''So, tell us a bit about yourself?''

[thestaggy]

That age-old staple of interviews.

What response are the interviewers looking for when they ask this question? Am I correct in assuming that they want to assess your professional character? Anecdotes about your previous/current work experience, situations you dealt with and how you dealt with them?

 

[Ho3n3r]

That age-old staple of interviews.

What response are the interviewers looking for when they ask this question? Am I correct in assuming that they want to assess your professional character? Anecdotes about your previous/current work experience, situations you dealt with and how you dealt with them?

Even worse is "how would you describe yourself?". Always feel that if you're too generous to yourself, they might see you as arrogant, or if you're to self-deprecating, it may look like you have no confidence, or even borderline depression. I probably give **** answers here every time.

 

[mercurial]

That age-old staple of interviews.

What response are the interviewers looking for when they ask this question? Am I correct in assuming that they want to assess your professional character? Anecdotes about your previous/current work experience, situations you dealt with and how you dealt with them?

And to see if you will fit into the new company dynamic.

 

[thestaggy]

Even worse is "how would you describe yourself?". Always feel that if you're too generous to yourself, they might see you as arrogant, or if you're to self-deprecating, it may look like you have no confidence, or even borderline depression. I probably give **** answers here every time.

I haven't been for an interview for close on 6-years now but I know the last one I answered it from a personal perspective, which thinking back makes me cringe. ''I like this'' and ''I enjoy doing that''. It's not a dating site application.

I have potential interview or two coming up though, so I'm already working on answering this question.

 

[*SynergyX*]

From the interviews that we do, we ask these types of questions to gauge personality and fit for the team.
sometimes arrogance is good if its back up by experience, otherwise the interview is a lost cause within 10 mins.

 

[thestaggy]

From the interviews that we do, we ask these types of questions to gauge personality and fit for the team.
sometimes arrogance is good if its back up by experience, otherwise the interview is a lost cause within 10 mins.

But am I correct in assuming that you want to hear this from a professional/work perspective?

 

[saturnz]

"I am goal driven, I seek challenges and apply my mind in achieving those goals"

"I am a creative and try to see things in different ways"

"I am disciplined and take instruction quite easily."

"I enjoy absorbing information and trying to put the pieces together"

the answer does not matter that much, I think how well you articulate the answer and how it relates to the job is probably more important

I think I told my ex boss I was lazy and tried to find the easiest way to do things.

 

[Kloofvreter]

"I like swingers parties, restaurants, and getting drunk by noon"

 

[rorz0r]

Usually just an ice breaker. "So, who the **** are you?" is frowned upon.

I once got "Tell me about your mother?".

 

[OCP]

"I like swingers parties, restaurants, and getting drunk by noon"

Honesty is always the best policy

 

[OCP]

Usually just an ice breaker. "So, who the **** are you?" is frowned upon.

I once got "Tell me about your mother?".

Someone asked me that at a braai the other day.
Apearantly "she is dead" is quite the conversation killer...

 

[Archer]

Someone asked me that at a braai the other day.
Apearantly "she is dead" is quite the conversation killer...

Many years back a friend of mine kept getting calls at home for insurance or whatever the heck they were peddling, and they would ask to speak to her mom...
She would say she is not available, and the company would then call back a few days later. Eventually she had had enough and the next time they asked to speak to her mom she just said "No." Why not was the response, to which she flatly (and truthfully) replied "Because she's dead." They didn't call again

 

[scudsucker]

Honesty is always the best policy

"I don't like to talk about myself because it might be considered boastful"

Not exactly honest but it's going to stop that line of questioning.

 

[Moosedrool]

Everyone lies and any company that doesn't know that are idiots I don't want to work for anyway.

No one is sitting there a motivated loyal worker who takes instruction easy and so forth. Everyone sits there for one thing and one thing only.