About 80% of all interviews begin with
this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer
themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work
history or personal matters.
BEST ANSWER: Start with the
present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the
key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the
interviewer is looking for. In other words you
must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy
in job hunting.
So,
before you answer this or any
question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest
need, want, problem or goal.
To do
so, make you take these two steps:
1.
Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the
generalized needs of the industry or company)
2.
As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more
complete description of what the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of
accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of
our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could
you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the
recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”
Then, ALWAYS
follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs
even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second
or third question that unearths what
the interviewer is most looking for.
You
might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there
anything else you see as essential to success in this position?:
This
process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to
answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will
your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before
giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're
competing with.
After
uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job
bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to
illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your
achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match
for the needs he has just described.