The First Question I Ask in Every Interview
Hint: It’s not “What did you get on your SATs?”
I’ve conducted hundreds of interviews, ranging from high school seniors applying to college through senior managers angling for the C-suite. The old chestnut about how hiring is job number one turns out to be true at almost every level. To me conducting an interview well is an essential skill, not a luxury.
Much like how Steve Jobs reduced decision-making fatigue with a wardrobe full of black turtlenecks, there’s much to be said for embracing simplicity. That nugget of wisdom applies surprisingly well to interviewing. I ask everyone I interview the same first question:
“Tell me a little about yourself.”
It seems so innocuous, doesn’t it? It’s not a brain-teaser or trick question or a fiddly bit of technical minutia. How can you even get it wrong?
Oh, let me count the ways:
Oversharing
People generally love to talk about themselves. However, the key word in the question here is “little.” I want to see a candidate narrow down all the shareable details of his or her life into the most salient details for the specific job they want.
The irony here is that almost any interesting tidbit can become an essential job qualification in the right light. A fanatic obsession with a local sports team can show loyalty, analytical skills, and passion. Adopting a shelter pet can demonstrate compassion, responsibility, and civic-mindedness. The key is taking something important to you and relating it back to the role you want. Merely rambling on about your life and hoping the interviewer draws the right connection is a losing strategy.
The Negative Nancy
It’s shocking how many people start with something along the lines of “I’m here because I hated my old boss/job/company.” I certainly may ask about the circumstances of a previous stint of employment later in an interview, but starting off with a glass-half-empty answer to a question about yourself tells me pretty clearly about your outlook on life.
I’m not saying that there aren’t many talented and productive pessimists out there. I am saying that they aren’t easy culture fits at many companies. Don’t paint yourself with that brush from the start.
Resume Reading
If you’ve appropriately laid the groundwork for the job interview, your resume should already be in front of me. For goodness sake, bring an extra along to the meeting (for the pre- and post-COVID world) and attach it to the email when you confirm the meeting. Don’t count on the HR department, career services, or a recruiter to do it for you.
I’ll cover the do’s and don’ts of resumes in a separate post, but a resume is an enormously powerful tool designed for the candidate’s benefit. It’s basically a laundry list of your accomplishments and abilities. I like to think of it as curated bragging.
That said, the last thing I want is for the candidate to simply regurgitate it back to me, line by line. Highlighting and expanding on a few bullets is ideal. Otherwise, please assume that I am fully literate.
Missed Signals
For more junior hires (or if I’m feeling charitable), I’ll start the interview by sketching out my own bio in a few sentences. It’s basically my answer had they asked me to tell them a little about myself. I like to think of it as giving the candidate a template to follow.
However, if they miss the cue entirely, it’s a red flag. If they can’t bother to be attentive at the start of their interview, will they be able to listen when on the job?
The best responses can go even further. There are psychology studies about people mirroring each other to make a connection. Great listeners will subconsciously adopt the gestures or speaking style of another person. This can greatly and immediately enhance a relationship. For any client-facing roles, this instinctive ability is a game-changer and can often be seen in how they answer this first question.
So what’s the right answer?
Let’s cut the usual “there is no right answer” crap. While the details obviously vary from person to person, there certainly is a right answer.
The best candidates start with a thumbnail sketch of themselves, hit two or three succinct bullet-points from their lives/previous jobs that are relevant for the role they want, and conclude with a forward-looking or emotive appeal. Let’s look at two examples:
Hi, I’m John, and I’m excited to talk with you about my application for State University. I grew up just a few miles from the school, so I know my way around campus already. In fact, I took two summer school classes there last year. It really felt like home by the end. I’m ranked in the top 10% of my high school class, and I’m signed up to take three Advanced Placement Exams in the spring, so I believe I’ll be able to handle the academics. I’m also an avid volleyball player, an amateur photographer, and an aspiring singer. I’d hope to pursue all of those and more if I’m accepted.
Too polished for a high school senior? Not really. Those details should all be top of mind from the application anyway. What I’m looking for is really just an understanding of what skills and strengths the role requires and whether you can shape your life experiences to fit.
Let’s try a more corporate version:
This opportunity is really coming at the perfect time for me. I’ve been the treasurer of Oldco for three years now since the merger, and I feel like I’m ready to step up to a CFO position. I‘m an accountant by training and spent 10 years at a big four accounting firm. I worked my way up to Vice President before going in-house at Oldco, my biggest client. It was a great transition for me. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the world from the other side of the table. The current CFO is only 52 though, and likely won’t retire for a decade, so I’m looking for a way to continue to grow and learn without simply biding my time. You can see that from the finance classes I’ve taken towards getting my executive MBA . What else? Oh, I’ve got two kids, the older one is an engineer, the younger one is applying to State University this year. I’m also a scratch golfer, which my wife doesn’t love given how many Saturdays I spend on the links, but I love the game. I get sent on all the golf outings for Oldco which lets me build relationships with customers and employees.
So what do these answers have in common? They’re about a minute long (pro-tip: speak slower than you think you should — almost everyone speeds up when they’re nervous). They’re organized around a few points that are likely already on the resume or college application, but these are the key ones that the candidates think will win the day. There’s also an intro and conclusion to the answer, so it doesn’t feel like a robotic listing of accomplishments. If you can squeeze in a bit of self-deprecating humor like candidate number two, it goes a long way to building rapport with the interviewer.
Final Words of Advice
If you think the sample answers look like a condensed version of an entire application, you’re right. When everything goes according to plan, you should spend much of the remaining time expanding on these points.
Lastly, being a candidate is just as much of a skill as being an interviewer. If you notice the interviewer perk up at something you mentioned, expand on it! Reading those cues can be the difference between a good interview and a great one. If it happens as you’re listing your personal strengths and qualifications for the job, so much the better.
