5 Tips to Effectively T(S)ELL about yourself

Tell me about YOURSELF!

One of the most common and powerful questions that every professional irrespective of their designation is aware of.

But how many of us really make the CUT and stand above the rest?

Undoubtedly, it is a question expected in all rounds of interviews at all employment levels. And it is a kind of make or break of any interview.

If answered well, the job aspirants candidature is almost finalized during this question

In today's blog, let us learn 5 power tips that will help you effectively Tell/SELL about yourself.

1) Be precise: Typically if you are expected to answer this question in an interview. Limit the overall pitch/content to 2 to 3 mins. Unless the interviewer asks you for more.

Pro Tip: Don't try to oversell yourself in this answer itself. Find opportunities during the rest of the interview to cover important aspects

2) Structure the introduction: If you are a freshman, think about talking about your qualification first, followed by work/internship experience, talk 2 to 3 major responsibilities along with accomplishments if any, followed by your aspirations, passion projects, side hustles, hobbies(and many be personal details to an extent).

Always introduce your name and location/city where you belong to, you never know interviewer might be from the same place. This will be a good start to establish that connection, else find out any commonalities and express them. Personal connect matters!

If you are a seasoned professional, you may want to try reverse chronological order i.e. Start with current job, cite 1-2 responsibilities, then previous job and 1-2 key deliverables/accomplishments, repeat until you cover key aspects of your career graph, switch to professional certifications, then education, passion/hobbies, aspiration and finally personal details(only if asked for or share only whatever you are comfortable).

Pro Tip: Covering a few points from the job description that match with your work experience will place you better in the race

3) Eye contact and body language: If it is an in person interview, make sure you maintain proper eye contact and display confident body language will S(T)elling about yourself

Pro Tip: Always put your spine erect and speak. You can fold your legs and display confidence while speaking. If it is a virtual interview, display your energy through voice. Of course - The advise here is not to shout but speak from your stomach!!

4) Numbers and Business: Conveying how your work has IMPACTED your business/company with appropriate NUMBERS or KPIs will create a great positive impression as you will be seen as a strong candidate with business acumen.

Pro Tip: Always relate how your work is impacting the business, if you are not clear. Ask you manager what happens if me/our team doesn't work for a day. Will there be a revenue loss of XX dollars?

5) Practice, Practice and Practice: Many people fumble to answer this question even at leadership levels as we take things for granted. But first plan what you want to convey and practicing it in front of the mirror multiple times will bring out the best introduction. There is no substitute for Practice

Pro Tip: Better to write down in a book or piece of paper what you want to convey. Practice in front of your parents/spouse/friends and seek their feedback. If anything needs to be improved. Define it and refine!

Bonus: Talk briefly about your uniqueness, and what are you known for(kind of brand image that you carry). e.g. If you have an uncommon hobby like Tree Shaping, Beetle fighting, News raiding, Extreme Ironing, Stone Skipping or anything that not many people know about.

The list can go on...but we wanted to cover these Top 5(+1) things that worked wonders for many. Also, stay tuned for a brief video on Tell me about yourself(One of our TGV core team members will record their introduction) and upload on our YouTube channel.

These tips are suitable for professional interview settings, but how about making a powerful introduction when you bumped into a senior leader or a CXO or a celebrity and they ask about you?

You may want to use Elevator pitch there?

Stay tuned for another post on that topic!

Also, we are curious to know the best practices that you came across while T(S)elling abour YOURSELF!

Look forward to your responses - we'd love to read and reply to the comments.

In case if you haven't tuned into The Guiding Voice podcast, check for the link in the first comment!

Thanks for reading.