Most often, the first question in a personal interview posed by a recruiter is “tell me something about yourself”. While it seems like such an easy question at the first glance, most applicants lose their chances of getting hired right at the first point. There’s not much technicality to this concept however there sure are some points that you can remember that can help you ace the job interview.

5 important things to remember:

• Dress Appropriately
• Stay Relevant
• Keep it short and snappy
• Don’t forget to smile
• Exemplify everything you say

Dressing Appropriately

This is rarely considered a part of the introduction but is so highly effective in making or breaking the first impression. While dressing appropriately doesn’t necessarily mean to wear a pantsuit, it does mean to dress according to the situation.

Make sure you don’t show too much skin. When talking about skin, men must always remember that their skin shouldn’t be visible above the socks as they seat themselves. Additionally, dressing appropriately for the weather makes a huge difference. These tiny details can become game changers when it comes to how recruiters interact with applicants.

Stay Relevant

This seems like a vague one but staying relevant doesn’t mean to talk about the current news headlines in the world. Staying relevant in a job interview introduction means to talk about qualities you possess that are directly related to the position you applied for. How, you ask?

Let's suppose that you apply for the position of a marketing intelligence analyst, the easiest way to ensure that you talk about generic qualities about yourself and relate those to the position is by saying that you’re a ‘problem solver’, you’re a ‘data centric decision maker’, you take all aspects into consideration before reaching to a conclusion, etc. These are just a few examples of how one can ensure to talk about themselves in a way that it still makes the recruiter see them as the right fit.

Keep it short & snappy

I can’t stress this enough. It comes as a no-brainer but most applicants tend to forget that a job interview is simply about assessing whether or not an individual is the right fit for the company and the job role. While having all the technical skills is important, it is also crucial to make a lasting impression during the interview. Remember that it's a job interview, not a first date.

Talk about yourself just enough to let the recruiter get to know you a little more but not so much that you give away everything about your personality/life.

Don’t forget to smile

Sounds obvious, right? Surprisingly, these basic behavioural aspects are the most ignored parts of an interview. Making eye contact with every single one of the panelists is just as important as saying the right things in an interview. Make sure you present a pleasant behavior.

Emotional quotients are also a high grade assessing value in job interviews in 2021. Ensure that you smile while you talk, making light jokes here and there is always a plus. Maintain your eye contact to display exceptional self confidence.

Exemplify everything you say

This one tends to be forgotten very easily. It is one thing to boast about your experiences and your personality while it is another to back your claims with real life examples. The easiest strategy is to exemplify everything you say. For instance, for someone who claims to be a problem solver as a personality trait, they could easily back it up with an incident from their life where they proved to be able to think on their feet spontaneously.

Examples create a higher level of authenticity amongst the recruiters for an applicant and ensure that they trust the candidate more.

The introduction is the first thing you have control over during the interview. Do it right so that you make a lasting impression on the hiring managers.

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Happy interviewing!!