The Simplest Interview Question

In our most recent class we covered the most basic interview question:

Tell me about yourself.

It seems simple enough but in our mock interview panels it was clear that a lot of students had a difficult time answering this straightforward question. First we brainstormed what the appropriate information to include in this kind of response would be - our general outline came out like this:

Intro - State your name and what school you attend.
Personal Info - Personal information or story - this can be rather open-ended and it is up for you to decide what to talk about. Some examples of what we came up with include:

• Short term vs. Long Term Goals
• Your dreams or aspirations
• Your motivation in attending your school
• Special skills or abilities you possess
• Your inspirations

Tie Back - How do the items above relate to the school you are applying to?

The key thing is you need to have some kind of story or explanation that you can express in about one minute that sounds natural, unscripted and demonstrates your passionate attitude about getting into the school of your choice.

This seems simple, but it's not. Everything matters in answering a simple question like this - plus, the interview is giving you free reign to control the answer. You've got to sell yourself and get your interviewer interested in you. Also, if you are in a group interview, you've got to stand out next to other enthusiastic, excited applicants.

An example response,
"My name is ______ and I'm currently attending ______ middle school. I've been the class president for the past year and I've actively participated in school leadership opportunities. As far as my personality, I'd say that a lot of my motivation stems from my experiences abroad. A few years ago I went on vacation to New York and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was just blown away by the art that I saw there. Right away I knew my life had changed and ever since that moment I've always been visiting museums whenever I have the chance. I've done independent research and studied a lot about Renaissance artists and one day want to be a museum curator.

I know that a foreign language high school isn't an art school, but museums are international places that are designed to attract tourists and display a country's artistic treasures. I want to attend your school because I know that I'll finish high school with a mastery of English, which is a vital part of my long term goal."*

Note - This response basically has three parts: 1) background info 2) an interesting experiencing that reveals the applicant's passion for art 3) a tie back which explains how this passion fits in with the opportunities that the school will provide.

Follow up questions - Know everything about your interests. If you volunteer information about one of your passions, it's logical that the interviewer will ask you a follow up question, so be prepared to speak intelligently about the issues that you care about. For example, if you mention that you want to be a high school teacher in Korea because you think that the education system has problems and needs reform, be prepared to explain what you think those problems are and how you would go about changing them. If you can't follow through and logically respond to follow up questions, then you will sound like your response was scripted and insincere.

General tips from our mock interviews:

• Eye contact - do not look down at the desk or at your hands, you need to make eye contact with your interviewer(s) throughout your response.
• Avoid scripted phrases - don't use phrases that sound like your response is a script. Some examples are, "I'd like to tell you about my experience..." or "Now I will tell you about myself..."
• Don't talk too long - the average interview response should be about 60-75 seconds, anything too long can become boring and the interview may lose interest.
• Energy - you've GOT to be excited when you talk about yourself. You need to be proud of your accomplishments - you have to KNOW that you are going to excel at Yongin or Anyang and that the school is going to be lucky to have you. This will show as you speak about your accomplishments or aspirations. Vary the tone of your voice and when you talk about something that you are proud of smile. If your eyes look glazed over or you seem uninterested, you will get marked down right at the start of your interview.
• Don't touch/pick at yourself - ideally you'll be using hand gestures to accentuate your points, but if this is too difficult for you just fold your hands in your lap and keep them there. Don't put your hand up behind your head because you are nervous, don't pick at your finger nails, don't scratch your arms! This is a difficult habit to break, but through practice you should be able to master your body language.
• Seating - sit up straight and close to your desk. Don't slump down in your seat and don't lean back against the back of the chair, you should be sitting upright with strong posture.