“Tell me about yourself.” is a staple in all interviews.

What you say in this 1-2 minute spiel will be the foundation for all the questions you get asked. 

Get this right, your chances of being successful are much higher.

Yet, most salespeople take it as an opportunity to tell their life story.

They share:

•  What they like and don’t like.
•  Where they grew up.
•  Whether they were popular at school.
•  How their first manager made them feel.

Employers. Don’t. Care. (Most of the time)

There’s a simple process to follow to map out your “about”. 

Step 1: Keep it Linear

Think back to a time someone tried to tell you a story and jumped all over the place. You were most likely confused and had to ask a lot of questions to clarify.

Interviewers don’t want to do that. They want something/someone who is easy to follow.

When you talk about your experience, start at the beginning and summarize along the way.

Step 2: Be Concise

Most salespeople think that their whole career needs to be known by the interviewer. It doesn’t. If they want more information, they will ask.

When doing your research on the role, be clear on what the key deliverables are. What the market looks like. What the company values.

On the back of that, list out the relevant roles that will be closest to that specific one.

Step 3: Relate it to the Role

This sounds the same as step 2, right? Kind of, but not really.

You don’t want the interviewer to have to join the dots by themselves. With all likelihood they have done 10 other interviews in the same day. Make it easy.

When you speak about relevant roles, (4-5 max), mention 1-2 points about it that you liked/disliked which lead you to where you are. They need to either paint you in a good light, or, explain what you’re looking for in a suitable role.

Example: Fill in the Blanks

I’ve been in {field} for the past {time}. I started in {niche} for the first {time}, following that I transitioned to {niche} for {time} which ultimately lead me to {niche/role} because of {experience/interest}.

In that time I {achievement/lesson/growth}.

It was that {achievement/lesson/growth} that drew me to this role. In particular, I like that your company {role/specific/attribute}.

Ask a question of your own.

Action Steps

Map out your sales history in a linear fashion. Pick the roles that show you in the best light.

Create a brief talk track that is easy to follow.

Practice it until you don’t have to read it off a page.