While you can’t predict all questions you are doing to be asked during a job interview, there is one question that no job interview ever goes without.

That being said, the “tell me about yourself” in any form would most probably be a conversation opener, and let me assure you -oftentimes, the way you navigate it sets a tone to the entire dialogue. Your answer could either help you make the unbeatable first impression or obscure your whole experience.

You’re going to find the winning formula for a self-pitch to answer this deceptively simple question down below.

1. What Am I? Self-definition.

This is what you are going to begin with. Mention your main occupation, level of experience, expertise, and industry (if applicable)

Examples:

• Finance manager with 7 years of experience in retail industry

• IT Project manager with 10 years of experience managing complex enterprise projects

• Procurement manager with 10 years of experience working with contract over $10million worth

2. My Experience In The Past Years.

In this block, you are going to share your main roles and the most well-known companies you worked for the last 5-10 years, in order to win the interviewer’s attention. Engage your unconventional thinking. If you worked for a no-name company, perhaps they had big name clients? It’s worth mentioning them rather than your immediate employer.

Examples:

• During the past 7 years I was managing complex enterprise projects for Microsoft and SAP through IBM.

• Over the past 10 years, I’ve held various roles at Pinterest, where I worked my way up from a junior marketing coordinator to the Head of product marketing.

3. My Present Roles and Duties.

It’s now time to talk about your current situation: your employer name, your role, area of responsibility, and most recent relevant project.

Examples:

• Presently I am at IBM working as an Account Executive, leading 6 existing medium size accounts and working on getting outbound leads in Canada.

• I am currently working as a Product Owner for Shopify and responsible for market research and new features creation.

4. My Main Competencies and Achievements (relevant to the role):

Here you should focus on 2-3 main directions that are important for this specific position. It’s important to show your interviewer how your experience aligns with their expectations.

Examples:

• I posses good knowledge of banking industry and specialize process automation, I was leading the process of starting up two branches in GTA area.

• I am well versed with scaling startups, and I have successfully scaled three digital startups in the past 6 years.

5. Relevant Education And Training

Use this only if you have a degree relevant to the function or industry of the organization, have recently been trained on the appropriate topic, and/or have been certified or licensed. As far as languages, I recommend to only mention those in which you are fluent or that are particularly requested in the role you are interviewing for.

Examples:

• I possess masters in communications

• I have recently got my PMP certification andI also have Scrum master certification in a good standing

• I am fluent in Mandarin and since your company is looking to conquer Chinese market, I do believe I could be of value here.

6. My Career Goals (with linkages to the role):

It’s now time to share your career goals. Although you should keep in mind that you are still an application, so do your homework and compare the company's pain points to your profile beforehand. As a result, you will come across as a professional who understands their value and is eager to make an effect.

Examples:

• I am looking to join to join a financial organization that is currently experiencing rapid growth so I could apply my experience of scaling IT startups while growing into a leadership role.

• As an event manager, I am looking for a challenge of organizing large international events which will help Xerox conquer Southern European markets.

Better preparation = better presentation.

The more times you practice your self-pitch, the better it sounds and get perceived by your interlocutor, whether it’s a job interviewer, investor or a new colleague who you are looking to impress ;)

Happy hunting!