The following post is courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap:
From: Jessica Holbrook is a former Executive Hiring Manager for Fortune 500 companies and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast.
After reading this the ‘Hiring Powers That Be’ are going to revoke my membership and then cut me off from ever working in the Human Resources field again. OK that may be a bit dramatic but I am revealing one of a hiring manager’s secret weapons.
The first question an interviewer most likely asks is “So tell me about yourself.” It may sound harmless but watch out, this is where it can get you in deep trouble and cost you the job! Yes, before you have even discussed qualifications and background experience your answer to this question will either keep you in the running or boot you out before the interview is over.
The question is designed to be a warm up. When you first greet someone for an interview they would like to get to know you, most likely so you’ll warm up, feel more comfortable and at ease talking to them. But be careful because this question often entices people to share personal information. When I say personal information I’m not referring to your social security number and place of birth. I’m referring to you, what you do, who you are, where you go, your family, etc.
When I have asked this question in interviews (Yes, I am guilty of being one of those people) I am surprised at the responses that I get. They are hardly ever professional and career focused. Normally a candidate will start of with well I was born in New York City in ‘74 went to school at Green Park Elementary, had two dogs, I love to play basketball and now I’m married and have two kids.
Wrong answer.
Sneaky recruiters will use this information against you. They know they can’t come out and ask you about your age, religion, marital status, etc. And this is exceptionally tricky for STAY AT HOME MOMS!!!
I warn you! USE DISCRETION.
I once had an interviewer start of with the ‘So tell me’ question. Knowing what I know, I kept it strictly professional. I said I graduated from XYZ University with a Bachelors of Science in Communications and started my career in Recruiting with a National Staffing Agency, I progressed through the ranks, then moved on to a better opportunity with ABC Corp. I have been with them 6 years and am now seeking a more challenging role as the Human Resources Manager for LMN Inc.
See how I kept it purely about my career progression? This is the proper way to answer the question. But the interviewer was not satisfied that I didn’t come out and tell him about my personal life and later on in the interview he just came out and asked the illegal personal question. “I am sure you have a family and children don’t you? Tell me about that.”
WHOA! Hello illegal question. I said, you’ll have to pardon my response if it comes off negatively but actually I think you really need someone in this Human Resources position that is knowledgeable about current employment law because that is an illegal question and could really get you into a lot of trouble if you ask the wrong person.
Thankfully he laughed it off and said “oh, I didn’t know that - it’s a good thing you said something. We really do need someone that knows that information.” The next day I had an offer on the table. And he never interviewed anyone again - phew, lawsuit averted.
The reason why I mentioned previously this question is tricky for stay at home moms is because you get caught in the trap. When they say, so tell me about yourself you immediately want to say “Well, I have two kids and for the last 4 years I have been staying at home taking care of them.” I hate to even say this but **some** employers will look down on this. They’ll think oh she has kids and that may detract from her job duties and what about absences if her kids get sick? How much work will she have to miss?
I am not saying every employer is like this by any means but there are some out there. Know what your rights are and what is and isn’t OK for an interviewer to ask. And if someone says to you in an interview “So tell me about yourself” keep it professional and about your education and experience. Refrain from telling them your whole life story.
Hopefully, this will help many of you make it to that next step in the interview process and one step closer to the job of your dreams.
Great post!
I'm one of those interviewers who used to ask this question. I didn't do it to gain personal information, but often that's how candidates would respond.
Now I say, "tell me about your background and what brought you to this point." What I am looking for is the ability to succinctly sum up professional experience into relevant highlights.
Also, I'd suggest that this first response be concise - no more than two minutes. I interviewed one candidate who took up 12 minutes (of a 30-minute interview) on this first question. That made it really difficult to dive deeper into specific topics for the rest of the interview.
Posted by: Ginger | September 17, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Never thought to avoid giving graduation dates. Great point, though.
Posted by: twitter.com/kshoop | September 23, 2009 at 02:27 PM