September historically marks the
highest hiring season of the year. Make sure you are positioned to get hired! You
will have to be prepared to answer the dreaded, ‘tell me about yourself?’
question. Over the years, many of the people I work with deliver their ‘elevator
pitch’ in a flat, unmemorable way. Here are three quick tips to help you punch
up your approach and make sure you stand out to anyone you meet in upcoming
interviews or networking events.
1.
Read the
mission statement! ‘Tell me about yourself’ does not mean someone wants
to hear your life story. They are looking for any potential connections or
parallels between you and what they need. Before meeting with someone or going
to an event, be sure to visit their website and read the mission statement of
that organization. Make sure you use their language, so that “I have worked on
user experience product development” becomes “I’m really passionate about UX, and
how it influences software development and web design”.
2.
Don’t
summarize your resume! Don’t just rattle off all of your past positions;
focus on where you are heading or what you would like to do next. Make sure
your response is interesting and conveys a passion that is relevant to the job
or company.
3.
Address the
curiosity upfront! If there is a characteristic about your background
that often comes up when you meet people, quickly address it so that it does
not distract from the objective at hand. My current assistant is a recent
graduate looking for full-time work. She has a unique name and distinctive look
and it often elicits inquiries from my clients about her background, and she
finds it to be a distraction from her pitch. My advice to her has been to
address the curiosity head on, so that she can move the conversation along to
her skills and qualifications. Plus it
does not hurt to have a unique feature about you that people will remember, so
use it to your advantage!
Rather than dreading the question,
see it as an opportunity to make a memorable impression on someone. You won’t
get that first 10 seconds back, so use it wisely!
gerberg
& co. is offering a second workshop this month to help you get ready. Learn
how to answer the dreaded "Tell me about yourself" question in a
concise, interesting, and compelling manner.
Monday, August
25th
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
gerberg &
co. offices
Register by
Wednesday, August 20th for the special early bird price of $95! Call
212-315-2322 or email
judith@gerberg.com
