Interview Skills

Why Introduce Yourself ???

Why Introduce yourself

Why Introduce Yourself ???

A funny thought often crosses my mind. Why are we asked to introduce ourselves in the interview? Before any interview, the interviewers already have the CV / Resume of the candidates, which clearly mentions who they are and what they have done till their dispatch of CV or Resume. Then again why do we need to introduce ourselves? Some believe that this is a good check of communication skill. However there are infinite other questions that can be asked to check the same. In case you think that this question checks our articulation skill, then don’t you believe it’s better to ask the candidate about his or her “unbiased” opinion about Indian political scenario or their favorite actor or sportsperson and voila – the articulation skill has to be at its best. Then why? Or is it because by asking this question, interviewer could understand how you present yourself? Does your answer tell the interviewers something about you in your own words and expressions?

The reason could be many and I feel it varies from person to person. Every interviewer has his or her own opinion as to how to conduct an interview. In fact this motive is guided by the organizational culture and the job description. However, in spite of all questions been subject to above two, the request to introduce oneself remains constant.

Some believe that this question is very helpful in making the candidate comfortable. This is actually true to a large extent as we are very comfortable talking about ourselves. In fact some of us even enjoy the same. However in my long career as a trainer, I have come across several people who are not at all comfortable to talk about themselves in terms of introducing their family or talking about their education background. In fact I have seen a number of students skipping the family part in introduction and in one such case, when probed deeper, she revealed with a lot of discomfort that her father was a farmer. It took me quite some time to explain her how much proud she should be of her father.

In fact that day, years back, I realized how important this question is. If a candidate in question is not proud of his or her family, school, college etc. will it be really wise to accept his or her candidature? I feel introducing yourself before an interview panel gives you an opportunity to talk about your achievements along with your family background and the imbibed value system that made you accomplish those. This gives the interviewer an opportunity to look deep into the eyes of the candidate and assess his or her behavior through his or her body language.

So next time you are asked this question, do not wonder, fidget or get nervous Talk about

  • Your family
  • Education
  • Career (if applicable)
  • Interests
  • Achievements, and
  • Goals

Do not bother yourself with this question as I have been doing to myself for the past few days. I hope along with me you are also now in clearer perspective as to how it would help all of us if we actually get a chance to introduce ourselves. Now would you like to try out once and see how good you are? You can try giving a mock interview and see for yourself.

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