Tell Me About Yourself (how to talk and connect authentically) Where Will I Be Asked This Question? In a Job interview In an Informational Interview In a Networking Setting (networking event, conference, your friend’s living room) Why Is This Question So Hard? Is there a right answer? What does the person who asked “really” want to know about me? We spend a lot of time and energy trying to say what we think someone else wants. What if you spent the time to think about what you want someone to know about Your Strengths & Skills Your Interests Your Values Wouldn’t that make a more compelling answer?
Why You Need to Have An Authentic Answer People are genuinely curious about you! And you should be curious about them in return . . . That’s how conversations get started and evolve. Networking and Interviewing involve exchanging information through conversation An authentic answer allows someone else to connect with you through the information you share You will feel more confident about yourself, your skills, and your experience. It will show in your answers! How To Develop an Authentic Answer Know Why you’re studying to become an MPA/MCRP/MNPA What are the most interesting/difficult/engaging problems in your field What motivates you to solve those problems? How will you do that? Here’s a Prompt to Get You Started 1. What is a skill you love using?
2. What is a problem you’ve solved using that skill? 3. Tell me a specific time you did this You don’t need to answer your question exactly following this prompt. Its purpose is to get you thinking about what you like to do, how you like to do it, and specific examples from your own experience. Use it to create an answer that feels right to you. Practice, Practice, Practice Your Answer You want your answer to feel second-nature and natural not robotic or rehearsed