Hiring managers often kick off interviews with a deceptively simple question: “Tell me about yourself.”

Interviewees may be tempted to gloss over this question in their preparation — after all, everyone thinks they know the answer by heart.

Potential employers will use your response to determine two things: your maturity and your authenticity, so it pays off to practice your response, keeping in mind the position that you are going after.

Here’s the best way to answer this common question….

Source - Read More at: www.msn.com

If you are applying for an Air Traffic Controller role, it is probably not a great idea to share with your potential boss that you enjoy diving with sharks or that you are a parkour enthusiastic, since an adrenaline junkie is probably not the best choice for a position that requires a totally different skill set.

Conversely, if you are interviewing for a  Director of Library Services, and want to share your interest in researching 18th century clothing styles, that may put you just enough ahead of the competition to land the job .

People want to hire people that ENJOY what they do, and if you can show that your truly enjoy what the job entails and tend to gravitate to similar endeavors for pleasure, that will put you in 1st place, every single time. 

First impressions are so important, and so often we see highly qualified candidates bomb the first question out of the gate, because they have not adequately prepared for it.

When a hiring manager asks you to tell them about yourself,  you should  have  a  short, concise answer that you have role played to the point that you are comfortable, highlighting traits and interests that will showcase your natural abilities to do the job at hand.

For another terrific article on best ways to address the standard interview question of ‘Tell Us About Yourself‘, check out our friends at Cleverism , for some fantastic and original ideas on this common interview question.

Check out www.iscjobs.com for a list of job openings, where you can land interviews and practice your newfound interview skills.