Business Communication 8th Edition by Amy Newman,Scot Ober

Exercise 36

Deliver a response to the interview question "Tell me about yourself."
First impressions happen particularly quickly during a job interview. Some recruiters will begin your interview with a general question: "Tell me about yourself." Sometimes called "elevator speeches," these presentations can be stressful and awkward if you're unprepared. But once you've developed and practiced a script, you can use parts of it in everyday situations, feeling more natural and confident each time.
Prepare a brief response (30-45 seconds) to the question, and deliver it to the rest of the class. To prepare your notes, you might include the following:
• Year and major or special interests in school
• Work or internship experience
• Skills and abilities
• Anything else you believe is relevant or significant about you (e.g., sports or other interests, hometown)
• What you're looking for (e.g., a summer job in a high-end restaurant)
Also consider these questions:
• What about you will be most relevant and interesting to this person?
• What do you think is this person's attitude toward you?
• What do you want him or her to remember most about you?
After your presentation, write a self-assessment memo that addresses the following questions:
• What did you do that you feel most proud of? What parts of your presentation were most powerful?
• What parts of the presentation do you feel least confident about?
• If you had the opportunity to prepare and deliver this message again, what would you do differently to improve your presentation?