not mention any of those things as they are only designed to get you the interview. It is at the interview that they try and see how you will fit into the company or situation. It will also show them how you handle "out of the ordinary" questions, although i've had them on just about every interview i've been to, if you crack or get stuck or feel awkward that will straight away make them think of how you might react if you ever meet customers or supervisors with weird requests.

You can treat it like a joke if you like, some might still hire you if they are desperate but chances are they will pick someone who answered the question with a less negative approach.

Also it is good practice to think of these types of questions a day or so before your interview because as you start getting into more serious jobs they will try to put you into more creative or awkward questions and see how you handle it.

 

[InfiniteQ]

I don't know, from my own experience I've had the interviewer admit she's had a very VERY brief look at my resume & that's why she wants me to tell me about herself cos she clearly wasn't very interested in my resume (lazy bum hehe). They just want you to spit out what you've been doing (work/study/extracurricular), what your recent achievements are, why you're there (at the interview) & what your goals are. That's it... short & sweet. Give them opportunities to ask you more questions so you have a bit of a conversation going... makes the situation much more relaxed.

 

[Komaticom]

"What do you consider to be you bad traits?"

"Being an analytical person, I have a habit of seeking improvements on anything that is flawed or ineffective. If a machine has a loose bolt, I will bring it to the attention of my boss. If my supervisor has a foul temper, is incompetent in doing my work or performing his/her duty, I will make it known to my boss. If my boss is my supervisor I will contact someone higher up, and push to have ineffective equipment or personel replaced."

I think an answer like this is positive, and at the same time, and to a larger extent, negative.

 

[iambored]

As I said in my other posts and will continue saying.

Asking that you tell them about yourself is not a novice question. It puts you on the spot to try and prioritise what you consider to be important aspects of yourself. If you talk about how you're a great sports person they might suspect you will not be available on weekends. If you tell them you love X and going for a sales job they might think you have expertise, but they might also think you will be looking at the products more than you will the customers.

Saying something negative about yourself is not a bad thing, as long as you can turn it into a positive. Make them think "You know that guy just told me my dog died but I feel happy that he did". Also they know everyone has bad traits, by asking the question they are trying to find the person with the least destructive bad traits who still seems honest enough to admit them.

The reason they do this is also because on your application/resume/CV you do not mention any of those things as they are only designed to get you the interview. It is at the interview that they try and see how you will fit into the company or situation. It will also show them how you handle "out of the ordinary" questions, although i've had them on just about every interview i've been to, if you crack or get stuck or feel awkward that will straight away make them think of how you might react if you ever meet customers or supervisors with weird requests.

You can treat it like a joke if you like, some might still hire you if they are desperate but chances are they will pick someone who answered the question with a less negative approach.

Also it is good practice to think of these types of questions a day or so before your interview because as you start getting into more serious jobs they will try to put you into more creative or awkward questions and see how you handle it.

that's interesting. where did you hear that from? it helps to shape how to describe yourself according to how you want to be perceived

 

[LeftrightOut]

that's interesting. where did you hear that from? it helps to shape how to describe yourself according to how you want to be perceived

Which bit?
It's from personal experience and talking to my interviewers afterwards, and if I get hired I get it from the managers who happened to be on the interview panel (I am mostly in mid to high end sections of organisations and these levels require a lot of paperwork). The jobs I go for they do 3-5 page write ups of your interviews for archiving/auditing and each panel member must sign off on it. The interviews last 45 minutes to an hour with 15 minutes added to the end for feedback. You can also request a full feedback on how you went and why you might not have gotten the job so if you want to appeal you know what you will be appealing against.

When you are applying for lower level jobs it might not seem like a big deal to do a quick interview. If you are going to move up into more responsibility you have to take them a lot more seriously so it helps to start early getting used to tough questions because if you are good you will be up for promotions or being moved across within your organisation.

 

[AsyLum]

argh, don't you's hate it when people ask you to talk about yourself? I sit there stumped not knowing what to say for a split second, then talk about studying and crap cuz thats all I do now and they get the impression that I'm a super nerd. Its happened to me twice during interviews and heaps of times when I'm getting to know people.. >:[

how would u answer it?

'You know that guy Sef Gonzales...well i went to the same high school, and now uni as him...'