Page 258 - Marky Stein - Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job-McGraw-Hill (2009)

Fearless Interviewing

their jobs for at least one year. I’m applying here today
as a licensed clinical social worker because I’d like to
prove we can get similar results with your clients.

Your Positioning Statement: “Tell Me about Yourself”

The question “Tell me about yourself” is most often
the first question to be posed in an interview.

Although it may be interpreted as a personal question that
requires a personal answer, it is really an opportunity for you to
introduce some of your most important employment-related
skills as well as your education and accomplishments to the inter-
viewer. Your response to “Tell me about yourself ” should be a
very brief synopsis, or “sound byte,” about your background.
Your answer to this question is very important because it
positions you for the rest of the interview. That’s why some career
coaches call this statement a positioning statement. I have found an
excellent formula for positioning statements that fits for just
about every type of job and every type of industry. The template
is reproduced here so that you can fill in the blanks. A template
filled in with hypothetical answers follows.
I don’t usually recommend that my clients memorize any
answers to interview questions . . . except this one.
Your positioning statement is extremely valuable. It can be
used not just in an interview but in certain social situations, on
the phone, or any time you have the opportunity to introduce
yourself to someone who could hire you or who knows someone
who could hire you. It’s good always to have this statement ready
when you’re in a career transition. I suggest that you work with
the template carefully so that you construct something that’s
comfortable to say and that really feels like a good fit for you.

Other Common Straightforward Questions
For other straightforward questions, you’ll want to use your skills
lists and Q statements that you prepared earlier in the section.
For example, looking back at your skills arsenal:

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