Tell Me About Yourself?

The “most harmless-looking “but potentially grievous question in any job interview is “TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF” Yes, this will be the topic to be discussed here. We normally take it very easy assuming we know everything about ourselves and that’s where the trap comes from. At the actual interview time, we fumble and stumble on our first hurdle. So, what do you think about it?

What is “Tell Me About Yourself”?

Do you think you need to know about it or do you think you are prepared enough to handle this?

If yes give yourself a minute and jot down all you want your interviewer to know about you and if not give yourself a little time to read and prepare for the same and yes, we will help you out with answering tell me about yourself.

Tell me about yourself

About 80% of the interviews begin with this “simple” question.

And many candidates, probably who have not done their homework for this, get trapped, and confusingly end up giving a recap of their life story, talking about deep ancient work history and all other personal matters.

How should you be preparing for such an instant?

1. Get a complete job description to understand the role well before going to the interview.
2. Always start by talking about the present and why you are well suitable for the given position.
3. The most important thing is to match your skills and qualifications to what the interviewer is looking forward to.
4. In other words, “sell only what the buyer wants to buy”.
5. See if there is anything else you find essential to succeed in the given position.
6. Describe a few tasks in which you have succeeded before and which are quite parallel to the job position.
7. Always illustrate with specific examples of your achievements and responsibilities to present yourself as a perfect match for the position described.

An Example of the structure which you can follow for basic preparation:

1. Always wish your interviewer
2. Start your introduction with your name
3. Which place do you come from?
4. Family Background:
   -You just talk about your mother and father’s occupation.
   -One or two lines on the family are more than enough
5. Education Qualification:
   -Generally, I need to mention your graduation and post-graduation.
   -If you have done any internship or worked on a project during your Graduation/Master also talk about it.
6. Work Experience:
   -Mention the last company or companies you have worked with and your work profile in detail.
7. Skill Set:
   -Mention all technical and other skill sets that you possess.
   -As skill set should be the most important thing which you should be focusing on.
   -Remember the quality of a product will only decide whether it can be purchased or not, so try and elaborate on your qualities to be the best out of the lot.

Tell me about yourself: Do’s & Don’ts

Don’ts:

• Do not talk about your life history.
• Family and Place are not very important.
• Do not summarize your cv in answer to this question.

Do’s:

• Where you are in your career.
• Your Career Goals.
• Positive qualities and accomplishments.
• You must speak between 30-60 seconds.
• Be confident when you speak.

Tell Me About Yourself: STRUCTURE

1. Name:
2. Place:
3. Qualification:
4. Project (For Freshers):
5. Internship:
6. Work Experience (For experience):
7. Company Last Worked at:
8. Company Worked Before:
9. Write about your work responsibilities:
10. Important Accomplishments:
11. Skill Set:

Sample Answer (Fresher)

Hi, my name is Vamsi and I am from Hyderabad.

I have completed my MBA in Finance from Aurora Business School and my graduation in commerce from the same institute.

During my MBA I made a project on Financial Statement Analysis of Reliance Industries.

I also did an internship at XYZ Associates and worked with them in understanding their financial statements (income statement, balance sheet & cash flows) and made an analysis of their financial position for the year.

Coming to my skill set I have a good working knowledge of Excel, as I am from an accounts and finance background, I am also good at understanding accounting concepts and standards.

I have good knowledge of financial markets. (both India and the US)

I can be a good team player as during my college days I have been an active participant in extracurricular activities like conducting student meetings, hosting programs for guest faculty, and participating in inter-college sports activities.

Sample Answer (Experienced)

Hello  Sir/Ma’am

My name is Manish.

I am from Hyderabad, I have been living in Mumbai for the last 4 years.

Coming to my qualification I did my post-graduation (MBA in Finance) from Osmania University.

Then did my internship at a trading firm and gained experience as a junior equity trader which boosted my interest in working in the financial markets field.

Not only I was passionate about finance but also wanted to pursue my career in the equities and valuation domain.

I last worked with Karvy as a Derivative Analyst.

During my tenure, I worked on the preparation of reports based on derivative data i.e., open interest, based on various statistical data.

Generate trade calls related to future and options, option strategies (plain vanilla, hybrid, etc.)

Options strategies based on risk and return, based on market momentum.

I wanted to explore more opportunities in the valuation domain and move to the next level, so I decided to look forward to good opportunities.

So, by looking at the above sample answer prepare your self do homework before you plan to attend an interview. Prepare a script and jot down all important things about yourself and then place them according to the structure mentioned above. Add skillsets and certifications that give weightage to your profile.

The structure will help you in keeping an alignment about the things which you want to talk about and if you practice it after writing and presenting it you will not tend to forget the important points.

If you want to discuss career options or your profile mail us at

[email protected] or visit www.rvmfinishingschool.com

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