Spiritual Career Coach Reveals What Interviewers Really Want To Hear When They Ask You To Tell Them About Yourself
You can ace your interviews by nailing this first question.
People Images Yuri A | Shutterstock.com While interviews can be intimidating, especially for a job you’re extremely passionate about, preparation can help ease the nerves of even the most anxiety-ridden job applicant. Outside of research into a company and the role, there’s one specific question that no interviewee will ever escape, and oftentimes, it’s the most vague and open-ended one.
A spiritual career coach named Andrea took to TikTok to share how to truly stand out in an interview, especially when you are asked the "Tell me about yourself" question.
A spiritual career coach revealed what interviewers really want to hear when they ask you about yourself.
Andrea has dedicated her platform to helping job seekers harness their professional energy and navigate the job market, workplace, and professional lives with confidence.
Of course, having a successful career begins with landing the perfect job. That means nailing the interview. Andrea said “winning the interview” is about “winning” the very first question: “So, why don’t you tell us about yourself?”
It's important to remember that this is not an open-ended question about you as a person. Interviewers don't want to hear about how much you love travel and how devoted you are to your cats.
Instead, Andrea explained that you should pretend they’ve asked you an entirely different question: “Tell me about all the ways in which your skills match the posted job description. How are you, your skills, and your labor relevant to this company?”
Instead of talking randomly about yourself, the spiritual career coach said it's important to share experiences that are relevant to the company's needs.
“Hi, my name is [blank]. I’ve been in this industry as a [blank] for the past [blank] years, focusing primarily on [blank],” she offered. “This is how you fill in the blanks.”
Instead of spending 15 minutes trying to share experiences that relay that same information to your interviewers, you meet their expectations immediately.
For the remainder of the interview or the interview process, you can spend time getting to know the company, setting yourself apart from similarly qualified candidates, and connecting with your interviewers — which is how you truly land the job.
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At the end of the day, your resume houses your qualifications — there’s no need to spend time rehashing it. Prepare your opening, and then spend time delving deeper into how you can meet the company's needs..
Considering most job seekers find a job solely from connections — people they know, friends, or previous co-workers — it’s important that you can establish friendly rapport through the interview process.
Remind them that you’re qualified, while also ensuring that they like you personally and know that you’re “the perfect” solution for their current challenges.
The spiritual career coach explained that interviewers want to connect with their candidates, but they also want ‘the perfect person’ to solve their problems.
Andrea explained how important it is to let your personality shine especially when asked about yourself. By showcasing your personality and interweaving your qualifications into the narrative, your interview should feel like a productive chat with a friend.
“Use the job description and the interests of the company,” Andrea said. “I didn’t say anything about my college, nothing about my kids, family, COVID, or I got laid off… I didn’t say anything about my dog or what I’m eating tonight.”
You can also use questions throughout the interview to gauge what they’re looking for and to stand out from the crowd.
Talk about yourself in this role, in this industry, and as a stand-out candidate, not necessarily what you do for fun, where you went to college, or what your dreams are for the next ten years.
“Don’t talk about anything irrelevant,” Andrea noted, closing out her video. “Why? Because they do not care.”
Keep it simple, personable, unique, and pointed, and you’ll be successful.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories