

Ask HN: How do you introduce yourself to inteviewers? - folz

It's my first interview tomorrow (I'm applying for college), and I've been practicing questions with my parents and teachers. I can answer the "Why do you want to go here?" questions pretty well, but I get tripped up on the more personal "Tell me about yourself" ones. I'm sure you all have had some experience with this sort of thing, and I'd appreciate it if you could share it with me.
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elliottcarlson
When I ask someone the "Tell me about yourself" type questions, I am looking
to see what excites them about the field. Since I interview programmers, I
look for passion about the industry, I want to know if they are keeping up
with various trends on their free time, and I want to know about personal
accomplishments that they were proud of.

It may not be what other people are looking for when they ask that question,
but that is what it means to me.

Good luck, and just act relaxed and confident :)

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cperciva
Submitter: Bookmark this answer and read it when you're applying for a job.

What elliottcarlson says is great advice for job interviews, but not for
college admissions. An employer wants to know if you'll be able to do good
work for them; a college wants to know if they can mold you into a better
person.

~~~
elliottcarlson
Though now I feel extremely foolish for not realizing (and obviously not
reading correctly) that submitter was interviewing for college admissions -
thanks though ;)

~~~
cperciva
It's still great advice, even if you gave it to the wrong person. And if he
takes my advice and bookmarks it, he might come back and read it at the right
time. ;-)

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cperciva
_Tell me about yourself_

My answer: _I'm not good at dealing with people. When I'm talking about
mathematics or computer science, I'll argue with people without giving a
moment's thought to who I might antagonize, because at that point I'm dealing
with the subject and not with the people. In social contexts, by contrast, I
can't avoid the human factor, and I back away from anything which could
potentially result in a confrontation. I think holding my ground when I know
I'm right is a good thing; but I'm working on being less of a wimp in social
situations._

It really doesn't matter what you say here, as long as you say something
coherent. The point of the question isn't to find out your opinions of
yourself; rather, it's to determine your level of self-awareness. Saying "I
have problems X, Y, and Z" shows far more self-awareness and will win you more
points than reciting a list of your accomplishments.

~~~
SHOwnsYou
I don't believe this is correct. I'd suggest you stay away from this kind of
answer. The last thing you want it someone to reject you because they think
you can be argumentative. Never talk about weaknesses, but if you have to,
make it as inconsequential as you can -- don't mention how you can be
argumentative and not be aware of your surroundings.

Rather, stroke the ego of the person you're talking to. _I grew up always
knowing I wanted to do <whatever>. In high school I started learning as much
as I could from the library and it really started to grow my interest as I
read more and more. This school is particularly high on my list because I know
you have some of the best professors and a culture that focuses on the
students in a way that bigger universities cant._

That is assuming you're going to a small school. I imagine big schools don't
have time to interview every single student that wants to apply.

This answer talks about you, your interest in whatever you're going to study,
and why you think the school is awesome.

~~~
cperciva
_Rather, stroke the ego of the person you're talking to..._

Admissions people interview hundreds of students, and they're not idiots.
They'll see through this in an instant.

~~~
SHOwnsYou
If that was the case ego stroking would never work. It does. It is the easiest
way to get persuade people. Everyone deals with hundreds of people per day and
ego stroking works on most people (maybe not to the extent that gets you what
you want, but it works).

People like to be complimented on their work/skills/whatever. Context for
receiving the compliment is irrelevant.

~~~
cperciva
_Everyone deals with hundreds of people per day_

Well, no -- I don't, for one -- but even leaving that aside, some people are
more cynical than others. And the admissions people I know are some of the
most cynical I know... probably only second to the scholarship people I know.

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noahc
From an interviewees standpoint, the point of the an interview is to introduce
a narrative about your self. So, first decide how you want your self to be
portrayed and work backwards. Are you a rags to riches golden boy, are you Mr.
Accomplishment. Are you Mr. I bring Diversity. Once you know what you're going
to sell them on, then the "Tell me about your self" point gets easier. Tell
them a narrative that highlights whatever your story is. Also, throughout the
interview reflect back on the narrative you're telling.

At the end of the "Tell me about your self" question don't say, "That's all"
or something lame like that. Say, "Does that answer your question?"

------
phamilton
People remember good stories. They shouldn't be "I'm awesome stories". They
shouldn't be "I'm exactly what you are looking for" stories.

They should be novel and descriptive.

Describe what you do in your spare time. Everyone has the usual
School/extracurriculars/etc. If you are a programmer, describe something you
built, from concept to completion. Maybe a simple weekend project that you
launched as a website. Or a lawn mowing business you ran instead of getting a
job. Something unique enough to be memorable.

~~~
cperciva
_Something unique enough to be memorable._

If you have something _unique_ to mention, then absolutely do it. But be
realistic about how exceptional your accomplishments are -- in my experience
there's little a candidate can do which is more irritating than being the 20th
person in a row to talk about a few hours of volunteering at the local
hospital as if it qualifies them for sainthood.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
>there's little a candidate can do which is more irritating than being the
20th person in a row to talk about a few hours of volunteering at the local
hospital as if it qualifies them for sainthood.

What field are you interviewing in? I've never met anyone that told me they
volunteered at a hospital (but I know plenty of volunteers as it happens).

If you don't want them to tell you about themselves - eg what volunteer work
they do - then perhaps ask a different question?

~~~
cperciva
_What field are you interviewing in?_

We're discussions college admissions here, not job interviews. :-)

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Yes, so what sort of college, a nursing college?

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cperciva
I'm affiliated with a Canadian university; we cover pretty much every field
except medical and legal.

I think the students who wax lyrical about their volunteerism are usually in
the liberal arts, though.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Do you find that most applicants have volunteer experience, is it very common
in Canada to volunteer in hospitals? I'm really curious about this, it seems
quite strange to me that this should be prevalent and also that you'd find it
detrimental particularly (even if they're a bit full of themselves). At the
normal Uni entry age most in my country wouldn't have done any volunteering
not least in a hospital.

~~~
cperciva
Volunteer experience is very common here. In BC there was recently discussion
of making some number of hours of "volunteer" activity a requirement for high
school graduation.

I don't think such activities are detrimental in the slightest; but they're
not at all exceptional here. (Also, it's a very common "resume-building"
tactic, so there's always the question of whether a student performed the
activity because they wanted to help the community or because they thought it
would pay off in scholarships.)

~~~
pbhjpbhj
Thanks for your continued response, your last bit of info being vital to
understanding the situation.

------
pbhjpbhj
When you say the question trips you up do you mean because you don't know what
they're asking? Or because you know what they want to know but don't know what
to say in response? Or because you know what information you want to proffer
in return but not how to couch it?

