Q: What’s the best way to answer the “tell me about yourself” question? Should I start with where I’m from? Where I went to school? Or what my work experience has been?
A: Answer with how you can make a difference to the employer who’s sitting in front of you. . That’s what she wants to know. If she wants something more or something else she’ll promptly say so.
Q: I get the feeling that I’m boring or that I talk too much. Interviewers shuffle their papers, clear their throats, even had one open his mail right in the middle of one of my answers. Are they rude or am I taking too much of their time?
A: It could be a combination of both. If it happens more than once (and it sounds like it does) get some real-time candid feedback from family and friends on your conversational style. Be sure to tell them why it’s important and ask that they signal when you’ve provided adequate information when discussing a topic or answering a question. With practice you’ll find the rhythm that works for you and your conversation partners.
Q: I’m a person of few words. Too few, it appears. I’m getting first interviews but no follow-ons. My wife thinks I don’t talk enough. I don’t want to state the obvious, so I don’t. How can I find the right balance?
A: Match the style, tempo, and conversational content of the interviewer. If she’s verbose and you give answers that could fit atop the head of a pin, that’s not enough. If she’s succinct and you go on and on in your response, that‘s too much.
Q: I do fine when I answer interviewers’ questions. I draw a blank when they ask me to ask them questions. I feel like they’ve told me all I need to know. Is it all right to just tell them that, and not respond further?
A: By answering all that you are asked you demonstrate an ability and desire to respond to requests and a willingness to do as you are told. When you ask questions you demonstrate an ability to listen, retain information, and build on that information. Do both. Good examples of probing questions that get deeper into issues and challenges at hand, that anticipate consequences and follow through on conclusions are those that ask the interviewer to “tell me more…”
Q: I’m a job seeker. I have a good education and excellent work experience. I get really perturbed when employers do not return my phone calls. To whom should I complain? I’ve called their home office, have left word on their voice mail (Don’t get me started on that) and have emailed the CEO of the corporation. That’s how angry it makes me! What else can I do?
A: It sounds like you have lots of passion and a strong desire to pursue an outcome. You might enjoy work in customer service, credit and collections, even consumer advocacy. In the meantime, consider re-applying all that energy to your job search and prospective employers who appreciate that degree of drive and determination.
Q: My son is a college graduate who’s been out of school for three years, living with us and on us, his parents. He’s making no apparent effort to get a full time job (he’s a sometime waiter and part time bartender at his old college hang-outs) and my husband and I want to get on with our lives. We love him, but we want him to move on so we can. What do you suggest?
A: Move on, dear people, move on. Give junior a move out by date, 30 days notice, and stick with it.
