MissKhriddleton wrote:All great stuff, thanks again.
Since there does seem to be so many people here involved in hiring, can I ask how best to answer the very generic "tell us about yourself" question that starts every interview. Is this a time for me to discuss my current role and responsiblities and what I'm looking for? Should I talk about my career as a whole and how I ended up where I'm at? Should I talk about how my experience matches the specific job description? Should I talk about my personality and how that can benefit the company?
IMHO it depends on the role and the person's connection to the role shape the best response. I'm a manager hiring for a small team that requires a lot of time in the same room/car/restaurant together so I like it when the candidate shows personality and gives a little background. But most of the time I would say play it safe where you can confidently and concisely walk through the highlights of your education and career in a chronological order. As mentioned earlier by someone, assume they haven't read or forgot details on your resume. Again, don't ramble or jump around. More important to be coherent and confident and if you forget something, you can work it in later in the convo. Goes without saying, but be excited about talking about your career. It shouldn't seem like a chore to give a simple answer.
Where Born/raised - I would bring this up if new job is in the area of the employer. Its sometimes seem safer to hiring manager to hire someone who is from the area and hasn't moved every two years of their life. (Also could be a connector for shared interests)
Education - mention the degree if it relates to the fields and any honors that you may have
Unrelated experience - Focus on transferrable skills - dealing with customers, managing people, overcoming obstacles
Related experience - Point out as many similarities (I worked a lot on *Read line from job description that overlaps")
