"Tell me something about yourself" or "Walk me through your profile" are questions which turn the fate of an interview. They are important, critical and decide whether the candidate is going to get selected or rejected.
Answer to this question can help you drive your interview in your favour.
Why is this question asked ?
Even with the CV in his hands, an interviewer never misses asking this question. It gives him an opportunity to know the confidence level of the candidate on the areas that he has mentioned in his CV. It also helps him in identifying his next set of questions.
Therefore, it is of utter importance to answer this simple question effectively to drive the rest of the interview.
How should we structure it ?
To start with, there are few tips that is common to all.
Talk of what you are confident upon.
Do not repeat the lines mentioned in your resume.
Try to highlight and talk deep on areas that match with the job description.
Do not extend your answer to more than 1:30 min.
Prepare well in advance and take it slow.
Once you have taken care of the above pointers, here are some templates that are relevant to each of the below candidates groups.
Group 1: Freshers
Candidates who have recently completed their graduation and are fresh from college sitting for an interview need to cover the below pointers in the order as specified.
Start with Education - Talk about subjects relevant to the industry the company belongs to.
Talk about your involvement in projects.
Talk about relevant certifications. It is always advisable to credentialize yourself with industry level certifications.
End with the line such as. "I am currently willing to use my theoretical and practical knowledge and contribute to the industry.
Group 2: Professionals having less than 6 years of relevant experience
This is a category who face a preliminary challenge when it comes to answering this question. The reason for this is the fact that even though they have worked for a certain period, they are still midway in becoming an expert in their area. This leads to a tough competition between candidates falling in this category. To ease out their 1st question, below is our template in the order as specified.
Start with latest education
Talk about the projects you have done as part of your work experience
Talk about your skills - Domain and Technical (whichever is applicable)
Talk about your day to day responsibilities - It helps the recruiter assess your worth for the required position. Keep in mind the job description while phrasing this answer. Ensure there is atleast a 60-70% overlap.
Group 3: Professionals having more than 6 years of relevant experience
These are folks who have a pretty decent experience and can be categorised as experts in particular skills. In this case, the amount of information is too much. So make sure you read the job description and choose the pointers that are to be mentioned as part of the answer. For this category, the order is as below.
Directly jump to work experience.
Talk about the companies you have worked with, the type of projects you have delivered and the skills you used while delivering the same.
Have a strategic flavour in your answers - You might not be directly contributing to the strategic goal of the company, but must know about how the product that you developed contributed to the strategic goal.
Talk about your day to day responsibilities - Keep in mind the job description while phrasing this answer. Ensure there is atleast a 60-70% overlap. Talk about working in a team and how your team delivers. Talk about metrics you track.
Conclusion
The above is a simple yet powerful list to start with while answering this question. If you wish to know more and get your customised answer, reach out to our website.
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