Secrets To Impressing Recruiters

Your qualifications are there on paper and you have confidently answered all the job related questions. You are observing your interview panel who are busy scribbling notes and shuffling papers and you are just about confident that the job is yours. Then it comes, the question which you were hoping they may ignore based on your technical competence "So tell us about yourself?"

How do you answer this question? Do they want to hear something funny? Should you go personal? Suppose you don't have anything much to share, after all aren't your qualifications enough? Well it doesn't seem so because they are all rocked back in their chairs and eagerly looking at you.

To an employer who is viewing a list of scores of persons who are all technically competent this open ended question to share something about yourself means that they are looking for something more. What separates you from the pack? Many applicants do not consider this until its too late but being well rounded and having interests outside your area of professional expertise can be an asset.

1. Showing Social Interation Skills that crosses Cultural Differences - If you are looking to join an organization that is global or seeking to expand globally then this will definitely be an asset. Of course being a volounteer who travelled across the world to perform charity would be ideal but this may be unlikely for a lot of people. Studying a new language or even being able to comfortably discuss world events can showcase your intellect and openess to diversity all the same.

2. Showing Emotional Maturity - No one wants an employee that's destined to bring drama to the work place and this is where you may discuss something that you consider to have been critical to your growth and personal development. A really good example could be discussing briefly the lessons learnt from experiencing defeat. If you were invloved in a team sport or the debating society at college then using an example of emotional maturity in one of these areas also helps to showcase you as being well-rounded.

3. Showing Passion For the Job - Of course at the end of the day, you are on a job interview and you are trying to market yourself. Giving an idea of how your passion for this field (within which you are applying) was developed or honed is certainly advantageous. Maybe your passion started as a child, maybe some life-altering event gave you your focus. Leave the interviewing panel with a reason to remember you long after you have left the room. Just be honest and real and they will sense your sincerity.