What. A. Week! I know, it's only Tuesday, but still; I feel like I ran a triathlon on Monday.
From sun-up I was answering emails, scheduling bill payments and driving around like a maniac (Denver traffic being partly to blame). Who in their right mind would be doing all of these things at once...on a Monday?!? First off, I assure you I have never been in my right mind, but second let me give a quick update about where I stand in life at the moment.
Since we moved to Colorado, I haven't had a job. Okay, I guess that's not entirely true. I've been walking dogs for Wag! (which I will be writing a post about here soon). It's a pretty sweet gig. A dog owner puts out a request for a walk, I request it (sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't), I drive to that person's house, spend quality time with their dog for X-minutes and leave. Some dogs are great! Some dogs are...finding themselves still. While it adds a little cushion to mine and Brandon's bank accounts, it's not what I want to do full time.
Of course I am an animal lover, but my heart is in education. Last week, I applied to SEVERAL jobs on Indeed and managed to score a few interviews. I'm no stranger to professional interrogations, but I'm still a little nervous. Amongst the many questions they'll ask me about my experience and qualifications, there's always that one. Normally they hit me with it right off the bat. We'll shake hands, exchange names, then bam! "So, tell me about yourself".
As scary as the professional world may be, there are always things we can do to prepare ourselves for the inevitable, "So, tell me about yourself" and nail the interview. We're all good at something right? All your potential employer is asking you to do is summarize the key points of your personality in about 30 seconds. Some people may know this as an "elevator speech". To learn more about this term, click here for a killer explanation from UC-Davis California.
When your potential employer hits you with the "tell me about yourself" question, don't get hung up on it. This time is a great opportunity for you to highlight features of your personality that don't show up on your resume. Follow these tips to turn an intimidating interview to, "I got this in the bag!".
Smile
More than likely, you're not a professional kickboxer, so it is totally okay to smile! Make sure you've brushed your teeth, you don't have gum in your mouth and you're not forcing it. Be that vibe that you'd want to work with 5 days a week. When your talking about yourself, you're talking about your passions and should be radiating positive energy.
Make Eye Contact
Confidence is key. Remember: you're telling your potential employer about yourself, not asking. Are you creative, organized, methodical? You've got the qualities that they want, now sell it!
Give a Firm Handshake
Okay, so this should be done before the interview has even begun, and it is VITAL to your success! A handshake can make or break a big business deal, but it can also land you without your dream job if not performed correctly. A good handshake is web to web (the area between your thumb and index finger) with 3 firm pumps. You should be making eye contact the whole time. A handshake is like dancing; you wouldn't look at your dance partners feet, so don't focus on your hands during the shake.
Highlight THREE Key Features
And no, I'm not talking about your physical appearance. I say three because you should be keeping your self promotion to about 30 seconds; that's ten seconds to talk about each feature. If you're a recent graduate, it would be beneficial to talk about one goal you have for your future. Don't worry about telling them what your major was, what school you graduated from or the extracurriculars you were a part of. There will be time to talk about that later in the interview process. Plus, it's already on your resume. Now is a good time to choose one or two skills from your resume and explain them further. Let's say that you've marketed yourself as a "team player". How does that tie in to who you are as a person? What are you passionate about? Tie that into the company mission statement. Remember that you're telling your potential employer about yourself so they can get an idea of how well you'll fit into the company. You definitely want to spotlight yourself, but keep company mission and values in line with your self promotion.
Practice, Practice, Practice!!!
I cannot stress this enough. Do not expect to go into the interview and drop a killer self promotion that you've never practiced. Contrary to popular belief, it is hard to talk about yourself when you're stressed and still be able to sound intelligent. Your speech needs to be staged to put your best leg forward. But! you need to be authentic. Do not stretch the truth just to sound cool. We all know Leonardo DiCaprio is your best friend, but more importantly that he's your dog.
These tips aren't stand-alone advice to get you that dream job. You still need the resume and skills to back up that dream. However, learning to promote yourself is half the challenge! Don't miss the opportunity to wow your employer with your off-resume personality. Used this advice to snag your perfect job? Drop me a comment! Need help editing your "tell me about yourself" speech? I'd love to help! Send me a pdf or google doc to dallasadooley@gmail.com . Until next time!
From sun-up I was answering emails, scheduling bill payments and driving around like a maniac (Denver traffic being partly to blame). Who in their right mind would be doing all of these things at once...on a Monday?!? First off, I assure you I have never been in my right mind, but second let me give a quick update about where I stand in life at the moment.
Since we moved to Colorado, I haven't had a job. Okay, I guess that's not entirely true. I've been walking dogs for Wag! (which I will be writing a post about here soon). It's a pretty sweet gig. A dog owner puts out a request for a walk, I request it (sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't), I drive to that person's house, spend quality time with their dog for X-minutes and leave. Some dogs are great! Some dogs are...finding themselves still. While it adds a little cushion to mine and Brandon's bank accounts, it's not what I want to do full time.
Of course I am an animal lover, but my heart is in education. Last week, I applied to SEVERAL jobs on Indeed and managed to score a few interviews. I'm no stranger to professional interrogations, but I'm still a little nervous. Amongst the many questions they'll ask me about my experience and qualifications, there's always that one. Normally they hit me with it right off the bat. We'll shake hands, exchange names, then bam! "So, tell me about yourself".
When your potential employer hits you with the "tell me about yourself" question, don't get hung up on it. This time is a great opportunity for you to highlight features of your personality that don't show up on your resume. Follow these tips to turn an intimidating interview to, "I got this in the bag!".
Smile
More than likely, you're not a professional kickboxer, so it is totally okay to smile! Make sure you've brushed your teeth, you don't have gum in your mouth and you're not forcing it. Be that vibe that you'd want to work with 5 days a week. When your talking about yourself, you're talking about your passions and should be radiating positive energy.
Make Eye Contact
Confidence is key. Remember: you're telling your potential employer about yourself, not asking. Are you creative, organized, methodical? You've got the qualities that they want, now sell it!
Give a Firm Handshake
Okay, so this should be done before the interview has even begun, and it is VITAL to your success! A handshake can make or break a big business deal, but it can also land you without your dream job if not performed correctly. A good handshake is web to web (the area between your thumb and index finger) with 3 firm pumps. You should be making eye contact the whole time. A handshake is like dancing; you wouldn't look at your dance partners feet, so don't focus on your hands during the shake.
Highlight THREE Key Features
And no, I'm not talking about your physical appearance. I say three because you should be keeping your self promotion to about 30 seconds; that's ten seconds to talk about each feature. If you're a recent graduate, it would be beneficial to talk about one goal you have for your future. Don't worry about telling them what your major was, what school you graduated from or the extracurriculars you were a part of. There will be time to talk about that later in the interview process. Plus, it's already on your resume. Now is a good time to choose one or two skills from your resume and explain them further. Let's say that you've marketed yourself as a "team player". How does that tie in to who you are as a person? What are you passionate about? Tie that into the company mission statement. Remember that you're telling your potential employer about yourself so they can get an idea of how well you'll fit into the company. You definitely want to spotlight yourself, but keep company mission and values in line with your self promotion.
Practice, Practice, Practice!!!
I cannot stress this enough. Do not expect to go into the interview and drop a killer self promotion that you've never practiced. Contrary to popular belief, it is hard to talk about yourself when you're stressed and still be able to sound intelligent. Your speech needs to be staged to put your best leg forward. But! you need to be authentic. Do not stretch the truth just to sound cool. We all know Leonardo DiCaprio is your best friend, but more importantly that he's your dog.
These tips aren't stand-alone advice to get you that dream job. You still need the resume and skills to back up that dream. However, learning to promote yourself is half the challenge! Don't miss the opportunity to wow your employer with your off-resume personality. Used this advice to snag your perfect job? Drop me a comment! Need help editing your "tell me about yourself" speech? I'd love to help! Send me a pdf or google doc to dallasadooley@gmail.com . Until next time!
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