So, Why Don’t You Tell Me About Yourself?

“So, why don’t you tell me about yourself?” is the most frequently asked interview question. It’s a question that most interviewees expect and the one they have the most difficulty answering. Though one could answer this open-ended question in a myriad of ways, the key to answering this question or any other interview question is to offer a response that supports your career objective. This means that you shouldn’t respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers aren’t interested.

Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization’s mission and goals.

If answered with care, your response to the question, “So, why don’t you tell me about yourself?” could compliment the interviewers needs as well as support your agenda. This is a question you should be prepared to answer as opposed to attempting to “wing it”.

Follow the four easy steps outlined below to ensure your response will grab the interviewers attention.

1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position.

Sample introduction: During my 10 years’ of experience as a sales manager, I have mastered the ability to coach, train, and motivate sales teams into reaching corporate goals.

2. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the “meat” of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don’t go back more than 10 years.

Sample career summary: Most recently, at The Widget Corporation, I was challenged with turning around a stagnant territory that ranked last in sales in the Northeastern region. Using strategies that have worked in the past, I developed an aggressive sales campaign that focused on cultivating new accounts and nurturing the existing client base. The results were tremendous. Within six months my sales team and I were able to revitalize the territory and boost sales by 65%.

3. Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Don’t assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the current position they are seeking to fill.

Sample tie-in: Because of my proven experience in leading sales teams, Craig Brown suggested I contact you regarding your need for a sales manager. Craig filled me in on the challenges your sales department is facing.

4. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don’t ask a question for the sake of asking a question. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform.

Sample question: What strategies are currently underway to increase sales and morale within the sales department?

There you have it – a response that supports your agenda AND meets the needs of the interviewer.

When broken down into manageable pieces, the question, “So, tell me about yourself?” isn’t overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it!

So You Wanna Be a Facebook App Development Star?

Fame, fortune and endless job offers. Such is the life of the Facebook developer.

Well, not quite. If you’re a software developer seeking to break into the business through Facebook development -- or an experienced codesmith out to make a bundle -- you should probably view any forays into the Facebook realm as a learning experience, not a sure thing. “Even if your app doesn’t make money, it does give you experience that’s priceless,” says Matthew Kraft, cofounder of Lonely CEO Media, a Facebook application development company.

The mad rush to develop Facebook applications is leading techies to wonder if a Facebook application is in their future. After all, the applications independent developers create with Facebook’s application programming interface (API) are part of the social networking site’s attraction. With established companies looking to gain a Facebook presence, experience in the platform is an asset.

So, should you dive into Facebook application development? Those who develop Facebook apps say the effort is worthwhile to:

• Develop and demonstrate programming skills.
• Add an accomplishment to your resume.
• Earn money, though you should regard Facebook’s money-making potential with some degree of caution.

Specifically, creating a Facebook app can help you learn and show your experience working with an API, scaling a Web site to significant traffic and crafting a user-friendly interface. You can also demonstrate how you marshal your technical skills to implement your idea.

In the Web 2.0 world, building a Facebook application is a way to exhibit social-media savvy. Because Facebook applications must be attuned to the Facebook community’s needs, experience in Facebook development can show an employer you understand the importance of tailoring an application to a particular group of users. “If you’ve created a successful Facebook application, you’ll have a demonstrable ability to understand users and different Web services,” Kraft says. “That’s invaluable to employers who are looking to connect with new customers by enhancing their brand and by reaching out through the new Web.”

Just Another API?

But others don’t see Facebook development as a must-have skill. “I personally view the technology as just an API [that] any programmer should be able to work with,” says Elliott C. Bäck, who created Facebook’s Simple Stock Quotes application. “I didn’t learn anything new doing it, so I haven’t acquired personal value. There’s value in what I built and for my resume in showing I can accomplish this kind of Web development, but for a career, it’s more important to focus on fundamentals.”

And if you’re thinking there’s a fortune in cranking out an app, think again. “Facebook application development is not the lucrative gold mine that a lot of developers make it out to be, because earning money through them is just not as simple as building a toy application, spamming your friends with invitations and hoping for a good click-through rate,” says Aaron Stannard, a blogger and Vanderbilt University senior who has already received “a plateful of offers for small jobs” related to his Facebook work. “I personally have not made any money off of my apps yet, but that’s primarily because I'm still fine-tuning them,” he says.

Face Up to the Task

If you do have your sights set on developing a Facebook app, where should you begin? Matt Huggins, a programmer who created the Facebook Developer Web site, recommends starting small. “As you create your first application, you will slowly learn that there are much easier ways to do whatever it is you just accomplished,” he says.

Kraft advises focusing on what users want, not what you want. “See if there’s a place in the market that satisfies something users already want but don’t yet have,” he says. “You can’t teach users to want your product, but if you hit on something they respond to, you’ll not only have a successful application -- you’ll have a resume with an impressive new line to show to employers.”