How to Answer that Tough Interview Question “Tell Me About Yourself”

June 28th, 2010 by Kira

 One of the most frequently asked questions in an interview is “tell me about yourself.”  This is often the dreaded question by the interviewee – concerned about what the interviewer really wants to know, and how much should one really tell?

 Here are a few tips on answering that question while still gaining ground in your interview.

 First, remember you are still in an interview and while inserting something about your personal life is appropriate here it is not required, nor should it be the primary focus. The question is simply asked to get to know your personality better, your likes, dislikes, strengths, challenges, and weaknesses. 

 If you answered the question by saying in my personal life I don’t do much, but watch a lot of TV and hang out with my friends – well, I’m not so sure it would look that great.  That’s totally okay if you do, but remember the place and the setting of your answer!

Tell the interviewer something they can work with – I love to travel, most recently I went to X. I have the work hard, play hard mentality. Or perhaps you could say that you enjoy being spontaneous and creative, the last trip you took you simply went to the airport and chose a city to travel to.

This question gives you an opportunity to focus on your strengths and talents while utilizing personal examples or professional ones.

You can also answer this question by saying what you like in professional settings. For example, you could say I really thrive in a team environment; I like working with others, and having the ability to brainstorm and feed off each other. I’ve always been a team player. I played sports growing up and a team environment reminds me of that camaraderie.  

Think about some of your strengths and talents and see how you can turn those into a story to answer this question.

Some people get caught up when asked what are your top 3 strengths or challenges and rattle off a few things, but this question and the stories and illustrations you can use here can either support that or discount it.

Finally, just be yourself. This question also gives the interviewer a chance to connect with you on a personal level. Interviewee: I want to Xyz College Interviewer: I went there too, or my wife, or my niece, etc – you get the picture!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Candidates, FORTIS, Job Search | No Comments »

Should You Practice Interviewing?

June 21st, 2010 by Kira

 Does the old saying “practice makes perfect” really matter in your job interview? It’s a common concern for most interviewees, worried about how they come across in their interview and how they’ll answer those seemingly tough questions – so the question remains should practice be a part of your job search strategy?

 

“If you‘re not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he’ll be ready to take your job.” Brooks Robinson

 

While the quote may seem a bit harsh, in reality if you aren’t taking the time to polish your interview skills – someone else out there probably is and it can be the deciding factor for what makes your interview go from slightly okay to stellar.

 

If nothing else, practice for confidence. The more you rehearse and visualize the interview process, the questions being asked, and the free flowing articulate answers that you will give – the more confident, calm, cool and collected you’ll be during the interview.

 

Studies have shown that simply visualizing an activity and running through it in your mind can have the same effects as actually going through something physically. The subconscious mind doesn’t know how to tell the difference between something real and perceived – it’s the exact reason we hear about basketball players imaging that smooth “swoosh” of the net.

 

When practicing your interview questions and answers don’t worry about knowing what exact questions they will ask you. What you are looking to do is increase your confidence in your responses, answer slowly and precisely, and be able to think on your feet.  You don’t want your answers to sound scripted and perfected – you want to be real and genuine and practicing too much could make you sound like a professional interviewee.

 

Practice for the sake of practicing, not perfection.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Candidates, FORTIS | No Comments »

Sensational Staffing Service: What’s Different About FORTIS

March 15th, 2010 by Kira

I’ve always known that FORTIS and my philosophy on staffing was different than other companies, so a few months ago I enlisted the help of an outside third party to interview some of my previous clients and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

 

There were many things that came out of the information, like delivering quality applicants, a fast turnaround time, and an incredible retention rate but the one thing that came up over and over again was that we at FORTIS actually listen. As a small, privately owned staffing service we take incredible pride in really understanding and meeting the needs of our clients but because we just assume it’s part of the process we’ve overlooked how extremely important this is to our clients.

 

We understand that being heard isn’t just important, it’s critical. When a staffing company doesn’t listen to their client it creates more stress, wasted time, and poor candidate selections. What we do know is that the simple act of listening and hearing a person’s needs goes a long way and a trait that isn’t easy to come by.

 

We know and have seen that a lot of our colleagues within this industry aren’t concerned about the long term relationship and just the immediate hire at hand, but we feel differently at FORTIS we are here to listen, to strive to understand your needs, the companies needs, the position and what you are looking for, and the dynamics of your company culture so we can partner with you for life.

 

 

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »