How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself"

 

"Tell me about yourself" is pretty much a requisite in all job interviews. After all, employers want to find out and learn more about you, and see whether you are suitable for the position. You may think, "Why would I need to practice talking about myself?" In actuality, most people aren't fully prepared to answer this question successfully. So here are the key points you need to remember when introducing yourself to a hiring manager:

#1: Expand on your resume.

Do not word-for-word say what you wrote on your cover letter or resume. Recruiters have already seen them before they invited you into the interview. You may refresh them of your background, but only with the main items. For example, if you held several roles in the past, consider saying, "I am well-versed in the hospitality industry with four years of hotel experience under my belt."

#2: Mention your greatest achievements.

It's okay to boast a little bit. Highlight a quality or instance you were positively noticed for. Try to speak about something special and something highly quantifiable, rather than abstract, so that it can be easily retained in the recruiter's memory. If you are applying for an executive chef position, you can talk about how you had revamped the menu at the restaurant you previously worked at, and how resulted in increased sales of $20,000.

#3: Use descriptive words in your pitch.

Stick to a set of vocabulary that evokes professionalism. Your wording sets the tone and shows that you are capable and confident. For instance, use the words like leader, expert or established, rather than started or followed.

#4: Pace your speech.

Remain calm, and do not rush it. Talking too slow or using an excessive amount of filler words (um, like, etc.) is not good either. If it helps, you can also try pausing shortly between each statement, so your thoughts are more organized. Perfecting your speech comes with practice, so rehearse in front of the mirror or with a family/friend.

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5 Things That Make Your Profile Look Unprofessional

 

Being that your professional profile and resume is the first thing that recruiters see, you definitely don't want to give off an impression that you are not an ideal candidate. Don't let the little things ruin your chances of gaining a job. So make sure you have these five things that make your profile look unprofessional in check:

#1: Email Address

If you are still using the same email address you created back in high school, make a new one immediately. Get one for your professional life and work, because nobody will take you seriously if you are prettyprincess85@gmail.com. (Save it for personal use, instead.) You can easily set up a new email on Google, Yahoo or Hotmail.

#2: Poor Grammar and Spelling

Misspelled words and bad grammar are big giveaways that make you seem unprofessional. Be sure you give your profile a second look and also ask others to proofread it for you.

#3: Phone Number

It is best that you provide a personal contact number, like your cellphone, rather than a home number. You do not want hiring managers to call you at your house number, and have a family member or roommate pick up. Just make it easier for your prospective employer with a mobile number, so they can reach you anywhere and anytime.

#4: Profile Photo

You want to provide a good first impression to the hiring manager even before you meet at the interview. You can do so with a professional, business-appropriate profile photo. Do refer to Tips for a Professional Profile Photo for more in-depth advice.

#5: Unnecessary Personal Information

It's nice to share a bit about your personality and hobbies away from work, but keep it to a reasonable amount. In case you didn't know, oversharing may actually hurt your employment prospects. So no need to share overly personal details and/or photos. Topics that you can possibly discuss about are clubs, associations or organizations you are a part of, or volunteer work that you are engaged with.

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Tips for a Professional Profile Photo

Did you know that a profile photo is a valuable element to your job search on Harri? It can help increase your chances of getting that dream job that you have been chasing after. In fact, you are 7x more likely to be hired.

Although, a profile photo is usually excluded from the traditional paper resume, it is very important to have for your online presence, like your Harri profile. You owe it to yourself, so maximize your job searching efforts. Here's a guide to achieve a professional profile photo:

#1: Size

The ideal profile photo should be no larger than 600 x 600 pixels in dimension. (For reference, that is the same size as an Instagram photo.) If your photo is too small, it can be appear blurry or fuzzy, which is a not a good sign of professionalism. Generally, square headshots are the most popular and can be used across all channels.

#2: Distance

You do not want to appear too close, nor too far. Find a good balance so that your face is in focus. Also, keep in mind that your entire face should be in view.

#3: Group or Cropped Photos

Avoid using group photos with friends and family. Cropping out people from a group shot is not the smartest idea either. Stick to using solo shots, so that you do not have hassle with Photoshop, and cutting out unnecessary people in your photo.

#4: Lighting

A profile photo would not be a profile photo if you cannot be seen in it, so be conscious of the lighting. Take photos in natural light or near a window. Refrain from being in direct sunlight and overhead light sources because they can create dark, harsh shadows.

#5: Pleasant Expression

You want to appear like somebody an employer would like to hire and work with, so put on a pleasant expression. In a natural manner, try to express positivity and confidence. Stay away from posing and the use of hands/gestures.

#6: No Selfies

Keep the selfies to yourself. For your professional profile photo, you will want to have somebody take it for you, whether it be a friend or an expert photographer.

#7: Professional Attire

Remember, dress to impress. Wear something that you would typically wear for an in-person job interview, such as a button-down shirt/blouse and a blazer. Another tip is to stick to neutral or dark colors, like white, black or gray.

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How to Answer "What Is Your Greatest Strength?"

 

We've previously featured how to answer "What is your biggest weakness?" and for our next feature we present how to answer “What is your greatest strength?" Providing a well prepared answer can leave a good, lasting impression on the interviewer. Here are some tips when responding:

#1: It's not about how much, but how well.

When you talk about your strengths, do not start listing everything that you are good at immediately off the top of your head. Think it through carefully and prepare a quality answer. Narrow down your strengths to a maximum of two to three things, then explain to the hiring manager how well you were able to accomplish such tasks and orders. For example, you can share how you demonstrated great time management skills and how detailed-oriented you were as a host/hostess.

#2: Provide evidence or a story.

Make sure you can support your claim. Back up your strengths with numbers or a story about the particular matter to reinforce your candidacy. So to relate back to the prior example, mention how well you were able to handle a high number of calls and reservations with guests, via both the phone and at the restaurant, in a timely and accurate manner.

#3: Tie it in with the company's values.

Prior to your interview, research the company you are interviewing with and look for important things that are valued by the brand. For example, most hospitality businesses deem customer service as a top priority. In that case, you can describe how your friendly and likable personality would be an asset when dealing with patrons and customers.

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Top 3 Pieces of Advice from Restaurant Professionals

 

Veterans in the restaurant world will tell you that working in a restaurant is a tough challenge at first, but your hard work of blood, sweat and tears will pay off in the end. And as the industry continues to grow, there are lots of opportunities out there for you to take advantage of. So go out there and build up that resume!

But to give you a little head start and some advice before you enter the field, here are some valuable pieces of advice from restaurant professionals:

#1: Be open-minded and prepare to take on other roles.

Like any other workplace, there will be lots of different personalities. Be nice to your colleagues/superiors and be willing to accept new ideas. For example, you may be asked to learn and train for another role you didn't initially apply for. It's not what you had intended to do, but it's not all that bad because you will be able to learn additional skills that can be helpful later on in your career.

#2: Every day is a new learning experience.

Not only will you learn something new every day, you will also be given a chance to improve upon yourself. It will be a continuous cycle of learning and improving, but that is how you will develop to be something even greater. For instance, if you aspire to be the head chef of a restaurant, you will start off working as a Prep Chef. As you progress and pick up new things, instead of saying "Yes, Chef", you could be promoted to Line Cook or Sous Chef. Even when you join the ranks of Executive Chef, you will still need to think about how you can better yourself.

#3: "Do what you love and the money will follow."

Don't just dream on making it big with lots of money. Make sure you put in your part first with passion, effort and diligence. After you put in your portion, you can enjoy the monetary benefits. Even if you start with an entry-level role, you can find yourself at the top. It's been known that 80 percent of restaurant owners worked their way up from the bottom to being a boss.

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