When people ask you: “Tell me about yourself,” how often do you see their eyes glaze over before you finish your answer? You can bore an interviewer to tears with an autobiography that drones on, detailing all the places you’ve worked and jobs you’ve held.

This most common question really contains within it two other questions of key importance for you to immediately address: “Why should I care about you?” and “What is your value to me (or my company)?” Don’t get bogged down with rambling recitation of your work history. The best answer is your value statement, commonly thought of today as a personal branding statement.

An effective value statement conveys the kind of person/professional you are, what drives you and why those things matter. It isn’t just what you have done professionally, but your demonstrated passion for doing those things that will propel your conversation forward.

The following are seven key parts of a succinct branding statement:

1. Begin with your name. “I’m John Doe.” Then move on quickly.

2. Identify your current profession or main focus. Relate a major element of what it is that you actually do when you’re at your job in a very simple sentence. This is not the time to talk about your job title, where you work or how long you have been doing whatever it is that you do. For instance, you might say something as simple as: “My main focus as an accountant is counting widgets.”

Paap strongly advocates for the present tense, to talk about who you are today. Statements like “I’ve been widget counting for 32 years,” or “I’m transitioning into accounting and can’t wait to start adding up widgets” are not as relevant or forceful.

If you haven’t had a job doing whatever it is that you are applying for, Paap advises that you quickly do something related to it. Take a course. Volunteer. Do an internship. Even after you’ve been doing something for a short period of time, you can honestly say you are doing it. Leave the details for later. You want to convey that you are the type of person required for the job.

3. Transition. This is the time where you roll out your passion for what you do. Figure out what it is about your role that really excites you. Show you enthusiasm with a “What I love to do is…” sentence. Examples:

“As a widget maker, I love getting all the mini-widgets lined up to make a great big widget.”

“I love working with the people in my team and helping to move our process of widget organizing forward.”

These kinds of statements demonstrate that you are highly motivated and really care about what you do. Evidence of these traits provides assurance to a hiring manager that you not only can do the job, but also that would you would be a great personality fit.

4. Who you help. This is where you demonstrate who benefits from what you do. Paap reminds his audience, “Both Apple computers and Mother Teresa help people … they just help in very different ways.”

Boil it down to something really simple like: “My widgets help cure sick people,” “My widgets help people to be more creative” or “My work helps my team.” All are ways of helping. By demonstrating who benefits from what you do, you begin to effectively convey your value.

5. Target your audience. Strive to understand your audience, and tailor your message to them. Your work might benefit a plant manager, a supply chain supervisor or a CEO, among others, in different ways. Figure out what about your work would be most important to the person you are speaking with, and talk about that. By taking the time to identify his or her issues and concerns, you can plant the image in his or her mind, “This person can help me and my company.”

6. Accomplish a goal. What do you help people to do? Rather than listing a whole series of things, distill it down to a single important thing. Example: “I help my company save money.” A clear simple sentence invites a question to go into more detail and engage in a conversation.

7. Show emotion. Figure out something about your job that gives you a good feeling, and convey it, even if just with a smile. When you show an emotional identity with the work you do, you demonstrate how you fit into a company’s culture.

When you answer the “tell me about you” question with a value statement, you demonstrate your professional qualities, build interest in you as a person and increase the chance of beginning a meaningful dialog. Then, you are well on your way toward ending your interview with success.

Happy job hunting!

post=83723220:
Very good thread.

We hope applicants can learn from this great thread.

It's worth reading.

Alll the best job seekers.

All of us cannot be entrepreneur TRULY!

ecclize:

for free?

arodavoo:


I taught china importation for free on my thread
But those that want to know about hair importation and importation from the countries listed above would pay 3k

mrwonlasewonie:
I remember when I wrote my dissertation.my contribution to knowledge and recommendations was focused on the academia.i said

*THE ACADEMIA SHOULD TILT ITS CURRICULUM TOWARDS RAISING POTENTIAL GRADUATES TO BE EMPLOYERS OF LABOR INSTEAD OF JOB SEEKERS BECAUSE IF EVERY GRADUATE IS LOOKING FOR A JOB AFTER SCHOOL,WHO ARE THE PEOPLE GOING TO MAKE THE JOB*?

During my defense (to the glory of God) I told my external examiner when he said tell me how your recommendations in your theses is applicable to the Nigerian situation.he said you have 15, minutes to prove yourself and I told him every teacher and lecturer keep saying study hard so you will make a 1st class and get a good job,how about study hard so you will be an employer of labor?

How about study hard so that you can reduce unemployment rate.if you raise 50 students for example to be employers of labor,do you know the multiplying effect that will have on our economy? Look at the Chinese,look at the Lebanese guys look at the Indians that come to Nigeria to do business, some of them aren't even graduates but they're employers of labor because they're skilled,how about raising not just intellects that dont fit into the current reality of the Nigerian situation, instead raise SKILLED INTELLECT

Now look at the consequences of lecturers telling students to earn 1st class or 2.1.we have a lot of them in the labor market, some are fortunate to be employed but there's no job fulfillment and some of them are not maximizing their potentials because the academia only trains Nigerian students to be academic robots not pragmatic thinkers.i have a friend for example sir who finished with a very strong 2.1 in agricultural science he had a CGPA of 4.0 and he is working as a bank cashier.why? Because the academia only told him to get a good grade and job hunting will be easy for him.imagine about a hundred graduates from each university producing Jobs in each of their respective state that is after the nysc and the nysc gives them a start up capital for a push, properly monitored in order not to be misused, think about it sir .


The man (my external examiner) stood up and congratulated me (to Jesus be all the glory)

mrwonlasewonie:
I remember when I wrote my dissertation.my contribution to knowledge and recommendations was focused on the academia.i said

*THE ACADEMIA SHOULD TILT ITS CURRICULUM TOWARDS RAISING POTENTIAL GRADUATES TO BE EMPLOYERS OF LABOR INSTEAD OF JOB SEEKERS BECAUSE IF EVERY GRADUATE IS LOOKING FOR A JOB AFTER SCHOOL,WHO ARE THE PEOPLE GOING TO MAKE THE JOB*?

During my defense (to the glory of God) I told my external examiner when he said tell me how your recommendations in your theses is applicable to the Nigerian situation.he said you have 15, minutes to prove yourself and I told him every teacher and lecturer keep saying study hard so you will make a 1st class and get a good job,how about study hard so you will be an employer of labor?

How about study hard so that you can reduce unemployment rate.if you raise 50 students for example to be employers of labor,do you know the multiplying effect that will have on our economy? Look at the Chinese,look at the Lebanese guys look at the Indians that come to Nigeria to do business, some of them aren't even graduates but they're employers of labor because they're skilled,how about raising not just intellects that dont fit into the current reality of the Nigerian situation, instead raise SKILLED INTELLECT

Now look at the consequences of lecturers telling students to earn 1st class or 2.1.we have a lot of them in the labor market, some are fortunate to be employed but there's no job fulfillment and some of them are not maximizing their potentials because the academia only trains Nigerian students to be academic robots not pragmatic thinkers.i have a friend for example sir who finished with a very strong 2.1 in agricultural science he had a CGPA of 4.0 and he is working as a bank cashier.why? Because the academia only told him to get a good grade and job hunting will be easy for him.imagine about a hundred graduates from each university producing Jobs in each of their respective state that is after the nysc and the nysc gives them a start up capital for a push, properly monitored in order not to be misused, think about it sir .


The man (my external examiner) stood up and congratulated me (to Jesus be all the glory)