Tell Me About Yourself

 "Tell Me About Yourself"

The Toughest Question in the Interview

By Don Straits, CEO and Dragon Slayer, Corporate Warriors

When you, as a job seeker, are asked the most common, and

toughest, interview question, "Tell me about yourself," your

answer can make or break you as a candidate. Usually job seekers

will respond with their "30 second commercial," and then

elaborate on their background. While almost every career book

and career counselor will tell you that is the appropriate response,

I totally disagree.

Many people fail in their job search because they are too often

focused on what they want in a job including industry, type of

position, location, income, benefits, and work environment. Their

"30 second commercial" is centered around this premise. The

commercial describes the job seeker's career history and what

they are looking for. Too often, this is in direct contrast to what

employers are looking for.

There are two dominant reasons why job seekers are successful in

the job search. The first is focusing on the needs of the

organization. The second is focusing on the needs of the people

within that organization. In this article, we are going to examine

how to focus on the needs of the people within organizations. This

will assist in rethinking your response to that all-important

question, "Tell me about yourself."

In order to learn how to respond to the needs of the interviewer,

let's first learn more about ourselves. We can then apply that

knowledge about ourselves to knowing how to understand and

respond to the needs of others.

Most social psychologists recognize four basic personality styles:

Analytical, Amiable, Expressive, and Driver. Usually, each of us

exhibits personality characteristics unique to one of the styles. 

However, we also possess characteristics to a lesser degree in the 

other styles. To determine your unique style, you can take a 

Myers-Briggs assessment or go to the following site for a free 

Keirsey Temperament Sorter assessment test: www.keirsey.com

Here are the characteristics that are most commonly associated 

with each of the styles:

Analytical:

Positive Traits: Precise, Methodical, Organized, Rational, Detail 

Oriented

Negative Traits: Critical, Formal, Uncertain, Judgmental, Picky

Amiable:

Positive Traits: Cooperative, Dependable, Warm, Listener, 

Negotiator

Negative Traits: Undisciplined, Dependent, Submissive, Overly 

Cautious, Conforming

Expressive:

Positive Traits: Enthusiastic, Persuasive, Outgoing, Positive, 

Communicator

Negative Traits: Ego Centered, Emotional, Exploitive, 

Opinionated, Reacting

Driver:

Positive Traits: Persistent, Independent, Decision Maker, 

Effective, Strong Willed

Negative Traits: Aggressive, Strict, Intense, Relentless, Rigid

Gaining an in-depth understanding of your personality style has 

enormous value in your career as well as your personal life. 

However, our focus today is learning how to use this knowledge to

make you more successful in your job search.

Once you have learned about your own style and have studied the

other styles, I encourage you to have a little fun in trying to

determine the styles of others. When you meet someone for the 

first time, try to identify his or her style within the first two 

minutes. You can often identify styles by observing a person's 

demeanor, conversation, body language, appearance, and 

possessions.

To demonstrate what I mean, let's take some examples from the 

business world. While there are always exceptions, generally 

speaking the styles fit the example.

Analytical Style: Financial Manager (or programmers, engineers, 

and accountants). They like systems and procedures. They are 

slow to make decisions because they will analyze things to 

death—but their decisions are usually very sound. They prefer 

working independently and are usually not very good in team 

environments, but they are also dependable. They buy cars with 

good resale value and great gas mileage. They are conservative 

dressers. At the party, they want to know why so much money 

was spent on Michelob when we could have purchased Busch. 

They come to the party with their laptops.

Amiable Style: Human Resources Manager. Very people-focused. 

They are dependable, loyal and easygoing; very compassionate. 

They will give you the shirt off their backs and the last nickel in 

their pockets. They are good listeners and value team players who

don't "rock the boat." They are usually conformists and 

followers—rarely leaders. They avoid conflict and are not good 

decision makers. They drive four-door sedans or mini-vans to 

take the kids to sporting events. They usually clean up after the 

party is over.

Expressive Style: Sales Manager. Very outgoing and enthusiastic, 

with a high energy level. They are also great idea generators, but 

usually do not have the ability to see the idea through to 

completion. Very opinionated and egotistical. Money motivated. 

They can be good communicators. They prefer to direct and 

control rather then ask and listen. They drive red convertibles 

with great stereos; to heck with the gas mileage. They come up

with the idea for a company party, but never help clean up. They 

are on their way to another party.

Driver: Corporate CEO. Intelligent, intense, focused, relentless. 

They thrive on the thrill of the challenge and the internal 

motivation to succeed. Money is only a measure of success; it is 

not the driving factor. They are results/performance oriented. 

They have compassion for the truly disadvantaged, but absolutely

no patience or tolerance for the lazy or whiners. They drive 

prestige cars, not because the car attracts attention, but because it

was a wise investment. They want to know why we had a party; 

what were the benefits of the party, and did we invite the banker?

Ok, now you are really getting some insight into your style and 

the style of others. It is time for the interviews. Throw out your 

30-second commercial. Think on your feet.

You will be interviewing with the human resource manager, the 

finance manager, the sales manager, and the CEO. The first 

question each of them will ask you is: "Tell me about yourself." 

How should you respond? Remember the second reason for 

succeeding in a job search: focus on the needs of the people in the 

organization. Here are just a few examples of how to respond to 

that question:

"Tell me about yourself?"

Response to Finance Manager: "I have been successful in my 

career by making well-thought-out decisions based on careful 

analysis of all factors. I approach problems with logic and sound 

reasoning. I would enjoy working with you in developing the 

appropriate systems and procedures to make our two 

departments function efficiently together."

Response to Human Resource Manager: "My career has been 

characterized by my ability to work well with diverse teams. I 

seek out opportunities to involve others in the decision-making 

process. This collaboration and communication is what has

enabled me to achieve success in my department. People are the 

most valuable resource of any organization."

Response to Sales Manager: "Throughout my career I have 

always adhered to the principle that everyone in the organization 

must be sales-focused. My department is always trained in 

customer service, providing outstanding support to the sales team 

and to our customers. Without sales, the rest of use would not 

have a job. I look forward to helping you drive sales in any way 

possible."

Response to CEO: "I have achieved success in my career because 

I have been focused on the bottom line. I have always sought out 

innovative solutions to challenging problems to maximize 

profitability. Regardless of the task or challenge, I always 

established benchmarks of performance and standards of 

excellence. I have never sought to maintain the "status quo." An 

organization that does not change and grow will die. I would 

enjoy working with you to help define new market opportunities 

in order to achieve the organization's goals."

In each instance, we responded to the "needs of the individual." It

is almost guaranteed that, when you respond appropriately to the 

diverse needs of the different managers, you will become the 

standard by which all of the other candidates will be measured.

I challenge you to learn about your personality and leadership 

style, learn about the styles of others, and learn how to think on 

your feet when responding to questions. Whether you are seeking 

a job or you are gainfully employed, by understanding the needs 

of others you will become a more valuable person, employee, 

manager and leader.