A Great Self Introduction Is Your Key To Interview Success

This Self introduction is about how you introduce yourself at the start of a job interview. I'll tell you what to say and what to do, and it is something you must work on once you have been invited to attend a job interview. You must be ready to create the impression of someone they will definitely want to hire above all other job applicants. But you need a brilliant CV and cover letter to get you there. Also make sure you read my advice on dealing with the "Tell me about yourself" question.

Everybody has an opinion as to how you do that, but what do you actually do and what do you say?

What Do You Actually Say?

You can now download the "Phrases for Performance Appraisals Guidebook" and use the exact phrases that professionals use to write their concise and powerful appraisals.

Otherwise, the best idea is to use what I call 'Your Career Overview' which in most cases is also the answer to the "Tell me about yourself" interview question, and is one of the most crucial pieces of your repertoire.

Your introductory statement or Career Overview should include the things like this:

1. An interesting story line which relates to the job profile and your suitability; usually best to start at the earliest point in your career and work forward to the present day, so the last thing you tell them is the most recent and relevant in you job profile.

2. This self introduction MUST highlight your key strengths and achievements which dovetail into the needs of the prospective employer. You should have read the job description and person specification so you know exactly what they're looking for.

3. You should speak clearly, in straightforward language, with good eye contact and without jargon, but keep it to 3 minutes or less.

4. As you come up to date, include a brief version of your leaving story or exit statement to explain why you're applying for the job and why you're so excited to be with them today. And being excited and enthusiastic is worth so much to a jaded interviewer.

This quick self-introduction should last for no more than approximately 3 minutes. You can read the self introduction statement from one of my readers by clicking the blue link. You can also submit your own ideas, read other visitors comments and get feedback by going to the page called: Introduce Yourself.

Why Is It So Important?

Self introduction is your key to interview success because you are starting from a baseline position where the hiring manager or personnel officer has no experience of who you are or what you are like.

Yes, they should have read your resume and cover letter you sent in, but that only gave them enough for them to want to see you in person. Now you are going to meet the hiring manager in person, you have a one-off make or break opportunity to get them to see you as the only person they want to employ, from all of the competition for the job.

You can take it from me as an expert, that interviewers will often rely heavily on their first impressions, to the extent that the interview becomes merely a confirmation of that first impression, either good or bad. So if self introduction is your key to interview success, the first and most important aim is to create a positive first impression. Everybody has an opinion as to how you do that: look 'em in the eye, give 'em a firm handshake, speak up and don't mumble; know your stuff. All good ideas, but what do you actually do and what do you say?

Also read my recent interview guide reviews - you will be surprised! They all have one thing in common. Do the interview answers packages available provide you with all the answers to all the interview questions you may come across and give you all the strategies you need to win the job offer? And do they give you the information in a way that you can understand and use it easily? Even more do they explain why interviewers ask their sometimes 'stupid' questions?

To score highly in our smart interview guides reviews they must do all this and give you ways to quickly improve your interview performance AND in a package that provides overall value for money.

These 'smart' interview guides we've reviewed cover the most common questions that come up all the time so in theory you should be able to give a fantastic interview performance - including that all important self introduction.

Creating A Favorable First Impression

The way to create a favorable first impression is to be sure you appear confident and open. When you meet your interviewer for the first time, make eye-contact at the introduction and repeat the interviewer's name as you shake hands and thank them for inviting you to the interview. As you get seated, smile to indicate you are ready to get down to business.

What often follows is the invitation to 'tell them about yourself' which allows you to commence your self-introduction that is so important to your interview success. This is the phase where you develop the rapport that will carry you through to the positive outcome at the end of the interview.

Because self introduction is your key to interview success, you must have previously prepared exactly what you are going to say. This is not some lengthy story about your life, but a short focused statement that sounds interesting to the listener. You make it interesting by keeping it short (less than 3 minutes) and by showing that you are interested in both the job and the organization. This means you need to do some research about the business beforehand.

Strengths And Achievements

In your self introduction you will include some examples of your strengths and achievements which relate directly to the requirements of the new job. This must also demonstrate your personal qualities that you apply when you are doing the job because the type of person you are is often far more important then just having the ability to do a job.

The way you outline your self introduction, in particular the way you speak, tells the interviewer whether you are confident in your abilities so you must rehearse it well, but don't try to be what you are clearly not - you'll only be found out at a later date. Get a friend to listen to your self-introduction with a critical ear, because if it sounds false it will set the alarm bells ringing with the interviewer who will detect that it is not the real you and destroy the rapport you were building up.

Practice speaking faster or more slowly, louder or quietly and try to vary it throughout.

When you have prepared your self introduction, ask yourself this question: 'What does the interviewer need?'

The answer is that the interviewer needs to identify the best candidate to hire, whilst keeping the costs to a minimum and the fewer people interviewed the better. The need is also for the person who appears to be the best 'fit' in terms of both personality and technical ability. Also remember that they may need to justify their decision to hire you, to someone higher!

Prepared well, this self-introduction is your key to interview success because it helps to create that all-important first impression, helps you to build the rapport with the interviewer and satisfies the questions about whether you are the sort of person who will fit in to the organization successfully.

Peter Fisher is an Interview Performance Coach and Webmaster for www.Your-Career-Change.com

Please read this interview advice carefully for maximum benefit at your next job interview. It covers all of the interview questions that may come up; your confidence will soar when you hear them ask questions you've already prepared the answers to!

Everything from "Tell me about yourself" to "what are your strengths and weaknesses?" and "why should we offer you this job?" are covered and answered.

Go to my Career Changer's Guide page where you will find all of the information you need, including templates , samples and charts, plus interview answers so you'll feel the difference when you approach each step of your career change more confidently - knowing you have all the knowledge it takes to win the job you so want.

About Personal Marketing

Go to Personal Marketing for more ways of using your personal marketing statements in your self introduction at your next interview.

Don't be too worried if, like a lot of us you have some difficulty when it comes to talking about yourself. The preparation of some self-marketing, personally spoken “Presentation” statements can give you a real edge when it comes to your self introduction. The importance of a good self-introduction in your interview should not be under-estimated.

These self introduction and personal marketing statements can easily be learned and delivered when you need them. For more help with your interview preparation go to interview help which has information on every aspect of interviews.

Continue to Tell Me About Yourself which is probably the most popular way for an interviewer to get you talking about yourself at an interview, and is crucial to your self introduction.

Return To Your Career Change Home Page

CV Writing For All Jobs At All Levels: 01270 881811

© 2005 - 2012 Career Consulting Limited. All Rights Reserved