1. 1. Grabs their attention immediately. Demonstrates your ability to be concise,
creative and compelling.
Adaptive
Energetic
Intelligent
Responsive
Caffeinated
2. “The quotation I live my life by is…” Proves that personal development is an
essential part of your growth plan. Also shows your ability to motivate yourself.
3. “My personal philosophy is…” Companies hire athletes – not shortstops. This
line indicates your position as a thinker, not just an employee.
4. “People who know me best say that I’m…” This response offers insight into
your own level of self-awareness.
5. “Well, I googledmyself this morning, and here’s what I found…” Tech-savvy,
fun, cool people would say this. Unexpected and memorable.
6. “My passion is…” People don’t care what you do – people care who you are.
And what you’re passionate about is who you are. Plus, passion unearths
enthusiasm.
7. “When I was seven years old, I always wanted to be…” An answer like this
shows that you’ve been preparing for this job your whole life, not just the night
before.
8. “If Hollywood made a move about my life, it would be called…” Engaging,
interesting and entertaining.
9. “Can I show you, instead of tell you?” Then, pull something out of your pocket
that represents who you are. Who could resist this answer? Who could forget this
answer?
10. “The compliment people give me most frequently is…” Almost like a
testimonial, this response also indicates self-awareness and openness to
feedback.
Keep in mind that these examples are just the opener. The secret is thinking how you
will follow up each answer with relevant, interesting and concise explanations that make
the already bored interviewer look up from his stale coffee and think, “Wow! That’s the
best answer I’ve heard all day!”
Ultimately it’s about answering quickly, it’s about speaking creatively and it’s about
breaking people’s patterns.
While describing yourself in an interview, the answer should always be related to the
job. Remember, although the employer is asking personal questions, they are still all
related to "what can you bring to the company?" So, I usually give adjectives like
reliable, loyal, etc., but make sure you back these with supporting examples. The most
important thing is to make sure you boil it all down to presenting the answer in a way
that it matches the things the employer is looking for.
Here is more advice:
Think about what kind of person you would like working for you and convey that
to the employer. The best advice I can give to a job seeker is first aim high, well
as high as you are capable of and realize the more you are willing to learn

2. through experience or school is valuable. See yourself as a commodity. Be
honest about your capabilities, if you don't know how to do something, say you
don't know but let the employer know you are capable of learning and even give
an example of something else you learned to do, maybe at another job or even a
hobby. Most jobs will have to train you to their way and processes so don't
undermine your capability and be proud of your accomplishments in life because
they will only bring you up.
Just list off a few characteristics that you see yourself as having. Make all of the
characteristics sound as positive as possible. This question is usually asked in
order to gauge how a person perceives him- or herself. Just be honest. Are you
outgoing? Shy? Diligent? Stubborn? Clever? Passionate? Level-headed? Easy-
going? etc., etc. Don't stress too much.
o If you can't think of anything, think of a few people who know you and
imagine how they would describe you. Pretend that your mom, a sibling, a
good friend, a co-worker, and your spouse or significant other are all
sitting down in a room making a list of your characteristics and then use
the things you think they would say.
A job interview is NO TIME to be shy. Brag about yourself. It's expected. Brag
about all of your good points and don't mention anything negative or anything you
"can't do." Be positive and upbeat.
With complete honesty, don't try to make yourself better than you are, but don't
yourself down, either.
Employers love to ask you questions that get to your perception of yourself.
These may come in several forms - "How do you describe yourself"; "What are
the qualities you possess that make you the best candidate for this job"; "What
do you bring to this company that will make this company stronger" or a variation
on these are commonly asked.
Your resume should already have a personal statement that discusses your
qualities - in the most positive terms possible. Make sure you are familiar with
your resume. VERY familiar. This is especially important if you didn't write it
yourself, or if you have multiple resumes tailored to different positions.
Because this is such a common question, it may be a good idea to sit down
ahead of time and list 4-5 qualities and examples in your previous experience
where these qualities allowed you to overcome a problem or succeed at a task.
Remember, the interview is not a "game"
where you are trying to outsmart the interviewer to get the job. Your best strategy
is to honestly sell yourself and your abilities to an employer to get a job that is a
good fit for you, in a company that is a good fit for you. Outsmarting an
interviewer to get a job in a company or position that ultimately leads to
unhappiness on either or both sides is really outsmarting yourself.
Give a fair answer, tell them about your strong and weak points, but try to
emphasize some of your qualities. For example, you could say that you are a
hard-working, responsible, serious person, you are able to handle with people,
able to work under stress, you are an easy learner. Don't be shy to talk about
your creative "side". But be honest, admit that you also had some "bad moments"
in your past jobs.

3. Your answer should be relevant to the job for which you are being interviews. Do
not start going into your personal life. Keep your self-introduction professional!
A person is defined in three ways: (1) who he is right now, (2) what he has done
in the past, and (3) what he will become in the future. So, here is how you
answer: (1) I am a [the job title for which you are applying or something very
close.] (2) I have [how many years of experience] in [what field, what subject]. (3)
I want to be [a job title that is a couple or a few levels above the current position
for which you are applying in 5 to 10 years.] Close your answer with an
affirmative question: "Is there anything else you want to know?"
You should be very straightforward and honest in replying to this question. The
interviewer wants to check if what you have mentioned in your resume is correct
or not.
I would answer the question based on who is interviewing me? If it's a sales
manager/Technical Manager/Human resources manager? Depending on the
person's field I'll have to mend the answer to please him... I feel that everyone's
goals are different... so analyze that and then answer.
Answer this question with your 30-second "elevator speech" about yourself. The
standard format for this speech is... "I am a (BLANK), who does (WHAT)." In my
case... I am a PROJECT MANAGER, who PROVIDES QUALITY
MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS, Blah, Blah, Blah. (you get the idea).
Let me share what my recruiting office tells its candidates as they head out for
that crucial face-to-face interview. When asked to "tell me about yourself," say, "I
will gladly answer that question, but may I first ask you a question? (They
ALWAYS say yes) So that I may better focus my answer, what are the issues
you want me to address should you hire me? Once they share with you what
they need to have you do, then proceed to address how your training, education,
skills, and experience can best resolve these issues. By answering in this
fashion, you have proven that you know how to focus ... and that you have what's
needed to fix the issues they need to have fixed. It's always a winner ... and
beats the heck out of, "Well, let's see, I was born on a small farm in Idaho ..."
I suggest you go into the interview with a few "talking points" about yourself, in
other words things you want the interviewer to know about you. Then you try to
hit those points in response to any questions you are asked, such as "tell us
about yourself." Also be sure to have copies of your resume with you and offer
them. In general, interviews go better when you spend them listening and don't
talk. If the interviewer is just telling you about the job, you might have a good shot
at it.
This is the chance for you to run down a 30-60 second sales pitch for yourself.
The employer doesn't want to know that you like gardening or have four dogs.
Here's where you start usually with your education and highlight selling points
about your skills, experience and goals.
More Suggestions:
It's one of the most frequently asked questions in an interview: Tell me about yourself.
Your response to this request will set the tone for the rest of the interview. For some,
this is the most challenging question to answer, as they wonder what the interviewer

4. really wants to know and what information they should include.
The secret to successfully responding to this free-form request is to focus, script and
practice. You cannot afford to wing this answer, as it will affect the rest of the interview.
Begin to think about what you want the interviewer to know about you.
List five strengths you have that are pertinent to this job (experiences, traits, skills, etc.).
What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave?
Prepare a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking
about past experiences and proven success:
Next, mention your strengths and abilities:
"
Conclude with a statement about your current situation:
"What I am looking for now is a company that values customer relations, where I
can join a strong team and have a positive impact on customer retention and
sales."
Practice with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasize in
your statement. Your script should help you stay on track, but you shouldn't memorize it
-- you don't want to sound stiff and rehearsed. It should sound natural and
conversational. Even if you are not asked this type of question to begin the interview,
this preparation will help you focus on what you have to offer. You will also find that you
can use the information in this exercise to assist you in answering other questions. The
more you can talk about your product - you - the better chance you will have at selling it.
Here are examples given by WikiAnswers contributors:
Hard worker, quick and eager learner, pays attention to detail.
Example: Because of past experience and MBA degree, I am versatile and can
perform well in many kinds of positions. Now I am looking for a challenging
internship position in an established company. Basically, I am an experienced
and flexible person can be successful at any kind of finance works.
“I can summarize who I am five words.”
"Hardworking", “attention to detail "Solution-oriented", "Dependable",
"Independent",
My real strength is my attention to detail. I pride myself on my reputation for
following through and meeting deadlines. When I commit to doing something, I
make sure it gets done, and on time."
I enjoy working in large and small groups because I love the different ideas that
are generated, as well as the quality of work you can create, when multiple
brains work together.
Organization was and still is one of my best qualities. Good physical and
mental organization produces better results. When you are organized, there
is less of a chance for things to be misplaced, ideas to be forgotten, or
deadlines to be missed.

5. Weakness :
“I’m a workaholic” and stickler for detail.”
sometimes being a little too meticulous about the quality of my work
"Team player" are all examples of good terms you can use. There are many
more.
I am a self-starter dedicated, hard-working person who works well with other,
punctual, detail oriented a team player, great organizational and interpersonal
skills.
Describe yourself as outgoing, hardworking, dependable, eager to learn and
grow professionally, etc.
Fast paced, quick learner and very challenging. That's all they want to hear.
This question is usually asked in order to gauge how a person perceives himself.
Just be honest. List off a few characteristics that you see yourself as having.
Actually, a question of this kind is an ideal way to plug in everything we want to
say about ourselves that we had leave out of the CV.
If you have attended a premier institution, say that the institution taught you much
more than the degree it awarded you. Mention people who influenced you, talk
about the books you like reading, your hobbies and your other interests.
Talk about your strengths. Mention an instance when you used your conflict
resolution skills or selling skills or whatever. But make certain that it does not
sound like blowing your trumpet. Mention these instances as a good learning
experience.
Talk about your weaknesses, but make sure that they are positive weaknesses.
For instance you could say that that you are a person that pays more attention to
details than is warranted. You can openly confess a tendency to be impatient
with team members who cannot carry their own weight, or who cannot contribute
sufficiently.
Maintain the right tone in doing so. You do not want to give the interviewer the
wrong impression or make him feel that you get impatient at times.
No one can do that for you as only you know yourself.
If asked to then you should do so. Prepare yourself for personal questions.
Just list off a few characteristics that you see yourself as having. If it's for a job
interview, make all of the characteristics sound as positive as possible. This
question is usually asked in order to gauge how a person perceives him or
herself. Just be honest. Are you outgoing? shy? diligent? stubborn? clever?
passionate? level-headed?
Don't stress too much. If you can't think of anything. Then think of a few people
who know you and imagine how they would describe you. Pretend that your
mom, a sibling, a good friend, a co-worker, and your spouse or significant other
are all sitting down in a room making a list of your characteristics and then use
the things you think they would say.
Do not mention a bad quality if you are not working on it, e.g., what is your
weakest quality? I am not very competent using computers but I am currently
taking a evening course to rectify that/ I am going to.

6. Most importantly back up what you say, why are you reliable?
Here are sample interview answers which you can edit to fit your personal
experiences and background:
One of my greatest strengths - and a weakness - is my passion for what I am doing.
For example, while in college, I had a variety of courses at the same time and had
more of an interest in one than the other. I sometimes caught myself paying more
attention to one over the other which is apparent in the end results.
While it is great that I am so zealous about particular projects, I need to learn how to
find that niche in projects that are not as appealing as well.
If employed, I will combat this by realizing that all of my assignments, regardless
how into them I may be, are all part of a larger goal.
All of them help me grow professionally and contribute to the progress of a particular
project and the company. Keeping this in mind, I will be able to turn this weakness
into a positive.
I enjoy working in large and small groups because I love the different ideas that
are generated, as well as the quality of work you can create, when multiple
brains work together. It was a great strength to have as an elementary education
major because we did a lot of group projects.
Organization was and still is one of my best qualities. Good physical and mental
organization produces better results. When you are organized, there is less of a
chance for things to be misplaced, ideas to be forgotten, or deadlines to be
missed.
My biggest strength as a student was how I studied and prepared for exams. I
created a system that helped me learn and memorize information and I always
felt prepared for my exams. I still use my study skills now to learn and remember
people's names, positions in the community, and other important info about them,
which is important to remember, as a social worker.
For the strengths part, you want to highlight your strengths which are most in line
with the company and the position. If the company values leadership, then cite your
leadership experience. If the position is in marketing or advertising, choose
“creativity.” If you’re in a technical field, state something along the lines of adapting
to new technologies quickly.
What’s most important is that you can provide examples to show that what you
mentioned is in fact a strength. So if you’re in sales and you list your persuasion
skills as a strength, be sure you have a few stories about getting tough prospects to
buy your goods.
Weaknesses are a little tougher. Many sources recommend taking a strength and
disguising it as a weakness – the most common examples are “I’m a workaholic” or
“I’m a stickler for detail.” Avoid these answers as they sound as ridiculous as
answering “where will you be in 3 & 5 years?” with “in three years I’ll have your job
and in five years I’ll have your boss’s job.” It’s corny and you’ll instantly lose
credibility.
Instead, find something that won’t hurt you as a candidate for the job, but most
importantly, is something you’re working to improve. You could state that you’re weak in
a skill that’s not required for the job but would benefit the company. But again, the key

7. here is to show that you’re taking action towards improving it such as doing research or
taking a course. And like with your strengths, make sure you can cite examples of what
you’re doing to improve.